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

[focusedvoid]

The reassurance is accepted, albeit with an edge of stung pride. It seems genuine, and even if it isn't entirely, they recognize it as a peace offering.

The Shadelord's head mirrors his little bow. He's correct that they're lacking finesse, and the Knight recognizes in other context, this reading wouldn't bother them so. This was not a pleasant situation to go through. And with how he's acting now, an accident is seeming a more reasonable explanation than sudden malevolence.

Their will? What does their will have to do with his attacking--?

Several pieces finally snap into place.

The tendrils in Nightmare don't quite let go yet, but they ripple until the thorns are gone, leaving them smooth. In Hallownest, their claws shift until Grimm is cupped between a set of hands rather than caged.

Several thoughts are passed through, one at a time, drops of black into red rather than a full-on torrent.

Their will was unrelated to him. (Accidentally attached, despite themselves: the general concept of oh no.)

They had been reaching up into Dirtmouth for someone specific, without considering Grimm or the rest. (Attached: rising embarrassment and memory of Myla, sitting on their couch and on Godhome's bench, humming.)

To their understanding now, it must have seemed as though they were trying to...drown or eat them? (More embarrassment, alongside vague hypothetical wondering of what would happen if they actually did so. Would they have the Nightmare Realm somewhere next to Godhome, or--?)

That was assuredly not their intention. (Myla again with Grimmchild fluttering between them, and the Knight standing between the Grimmsteeds, peering up at the Troupe's main tent with mild amicability.)

They're displeased by this attack, to be certain, but are unlikely to hold a grudge. Particularly if his mistake was caused by theirs. (Yes, they're annoyed, and they're going to stay that way for a time despite this mostly being their fault, but that's the Knight's irritation, not a Higher Being wanting to erase someone else.)

[baelfyr]

The shift in how they hold the Heart and the vessel captive is more than welcome. (No longer caged, yes, but as long as the Nightmare's Heart remains in their grip, so does Grimm. Still a captive audience, if not physically restrained.) The Nightmare's Heart settles into a far steadier rhythm.

Grimm mildly accepts the pieces he is given - especially the Lord of Shades' discomposure about the whole thing. It is an immeasurable relief to know this situation is indeed salvageable. That they had not intended to consume the Flame at all.

"Yes. I see now."

He is free to do so, so Grimm offers them a proper sweeping bow this time and remains in it as he speaks. The mistake was his and the Heart's - it is right that he offers the proper amends for the disturbance. (Disturbance it was, not a battle in the true sense, because a battle implies each side to be at least somewhat matched.)

"How lamentable! We would never have hastened into such a skirmish had we known the truth. Your attempt at convening with this bug -" Myla, though he has not been formally introduced and politely does not use her name "- reached far further than you intended."

This they seem to have realised. He straightens up and offers a more complete explanation.

"Such a broad cast of presence was taken for a challenge, I'm sorry to say. That you would make a show of laying claim to this stilled land would not be so grand a stretch. None would contest the territory. We, however," pushed forth: the Troupe, himself, the Nightmare's Heart, "did not take well to the risk of being counted within it."

They had all rather thought the Lord of Shades was making a show of possession, and possibly an example of what fate might be visited on the Nightmare after. Isn't this terribly awkward. He impresses this upon the Lord of Shades, and: he and the Heart both are terribly sorry for the inconvenience - it is just that they were woken from the interlude rather convinced the Ritual was about to be abruptly brought to a permanent end.

There. A very clear explanation, in exchange for which he direly hopes they will let go of his master.

[focusedvoid]

A reasonable misinterpretation.

They send apology in return, and the Lord of Shades bows their head deeply to the figure in their hands. (For this, they wonder bitterly why Higher Beings are so unpleasant. Not the Nightmare's Heart in particular, but all the rest, for giving others natural expectation for possessiveness and cruelty. Seer, Grimm, even Lemm at the start--)

Lightly smoldering tendrils pull away from Nightmare veins and evaporate.

As well as a few Shades' forms and sets of eyes, startled by suddenly being visible and disappearing a little too late not to be seen. The Knight angles disapproval back into the Void--what were they even doing there, in another's dangerous territory? Just looking is a poor reason.

Another thought, set forward, pulled away, put forth again: less formal sense of apology, followed by the assurance the Knight's starting to find customary. They hold no ill will despite this, will not try to kill Grimm or the Nightmare's Heart even through further insult or attack--though this has an edit, of as long as they don't try to do anything unpleasant to their Siblings or people here without provocation. They don't expect this to be a problem, they're only putting it out for straightforwardness' sake. Higher Being to Higher Being, as it were. (Here, the general concept of fucking Higher Being nonsense. Pale King, Radiance; the White Lady talking in measured displeasure about Grimmchild. Sour consideration of if they should claim Hallownest as their territory officially...but they don't want to. They're the King. Maybe that's enough. A thought without seriousness that maybe they can shove the White Lady out of her gardens and make her do--something, anything.)

[baelfyr]

There is a deep discomfort in the way things have played out today. The Lord of Shades being profoundly more powerful than even the Heart had expected; the feeling of Void in Nightmare that had not been invited nor should have found a way in; the ease at which a probing attempt had been wildly misinterpreted and how close he might have come to sealing his own fate.

The moment the Heart is freed and no trace of Void remains, the Nightmare's Heart sinks back into the unknown of whatever deep place in Grimm's psyche it channels itself - though only when the visiting Siblings are gone. Grimm himself whirls from their hands and reappears on an eye-level cargo platform, with a clank at the sudden weight. It would be too implicit of trust they do not quite have, or else just simply improper to remain standing there, held - the Lord of Shades is not a stage, Godhome notwithstanding.

The apology is met, accepted, and responded to with another of his own. There; it is a good thing to know they stand on (relatively) even ground again. He is not one for grudges either.

"Perhaps it goes without saying, but it ought to be said: we wish you no ill will despite our altercation. I hope this changes nothing of our Ritual together, my friend. Its conclusion yet awaits."

And - well, that is a lot to unpack, isn't it?

The Higher Being nonsense thoughts are promptly returned to sender, untouched and without comment, as if he simply did not hear. How foolhardy it would be for a vessel of the Nightmare's Heart to open a discussion like that.

"Too, we wish nothing of your kin, nor of those who choose to plant themselves in the ash of the Kingdom tilled. Our business is with you, Summoner, and the last remaining embers of what was." Perhaps there is some fundamental misunderstanding of the Troupe? It would be one he is quite familiar with; at once the concepts of fallen civilisation and lingering essence and Ritual are vaguely offered up. These are the point. Harming anyone uninvolved would not be.

He does not press the reminder that he is still waiting, in regards to the Ritual. It would be unwise. They are quite clearly in a bad mood. The rest of those thoughts are picked through, instead.

"I could not speak on the Pale mother, her presence so obscured - but if I were to indulge in fancy," and this is a dangerous thing to say, but he would like to humour them just this once - they have earned it after he so rudely challenged them as he did, "whatever your will, you will have it done."

Not that he's one to comment on who would win in a fight, or anything so crass! However. He doubts very hard that the White Lady would be capable of resisting anything the Lord of Shades wanted of her, after witnessing their power firsthand. (Put forward: respectfully, this stays speculation, and between us.)

[focusedvoid]

The Lord of Shades flows upward and settles more comfortably away from the lift's counterweights.

And once again they were giving away much more than intended. The air hangs heavy as they pare their thoughts as much as they can, sent in staccato bursts.

Late to Ritual, apology, intentionally void of explanation, draped in faint guilt and webbing. No harm from Grimm, Troupe. No harm to Grimm, Troupe.

No harm to Grimm, Troupe from most. Warning as to others, Deepnest and Mantis Tribe need avoiding (They slip here, realizing that's likely foolish to think he couldn't fight or flee even if he wanted to. He's still incredibly powerful. He did kill them, technically, and where's the rest of their mask--)

Wait, stop.

Silence.

Apology.

Deepnest, Mantis Tribe attack-defend, not being a threat-threat to Grimm, Troupe. No expectation for his striking first.

"A lack of finesse is to be expected, and may be honed with time." Errors, theirs in reaching and sending. Skilled in Nail, natural in Void, unskilled in Dream, practice practice. Far away from Grimm, Troupe now.

Lord and King are forced titles. Distasteful. No tyrant no king no god. Even when such would solve problems. Even when holding dislike, even much of it.

White Lady insulted them-Knight, them-Vessels, them-Siblings (abandoned shades and forced pure broken cruelty). She can't help, won't help, no tyrant-king-god force help. Care not strongly. The Knight dislikes politicking. Higher Being politics look worse. This is just wish. Tiring, frustrating. They would simply like Higher Being functions to be another's problem, hers, anyone's. Nail, silence, walking away better.

[baelfyr]

Grimm follows in a flicker and settles into parsing their intent, now that there is less meandering and more careful, stunted concept. He maintains a healthy distance perched on the edge of another lift. They may not need to be facing each other for communication this way, but it is polite.

First: "You misunderstand, friend. There is no due haste in completing the Ritual. I wished only to clarify that you would still attend to it." The Heart's eagerness is not for the Summoner to worry about, not until and unless one might show signs of lingering forever.

A nod at the understanding of mutual disarmament. And a slight shift in the way he's looking at them, when their thoughts turn to warning him of potential threats in Hallownest. Amusement, free and easily shared.

"There is much here that may yet pose a threat, but Deepnest and Mantis folk need not factor." And I will remain by the Ritual until its end. But I thank you for the thought.

Another nod; he can tell they are unskilled in Dream - this is not shared - what is shared is a faint sense of encouragement. They have managed much already, and especially with the Dream Nail and with their child, the Lord of Shades will doubtless have plenty of opportunity to learn of Dream and Nightmare both.

(Perhaps they might hunt for their mask together, though a brief flicker of memory, from Grimm's perspective, is sent to show that he saw it break, and not where it fell.)

Grimm feels that the next part strays rather more into the realm of the personal. He thinks for a moment - neatly keeping whatever thoughts he has to himself. Outside of their dance, the two of them are as strangers. But he found himself charmed by this summoner, and intrigued by the being they have become now.

"Each Higher Being differs greatly," he carefully points out. "That you aspire to cast aside the mantle of titles and tribute is unusual, but fair." He carefully picks out the title they seem much keener on - it is easy enough to tell by the way their thoughts feel around it. "Who you are as the Knight will prove counterweight to who you all are as the Lord of Shades, if the two differ much at all." Certain things have to be kept in balance. A familiar phrase to them, perhaps.

Grimm steps to the edge of the platform and looks down, as if he might see the remnants of their mask lying somewhere below.

Quietly: "I find waste of youth unpalatable." An innocuous thing to say, and it might stay vague if not for the way his thoughts neatly hang it on their explanation of their Siblings. "Now is not the time for such discussion, nor am I an optimal choice for it."

[focusedvoid]

Offer, information, with another chipping of of guilt at their continued avoidance: he's completely free to travel. If he isn't rushing them. They could go find him later. More easily now, since this? No need to stay in the tent--unless he needs-needs to, for safety? Or truly wants. They do not insist.

The encouragement is acknowledged, just as the reassurance was before. It's easier to accept as genuine this time.

As are his words. The Knight and the Lord of Shades are the same, technically, but different in power and emotion in a way that's difficult to reconcile. But they will. Practice, practice.

It's supposed to be context. Further misinterpretation would best be avoided. The point: they will not make any do anything just because they are capable of it. Causing Grimm further discomfort was not intended.

The one half of their mask was swept up by tendrils, roiled up until they look away from him and at it, pinched between two claws. They sink back down and start reaching around to feel for the other. Grimm can assist in searching, if he likes. (What are they going to do with it? Can they heal it from outside? Strange to look at it this way. Even death didn't half it any other time except for upon Ascending, and they can't remember what they did to fix it. They'll have to--) There are Hot Springs nearby, eastward, should he need or want healing or relaxation.

[baelfyr]

Free to travel where? His task is where the tents are pitched, and the Ritual abides. Even now he should be sleeping, waiting. Safety - and want are not relevant.

Nothing forced, no discomfort meant. Any godhood does not matter regarding that, at least. "The feeling is mutual, friend."

Due diligence to the Knight-Shadelord, though, is relevant. Grimm eyes the half-mask, and watches them lower. He then steps forward and directly off the platform and drops like a stone - he disappears shortly before the bottom, and reappears on the ground in a lick of flame with all momentum gone. For a while he picks around barrels and nothing is sent back their way as he searches, though their thoughts are clearly getting through just fine.

Eventually: "I will check the lower floor."

(Fleeting and easy to miss: curiosity, as to what the Hallownest springs might be like. Then he's gone and the thought is aborted.)

Grimm returns shortly with the pale second-half of the Knight's mask cradled in his hands, leaping up from below without the familiar flash of fire. (What reaction the flame might have with their deadened mask is likely none, but he has known stranger and it's wise to take no risk.)

There is absolutely nothing ceremonial about the way he offers back a dead-not-dead god's splintered mask. It is just a lost thing being casually returned. He already serves a Higher Being and, he feels, has met plenty. (The Nightmare King unhelpfully does not weigh in when he probes.) He waits.

[focusedvoid]

They can find him for the Ritual. Again, no insistence, only information; they aren't barring him, if there's any lingering concern about territory nonsense. (Attached, a small sliver that they can't imagine staying in one place for long even to sleep.)

They melt and stretch around their former arena with far less speed. It has to be somewhere, and if Grimm can't find it, they're sure they will; they're not going to storm around and possibly catch him in them.

They meet him halfway down a wall, plucking the other piece with a similar lack of ceremony.

They stare at the halves.

Now what?

They pull back until they're on flat ground, putting the pieces together and--wrapping a tiny tendril around it, and then slicing through that tendril. It stays solid and keeps the parts in place. Some of it crawls along the crack, pinning them together further.

They push Soul into it, Focus inversed--and while it flares in a glow, nothing else. The crack is still there.

Grimm isn't given so much attention now, other than their pulling the puddling black nearest to him inward first. The Lord of Shades folds and squeezes, smaller, smaller, smaller, curling up into the empty neck hole of their mask--

--and despite their concentration, the holding tendril snaps.

The halves launch across the room. The Lord of Shades bursts back into existence, scrambling gracelessly to catch them before they slam into walls.

Alright. Perhaps they should...go to the Springs and soak them in the water directly. They incline their head in that direction before ignoring the floor and tunneling through the air on the way.

[baelfyr]

Ah, but the Troupe wanders as the Knight has. Amusement, again, and wholly unclarified.

Grimm comes to watch the attempted reunion of a ruined mask. He doubts, but again, anything is possible...

He flinches minutely, little more than turning his head slightly away.

...Not this, apparently. This is not the confident cast of a Higher Being who knows what they are doing, it is the fumblings of an inexperienced god simply hoping. (The Nightmare King supplies: it had not been entirely unlike watching a creature climb into a sea-shell. If more explosive.)

"You may not -"

They are already rushing. Grimm glances skyward, at the overhead platforms and the corner that would lead him back to Dirtmouth, and - while he does not sigh, the sentiment is there. He folds into fire.

Grimm will meet them wherever there is space; he is not about to materialise in solid earth. They might, however, notice a fleeting presence following along with them now and then, in the clear air of the tunnels.

(Sleep is the usual pattern here, but they beckoned him. Of course he will attend.)

[focusedvoid]

As a strange silent bug, and later, an supposedly-empty Vessel, they didn't care what others assumed of them. This isn't particularly changed beyond not wanting to be seen as automatically territorial.

Grimm watching them fumble is mildly embarrassing, but unimportant in the long run. If he decides they're a fool, finds entertainment from it, then he does. Feeling him following as they flow towards their goal, they suspect he just might. (They hadn't meant to beckon, only indicate their next move, now that they've shut the link on their side.)

They startle an Aspid and pause for just a moment as it flees, noting how it glows brownish-green, and that's the most eventful occurrence. The journey is hardly long.

Fortunately, it's empty.

The Knight generally kept to the edge of the Hot Springs when standard size, but there's much more to them further in. The tips of their lower tendrils test the water as they drift above, absorbing familiar comfort as much as Soul, slowly angling to the odd carved faces in the back. This area is more than deep enough to submerge their giant claws, holding their mask together.

They try, again, to Focus outward, at it, in it.

The water around their wrists light up in flashes, briefly defying gravity to start crawling up their arm. Not what they were aiming for, and doesn't fix the problem when they stop and check the crack.

They stare, displeased.

If it was fixable once, it must be again, and that keeps them from launching headfirst into panic. The Lord of Shades twines around the nearest carving, feeling the waterfall flow down their back as they consider their next step.

[baelfyr]

Grimm unfurls back into himself at the doorway to the Springs, glancing around with some idle curiosity as he steps inside.

"How picturesque." A fine opportunity to sightsee, not that he hasn't seen such a thing before. He comes to the water's edge and watches the Lord of Shades skim the springs.

No time like the present. Grimm steps in up to his knees - with a pause, to appreciate the way Soul floods up against Essence, unneeded but pleasant - and his wings drag theatrically behind him as he wades deeper to investigate. He has a sense of what they're trying to do, and it would be interesting if they succeeded. He remains a skeptic.

Correctly so, he thinks, as yet again their attempts fail. He had been going to warn them, before they'd rushed off.

Grimm stands at a fair distance, up to his waist in Soul-laced water with his wings pooling around him on the surface, and his breathy voice echoes eerily off the stone.

"Forgive me for the unsolicited advice, friend, but such things are deceptively difficult." He peers at it, and looks appreciative. "Fine craft and unique caliber it is, and a part of the wearer in a way many are not. You might do well to seek an expert..."

[focusedvoid]

They pass through another, staccato and dry: True. They weren't sure. They had to make a try. But the Pale King is dead. He would be most reasonable as resource.

Why doesn't the water hurt Grimm?

The Lord of Shades lightly twitches. That wasn't the Knight's thought at all.

There are a pair of eyes buried in their tendrils around their shoulders, staring at Grimm suspiciously. Or perhaps the light emanating from the water itself.

Water hurts fire, doesn't it?

[baelfyr]

The Pale King also isn't here to defend his claims to fame, so an idle comment won't go wrong.

"It may be encouraging to remember his was not the only hand in many of his endeavours."

Grimm's attention snaps immediately and accurately to the source of that thought, scarlet eyes locked on the half-hidden Shade for a brief moment as he registers who and what this is.

Oh. Certain contexts aside: how delightful.

"Ah! What burning curiosity yours must be to chance the spotlight..."

A glance at the Shadelord, and a courteous little nod - he takes no offense, they are permitted to ask! - and Grimm reaches out a hand, palm-down as if to telegraph that he is not about to aim anything at them. A loose ball of flame gathers in it, and he promptly lowers his hand into the water with a sizzling, roiling hiss. The flame goes out.

"You are of course correct. But not all things are as they seem, and your kin sets a marvellous example." A poor explanation - and quite deliberate.

[focusedvoid]

He can't mean the White Lady. No, he could, but they'd hope he wouldn't after telling him of their dislike. Though pride is less important, here. The Knight at the head mulls this over.

Though not before informing Grimm he doesn't need to answer anything he'd rather avoid, since he's likely to get more questions.

The little Sibling follows the movement, fascinated by the demonstration of what they've only seen in shared memories. Indignant when he stops.

Void hurts Light, Light hurts Void. Water hurts fire. The fire didn't hurt the water. Grimm's standing in it just fine. Isn't he made of fire? Shouldn't he have lost his legs?

[baelfyr]

(The response: Naturally. He will keep his secrets.)

At their continued confusion, Grimm bares the faintest hint of a smile. He may have chosen to be vague on purpose. He wades another couple of steps forward, and gives a sweeping gesture up at the Lord of Shades.

"Ah, but while your kin may be so in this form, in another they are not simply of shadow alone. The proof may lie shattered, but proof it is still."

Gentle, and offered-out rather than pressed into them, he shares this with the little Sibling - and the Lord of Shades: a view down at the Knight as their small and whole-masked self, standing unharmed beneath the bright red spotlights of the Ritual ring with their white horns gleaming.

"A face worn on the outside belies the nature within."

More vagueness, more confusing manners of speech. Grimm does so like to see a young one think.

[focusedvoid]

...They guess.

In the background, quietly for they're amplifying their little sibling, Knight remembers: a face, a face, to define, to focus, to exist. The Wyrm wasn't as alone in making them as they initially thought. The Mask Maker knows much.

To Deepnest for a visit next.

In a while. The waterfall is soothing, and they're not being expected. No need to cut this brave Sibling off in a rush.

And they are brave! Even though they're hiding in the dark still! This light is still light and it can be dangerous. They don't have any face-shell like Strongest Sibling Knight anymore. And Grimm's shell looks so thin. Just one Sibling could wrap around one of his leg a lot of times!

[baelfyr]

At that, he laughs. It's low, breathy, and rasping - in another context perhaps reminiscent of a ghost story, but in this one it's tinged surprisingly warm and genuine. Apparently he is no more immune to childish whimsy than the next person.

"Brave you are, to think of snaring Troupe Master Grimm! I tell you appearances are deceptive, and your answer is to conceive a plot of entanglement!" He knows full well this is not what they meant by it, but this is an easy pivot into playfulness. Grimm leans forward, peering up at them in conspiracy. "Fearless! In a murkier venue I am not so certain I would escape your watch."

Presented for review: the concept of tag. (A game, a chase, with roles and a victor.) With a twist. (Grimm, mid-leap, with a coil of Shade triumphantly clinging to his leg.)

[focusedvoid]

Oh. Yes, they are! They'd get him and they'd eat him! Such a skinny leg would be easy to take!

No, no, none of that talk, games aren't for that, games involve holding back (a red cloak dancing, Needle lethal but laughter holding back Nail), and all that's already settled.

But they'd win! They'd win all the way!

That's not the point of games. Games are for fun.

Technically. It's possible to get far too into it, dangerously so, but--

Alright. The Knight does a mental equivalent of taking a shoulder and guiding Sibling's thoughts, along with their own, elsewhere. Surely they have other questions. Such as, what is the Troupe? The Knight knows of circuses. Fireworks, freakshows, blade juggling. Does his do any of that?

Their Sibling, as if that's the most dangerous on the list, zeroes in on blade juggling. Their eyes travel down until they stare from the Lord of Shades' upper arm. What!

[baelfyr]

Another laugh, though this one is wisely not accompanied by further talk. Taunting the little one into play makes work for the Lord of Shades. Still - they seem to get the concept, even if Grimm has no intention of following up on it.

Ah, the golden question: what is the Troupe? He'll let that one sit. There are more important questions. Like ones about knife juggling, for example.

"Many of the Kin are skilled in juggling staves and batons - aflame, of course - and we have a knife-thrower in our ranks. The Troupe's talents are many, and diverse."

Visualised for them: arcs of bright scarlet fire dancing in a dimmed arena, and briefly, the gleam of daggers.

A pause, here. This next part does carry a hint that he would rather have omitted. Grimm decides it is worth giving them a warning - it's only fair, with the little Shade so interested.

"Alas, we find ourselves soon to commence the closing act of the Ritual. If your curiosity burns for the Grimm Troupe's other performances, it would be wise to prioritise." ...Catch another show first.

[focusedvoid]

The Lord of Shades doesn't need to be deliberately quiet as they are, as Sibling immediately fills both their minds with an imagining of the Knight's true dance with Grimm, just in darkened Godhome, with Siblings floating around the stands to see the blades and flame play.

Not that they'd just be doing it for fun! They'd be watching him too!

The Knight isn't sure if they can bring the rest of the Troupe into Godhome. Better to keep it to the tent. If Grimm's willing to. If they can even try. They're often busy; Siblings are nervous.

But they can just see through the Knight's eyes, like always! That's fine!

[baelfyr]

A flicker, then: they get the mental equivalent of a respectful nod from the Nightmare King himself, just as Grimm nods in person. The feeling of this is distinct from the other shared thoughts only in that it is bigger, like brushing up against the shape of something more.

It's only fleeting. And to the Lord of Shades, surely a drop in a bucket.

The idea of taking the entire Troupe into Godhome is met with polite disapproval, or something like it.

"I hesitate to deny you, friend." A cagey and diplomatic way of saying the rest of the Troupe does not belong in Godhome. Whether this is for their benefit somehow or by lack of merit he does not clarify.

"But the Troupe will gladly perform for you here in the physical. It would be our honour to entertain." He fixes his gaze on the little Sibling again, lightly challenging, as one ever might be to a child. "We especially look forward to your keen appraisal!"

[focusedvoid]

They don't want the Troupe in Godhome either, if mainly for embarrassment's sake. The idea of Godseeker calling misinformed praises to Grimm and Divine and Brumm leaves the Lord of Shades shaking their massive head, and sinking by increments closer to the water. Sibling's eyes slide back up to their shoulder. A few more appear on the edges of tendrils, peering at Grimm and the Springs before winking back out again.

Well, they're going to! ...Right?

...Right. When things aren't quite so busy. The Siblings are sure to remind them, yes?

Yes! They will!

And! Who was that! They nudge the memory of the Nightmare King nodding and him in his arena in front of the Heart, too, like a curious crowd member poking a curtain. That one!

[baelfyr]

The metaphorical curtains remain closed; there's no further trace offered of anything deeper than Troupe Master Grimm. He's amused by their curiosity regardless.

Grimm swishes both hands through the water as he turns to wade back towards the edge, dragging a furrowed wave and his floating wings behind him.

"My apologies, little shadow - and the rest! I have no doubt the Lord of Shades could wring out whatever information they liked, but I must ask for patience. It is an unusual thing indeed for the summoner to be so well-acquainted with me before the denouement."

He pauses at the edge of the spring, and glances down and to one side.

"I suppose there is no reason to hurry back with the summoner thus occupied," he reasons. "The show cannot go on without both roles filled..."

Then he turns, settles down, and stretches out in the glowing water with his back against the side. His spindly arms unfold to rest languidly along the fringe.

And, finally, asks the question he wants to ask.

"How fares our child in the interim?"

[focusedvoid]

The Sibling is tugged back. This success is only partial--but while they were truthful they won't force any to do anything as the Lord of Shades, there was nothing about the Knight not using more mundane measures.

The whole of them loosens from the statue and melts, half-literally, into the water.

Sibling can't truly squawk indignation, but they echo a good substitute through their heads, rushing to the very tip of a tendril still drifting lazily above the water. Hey! They're not getting in there!

The Knight is distracted by the sensation of water spilling over their head and face. Something...is wrong? Something...?

No, something is strange, but right: the Lord of Shades has no mask, and so no holes in their face for water to pour into. They revel in it, even as they listen to Grimm's voice carry through the springs, bringing a prickle of guilt along.

Thoughts, carefully packaged: they're fine, the Knight believes.

Images, a scene: Myla, Grimmchild settled on her lap as she stares vacantly under bright lights. Grimmchild, circling their head as they add pots to their shelf. Myla, more animated, chatting with Iselda in their home again, Grimmchild stretching across her and partly onto the Knight's lap on the couch, as they both listen to discussion about the toxicity of cinnabar. Myla's using their back as an armrest. The Knight briefly reaches out to pat them, and is bemused when their paw is grabbed by careful fangs and pulled back before they can tuck it inside the blankets. They put their paw between Grimmchild's horns again and leave it resting there.

Their assistance was enlisted outside of being deadly companion. Is this acceptable?