"I admit I was being deceptive, when I said I desired the power the unwaking realm could give me. I wanted to see whether we could trust you. My only desire is to heal, as always." Brune rolls a bit closer to the stone to get a better look at it, taking out his spectacles from his coat pocket. "You truly believe it can be destroyed?"
"I believe I must try, Abernathy. This accursed stone and everything - and every_one_ - involved with it deserves no less. It has already perverted your dreams and begun to twist your deepest thoughts." He nods towards Jack. "Tell me more of this dream. What have you seen?"
@Mithical "A ship run aground, but not a ship like unused to sail. An old fashioned sail boat. The captain was missing so I went inland... I came across ruins... And came to a cliff. I thought I was saving someone but... It was a monster."
Rubbing his neck again, "that's when I saw the black stone"
"We have read of the sailing madness that took place here many years ago," Brune says, still staring in fascination at the stone. "The obsession, the desire to eat. We found a few scattered records of it in the library."
@Sciborg "Yes, the disfigured monster was all teeth and it bit me..." Eyes glassy, Jack is now scratching at his neck. Not enough to draw blood but more than normal
Normally one of his companions behaving so strangely would be causing Brune to look at them worriedly, but Brune's gaze is fixed on the stone, almost as if he can't tear his eyes away, as he says, "The island. That is Rivaille, is it not?"
It takes Brune a moment to realize the meaning of Antonelli's words, and he looks wearily at the window, with an expression that distinctly emanates I'm not surprised, I'm just disappointed.
"They're with us," Brune says, gesturing tiredly for them to come in. "I assure you we have no further friends hiding behind potted plants or wastepaper bins."
"...A port in a storm," Brune says. Something seems to have suddenly clicked together in his mind, although there's still uncertainty in his voice. "A luring beacon. Shelter. Prosperity."
Brune turns pale at the remark; the sound he heard in the dream seems to echo in his mind, the sound of a flatline. Beep. Beep. He unconsciously, suddenly, slides his hands quickly palm-down and then palm-up across the armrests, a strange and almost ritualistic motion - as if he's trying to wash something off his hands. When he finally speaks, his voice is dark and trembling. "...You ask as if you already know the answer."
"You seek to wash your hands of your guilt and shame. To act as if it never happened. Those of the Unwaking feed on your tortured consience. It nourishes them, encourages them. It is a feast and a delight."
"You claim to want to help me. Yet you bring the seeds of your destruction everywhere you go, and you would pull me down with you. Your guilt would doom me along with all of your associates."
"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Brune's voice is so rough and broken that it sounds like it's coming from a completely different person, and the apologies force themselves from his throat. He starts to cry, burying his face in his hands. "...I'm sorry..."
Brune's body is heaving with sobs; it seems like his body can't decide whether it wants to have a panic attack or simply collapse in on itself, or both.
"Guilt. Remorse. The terrors inside us all. Sustaining, strengthening, and empowering those beyond the Rivaille. Are you starting now to understand, all of you?"
@Mithical Through gritted teeth, "Bringing the good, and I will call him that, Doc down. Making his guilt worse. You're not doing us any favours either."
"Doc... What's you've been through, no matter how terrible doesn't define you. Something's are out of your hands. It's how you respond the day after that matters. And there's always a day after... If you choose to keep on going. You're not a bad man."
@bobble This obviously catches Antonelli off guard. He slumps, and then sighs. "Are there any more of your acquaintences around? I dislike being toyed with in this fashion."
@AncientSwordRage I'll let @Sciborg make that call.
Something about the humor of more of his friends continuously popping out of the woodwork just when Antonelli thought he found them all is bringing Brune out of it a little.
@AncientSwordRage Brune looks at him and nods, slightly, seeming a little comforted by something he said. He wipes his face on his sleeve and seems to regain some composure, but still clings to Darrion.
Brune is visibly trembling and still has his head down, as if unable to look at anyone, and doesn't glance over at Alex's entrance. It seems quite certain that if he could walk, he would have made an attempt to bolt from the room.
@AncientSwordRage You don't need an Extreme success in this case; you're not competing against anyone and a Hard success was good enough for this thing.
"Now that we're all here, I ask you all once again. Have you begun to understand better the designs of those from beyond the Rivaille? Do you now have an inkling of what the Unwaking World can release? Have your eyes been at all opened?"
"By severing the connection. To forever close the port. Purge those who would trade their souls for fish and gold. I intend to destroy the Rivaille utterly and completely."
"How can mere mortals hope to stop it?" Brune says, drowsily, as if he's on the verge of fainting. He seems to be operating in some kind of haze, as if his mind is lost in a fog. "When it has dug its tendrils so deeply into this place?"
@Ginger Antonelli turns to you, straightening his white lab coat as he does so. "You may think me dramatic or a fool if you would like to, my friend. Levity will not save you from the forces encroaching all around you."
Brune stares at the lab coat Antonelli is wearing, a foggy connection slowly materializing in his mind. Suddenly he thinks of the beach, the waves, the corpse...
The moment he is gone, Brune sags into his chair, as if all the energy has drained from his body. "We should leave," he mumbles, half-coherently. "This place... we should leave. Now."
@Ginger There's very little in the office that isn't covered with paper. The desk, bookcase, and chairs are all covered in paper. There's a medical diploma on the wall.
Brune grips his wheels and visibly struggles, for the first time since you've met him, to get them rolling, as if there is no strength left in his limbs. He sags again. "I don't mean to sound dramatic again, but at this moment I would very much like to roll this blasted thing off a cliff."
@AncientSwordRage Brune audibly hesitates before responding, and it's very clear that he does not grant this privilege very often. Finally he says, tentatively, "If you would..."
He scoops up the cipher paper Darrion gave him and tucks it into the pocket of his coat for later.
After getting a push, Brune resumes his usual smooth rolling and steadies himself, turning to see what Alex is looking at. "Are you coming, or have you gotten your fill of this?" The question in his voice seems to be implying he is offering them a way out of what they're about to embark upon, if it's too much for them.
WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
And I think that's a good place to call it for tonight :D
this may have been my favorite session so far in terms of sheer plot reveals and excellent npc acting and roleplaying, i was so invested i couldn't leave my desk
