Test 4.

[azumods]

KNOWLEDGE Compared to the frigid chamber you've just left, the cavern you enter now is warm. It isn't difficult to see why; while there's still a fair amount of space in here, it's far smaller, and there's a source of heat and light in here - a small fire going near a corner of the room, tucked away behind the wall and difficult to see as you enter, but fairly obvious once you're inside, the light from the flames bouncing off the corner of the chamber and making it decidely easier to see. There thankfully aren't any more of Froslass' "sculptures" in here; there is, however, a person. Candice is in the corner near the fire, pressed back against the wall and watching you as you enter; it's likely obvious from the start that there's something wrong with her, though it's difficult to say what just from looking at her. Her eyes aren't fixed in the same sort of dull, blank stare that the people affected by Team Galactic tend to display, but at the same time, they look viscerally wrong - it's alert but it's empty and almost completely unfocused, as though she's taking in information and she's processing it, but she's not actually seeing any of it. It's unsettling, but she's still watching you, and she's holding something close to her chest as she does so; she's got the thick, blue sweater untied from around her waist, and she's holding it bundled in her arms like she's trying to protect it. Her eyes don't come into focus, even as she addresses you. "I told you that you aren't welcome here. You need to leave. Now." Her gaze darts as she speaks, like she's trying to take in as much as she can, even if she doesn't seem to be registering any of it properly; her expression is hard. Cold. What happens now is up to you.

Comments

[azumods]

[I'm sure Azelf thinks it can handle them on its own; I plan on trying to find it first.

...Uxie loves Azelf. Azelf is a moron.]

[heritrix]

[You totally gotta look after your morons, Rin understands that sentiment. She misses her moron a lot.

...and oh, um. There's some stuff going on with Candice there, so Rin pauses sharply, wondering if she should help. It looks like Zelda is trying to soothe her, though; she'll see how that pans out first before jumping in. Crowding Candice when she's already frightened will just make it worse.

Chest tight, Rin tears her eyes away from the girl and goes back to treating Uxie's injuries.]

...is there anything else you would like us to do? For yourself, or perhaps Candice. I can make sure a message is passed on to her friends and family, if you have one.

[azumods]

[...If you want to let them know what happened, you can. I see no reason to keep it a secret; things like this aren't...unheard of.]

[heritrix]

So it's happened before, huh?

[She can't help but think of some of the things Uxie said to Emmeryn, in its breakdown. That the Guardians are respected by some, sought after as weapons by others, but not loved. Is it possible they're feared? It would make sense. That's pretty standard among gods.]

I was thinking of something more personal than that, though. [She can tell Uxie regrets this; on the two issues they wanted to address, helping Candice was the one the Guardian relented on first.] But if you're fine leaving things this way and have nothing to tell them, I won't press you.