The Knights Next Door

[Wyndlerunner]

1 minute ago, Sorana said:

"Journey before destination."

Shana whispered.

"You skipped the journey."

"The First Ideal" James added, "In gaining the power you sought, you broke the key foundation all Radiant Orders follow." He looked at Cassie, an intense look in his eyes "When you break an oath, that very act kills your spren."

[AonEne]

You skipped the journey. Sure, she’d skipped some of the oaths, but did that mean she was skipping the journey and going straight to the destination? Cass’s gaze dropped from Shana to the table, biting her cheek in thought. Can’t that be just another journey? A different one. One where I rode in a plane for part of the trip. That doesn’t count as skipping it, just doing it faster in a new way... 

But when you take an airplane flight, you don’t fall out of the sky halfway through before getting back up like nothing happened and going on. The intense nausea, pain, and wrongness that had crashed over her when the Nightwatcher was gifting her...could that have been the death of a spren? She’d heard they screamed when they died, but if a spren communicated with emotions instead of a voice - and if you couldn’t hear or feel them as a Shardblade afterward - 

The Nightwatcher’s grieving eyes. How she’d said she was giving Cassie the bane so she wouldn’t do more harm. The panic James and Shana were practically emanating now. 

Oh, storms. 

A headache announced its presence with a pound, and she buried her hands in her hair for a moment. “No,” she whispered, not denying anymore but protesting. No, not this. Not now. 

Not Joy. 

“No. How...why did I...how did I not see this?” Logically, her mind told her the signs had been concealed. The Shardblade - which was Joy, she realized now, but not alive - had even glowed, likely from the Nightwatcher’s power, or maybe just temporarily from the Surge of Stormlight in the room. Logically, she couldn’t have figured it out, especially not so early on. But illogically...”I’m so stupid. I broke the First Ideal?” 

[Wyndlerunner]

4 minutes ago, AonEne said:

You skipped the journey. Sure, she’d skipped some of the oaths, but did that mean she was skipping the journey and going straight to the destination? Cass’s gaze dropped from Shana to the table, biting her cheek in thought. Can’t that be just another journey? A different one. One where I rode in a plane for part of the trip. That doesn’t count as skipping it, just doing it faster in a new way... 

But when you take an airplane flight, you don’t fall out of the sky halfway through before getting back up like nothing happened and going on. The intense nausea, pain, and wrongness that had crashed over her when the Nightwatcher was gifting her...could that have been the death of a spren? She’d heard they screamed when they died, but if a spren communicated with emotions instead of a voice - and if you couldn’t hear or feel them as a Shardblade afterward - 

The Nightwatcher’s grieving eyes. How she’d said she was giving Cassie the bane so she wouldn’t do more harm. The panic James and Shana were practically emanating now. 

Oh, storms. 

A headache announced its presence with a pound, and she buried her hands in her hair for a moment. “No,” she whispered, not denying anymore but protesting. No, not this. Not now. 

Not Joy. 

“No. How...why did I...how did I not see this?” Logically, her mind told her the signs had been concealed. The Shardblade - which was Joy, she realized now, but not alive - had even glowed, likely from the Nightwatcher’s power, or maybe just temporarily from the Surge of Stormlight in the room. Logically, she couldn’t have figured it out, especially not so early on. But illogically...”I’m so stupid. I broke the First Ideal?” 

"I'm afraid so" James said, holding back tears of empathy. "I'm so sorry Cass. I wish I could do more than just tell you, but I know of no way to undo the Nightwatcher's actions"

[xinoehp512]

Draug walked into the kitchen, yawning.

"Hey, guys," he called out, going to the refrigerator and opening it. "Everything alright?"

[AonEne]

Cassie pressed her palms into her eye sockets, which failed to stop either her headache or her tears. “Ugh,” she muttered weakly, then ran to the counter and grabbed a tissue. After holding it to her eyes for a bit, she looked up at Draug. “No, things are the opposite of all right.” Things are all wrong. 

[I think I am here.]

7 hours ago, Blessing of Potency said:

Ashlyn follows, "Not really, no."

“I used to be, until this Radiant stuff happened.” Careful. He’d been keeping a close guard on his life before Radiancy with anyone, why break that. Why risk exposing who he was to someone else? But Rob continued, raising a leg over the edge of the pool.

“But, the more I got to know about it, I reached a revelation,” he breathed in stormlight and used the surge of tension on the pool water, keeping the surface tension strong and solid, so when Rob lowered his leg and stepped onto it, his foot stopped directly at the surface of the water. He raised his arms and walked further, literally walking on water.

“That maybe Jesus was a Radiant.”

[xinoehp512]

3 hours ago, AonEne said:

Cassie pressed her palms into her eye sockets, which failed to stop either her headache or her tears. “Ugh,” she muttered weakly, then ran to the counter and grabbed a tissue. After holding it to her eyes for a bit, she looked up at Draug. “No, things are the opposite of all right.” Things are all wrong. 

Draug turned, a concerned expression on his face. "Why? What happened?"

[AonEne]

8 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

Draug turned, a concerned expression on his face. "Why? What happened?"

"Shana and James think..." She couldn't finish, so she didn't try. Instead she just shrugged hopelessly.

[+Sorana]

4 hours ago, AonEne said:

"Shana and James think..." She couldn't finish, so she didn't try. Instead she just shrugged hopelessly.

Shana wordlessly stepped over and hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry, Cass."

She repeated and shook her head.

Edited September 18, 2019 by Sorana

[Wyndlerunner]

Quote

Aghh! All this character pain is causing me pain! 

 

[old man moomba]

Doc hung on the roof for as long as he could, but eventualy climbed all the way up and simply sat, staring out over the city. 

[+Sorana]

50 minutes ago, Wyndlerunner said:

Aghh! All this character pain is causing me pain! 

Quote

Me too. And then we're not even at the bottom...

 

[xinoehp512]

10 hours ago, Sorana said:

Shana wordlessly stepped over and hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry, Cass."

She repeated and shook her head.

Draug looked around, worry spreading over his face. "I don't understand. What- what happened?"

[Wyndlerunner]

James stepped over to Shana and Cassie, and looked at Cass, concernedly. "If you ever want to talk about it, just let me know"

He looked over at Draug, "Cassie broke the First Ideal; Joy is..." He broke off, unable to say any further, for fear of the tears that were about to start falling

[xinoehp512]

Draug exhaled, sitting down heavily in the nearest chair. "Oh." He took a deep breath. "How... how did it happen?"

[AonEne]

Cassie hugged Shana back, eyes closed. Shame was radiating through her, and when Draug asked how it had happened, she spat out the words in a rush of sudden self-hate. “I skipped the journey in favor of the destination. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know it would break my oath...” @Wyndlerunner @Sorana @xinoehp512

Edited September 18, 2019 by AonEne
Typo

[+Sorana]

19 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Cassie hugged Shana back, eyes closed. Shame was radiating through her, and when Draug asked how it had happened, she spat out the words in a rush of sudden self-hate. “I skipped the journey in favor of the destination. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know it would break my oath...” @Wyndlerunner @Sorana @xinoehp512

Shana continued to hold her.

"We all make mistakes."

She said quietly, unsure what else she could do. She looked at James over Cassie's shoulder, a silent plea for help.

@Wyndlerunner

[Wyndlerunner]

4 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Shana continued to hold her.

"We all make mistakes."

She said quietly, unsure what else she could do. She looked at James over Cassie's shoulder, a silent plea for help.

@Wyndlerunner

"It's ok Cass" James said soothingly. "You weren't in the best state of mind last night- we all make mistakes in that sort of state."

[xinoehp512]

39 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Cassie hugged Shana back, eyes closed. Shame was radiating through her, and when Draug asked how it had happened, she spat out the words in a rush of sudden self-hate. “I skipped the journey in favor of the destination. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know it would break my oath...” @Wyndlerunner @Sorana @xinoehp512

Draug leaned back in his chair, "How...?" he mumbled, half to himself. Suddenly, something occurred to him. "Sha-thoexis hasn't taken you. How...?"

[AonEne]

“But most people’s mistakes don’t kill people,” Cassie breathed, extricating herself from Shana’s hug. “We all make mistakes, but I made the worst possible one.” Now even if I can help them, I can never prove myself. There’s nothing to prove. I am worse than worthless - I detract from this group! I killed a spren! 

She glanced miserably at Draug. “She-thoexis?” 

[xinoehp512]

"The Unmade," explained Draug. "Normally, she catches all oathbreakers." He sighed mournfully. "Usually, she is the cause as well."

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, AonEne said:

“But most people’s mistakes don’t kill people,” Cassie breathed, extricating herself from Shana’s hug. “We all make mistakes, but I made the worst possible one.” Now even if I can help them, I can never prove myself. There’s nothing to prove. I am worse than worthless - I detract from this group! I killed a spren! 

"You are not worthless."

Shana told her, held on to her shoulders but looked into her eyes.

"You are not worthless and you never will be. Never. I won't lie to you. It's awful, terrible. But it happened and now we have to find a way to go on, to find a solution. Or at least a way to use what you gained."

She shook slightly, still unsure what to make of it.

"If you throw it away, if you stop fighting, then Joy died for nothing."

Edited September 18, 2019 by Sorana

[AonEne]

47 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

"The Unmade," explained Draug. "Normally, she catches all oathbreakers." He sighed mournfully. "Usually, she is the cause as well."

How did she know what I was thinking? Cassie stared back into her eyes. She didn’t agree, but making a big deal out of it would be stupid, so she kept quiet and looked at Draug. “What do you mean, she ‘catches’ them?” 

[xinoehp512]

"Breaks into their mind," Draug said quietly. "Erases even the memory of Radiance."

[Wyndlerunner]

1 hour ago, xinoehp512 said:

"Breaks into their mind," Draug said quietly. "Erases even the memory of Radiance."

"I'm not so sure that will happen to Cass" James said, contemplatively, "Given that she still has the power of a Fifth oath Willshaper- due to the Nightwatcher's boon"