[DM RP] hidden things (hux & ???)

[azuredreams]

No bottom was visible for Hux to see, the waters deep and seemingly an endless black. What could be seen was a perfect reflection of himself that became distorted as a drop hit the water and rippled outward.

With each ripple it seemingly made parts of his face look different. His nose was rotting within one ripple, his beard gone in another, an eye that looked back at him but was not his own-

The laughter stopped.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Expressionless, Hux watched as his appearance changed within the water. The laughter had stopped but the memory of it still echoed within his mind, mingling with the drip of the water.

"Is that it, then?" He asked, looking around the cave with his arms extended out from him, palms upturned as though inviting a fight. "A dead end?"

There was no immediate answer and so he made a face. He turned back towards the tunnel he'd crawled from, prepared to make his journey back. To forget this stupid, pointless cave and try to find a way back to Ashdown.

azuredreams

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

There was no response.

Not until he made his first step away from the pool.

Another voice was heard as he felt the pressure of fingers lightly pressing to his forearm.

Hux? I'm sorry. It was his sister, this time.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Hux froze. Something that felt like ice raced up his spine and exploded behind his eyes. For a moment, he felt as though he'd left himself; all he could feel was the light pressure on his forearm. All other senses had dulled into nothingness. Even the constant drip of water disappeared from his consciousness. The cave was silent, his mind eerily still. For a moment, he didn't even dare to breathe.

And then he did.

With a roar he tore his arm away from the unseen presence. "No!" He said angrily, his voice hoarse. "She's gone. You're not her." He backed away from where he'd once been, the crystals digging into his spine as he pressed against one of the cave walls. He glared wildly around the cave, as though if he tried hard enough he could see where the voice might be coming from.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

I'm sorry I put you through all this ... His sister again, the voice seemingly not coming from anywhere.

You're so good, Hux.I don't know what I'd do without you helping. The voice seemed to ripple, a soft reverberation, as another droplet of water hit the pool.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Like an impudent child, Hux pressed his palms to his ears and shook his head.

"No!" He roared again. "I won't fall for your ******** tricks. I-" His voice cracked. She sounded so real. Her voice was one he'd never forget, soothing and calm; always with a hint of bluntness behind it. Always so strong. She'd spent the majority of their youth caring for him, loving him and nurturing him in their mother's absence. Out of the two of them, it should be him apologizing. Him, thanking her for everything she'd done.

But it was too late for that. She was gone. There's no way this voice could belong to her. The dead didn't come back. He hadn't visited her grave yet, but he knew it was there. She was buried. She was gone.

"I can't- I don't- why is this-" Hux groaned, frustrated. "What do you want from me, why am I here?"

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Uncle? Why aren't you nice anymore? A child's voice full of soft concern and a touch of wariness answered him as another drop of water hit the pool.

Do you not like us? You look at us funny now. Like you don't know us.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Hux tried his best to keep his breathing even. Despite his efforts, his chest rose and fell quicker than it should have. Air wasn't getting to his lungs fast enough and his chest ached as he hyperventilated.

"No." He repeated. "No, no, no." It was Atticus' voice this time, Margaery's only son. His careful pronunciation of each syllable was all too familiar to Hux's ears. His tone was trembling and soft. There would be tears welling within his eyes, if Hux could see him.

Behind it all was that constant dripping. The cool water at the cave's center beckoned him. Perhaps the pool was the way out?

Hux stalked over to it. He gazed within its depths once more. Another drop of water hit its surface and the clear liquid rippled outward from the impact. He took one step forward and submerged himself. If anything, at least he wouldn't be able to hear the voices while underwater.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

It was worse.

Once within the water there was a cacophony of voices that he would hear. The words were jumbled but it was Adoelle, Margaery, Atticus, P'lux-

Every person he knew, every person that had made an impact on him, was heard within the water and speaking to him.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Diving in had the exact opposite effect he'd hoped for.

Beneath the water, Hux writhed as the voices of everyone that had inspired emotion within him before pummeled into him like some sort of ******** up acapella group. Insults, pleas, taunts- anything and everything that could be said to tug at his heart was. By the time he'd frantically pulled himself back towards the surface, tears streamed from his eyes.

"WHY?!" He yelled, his torn voice bouncing back at him from the cave walls and echoing its way down the tunnel. Drained, he pulled himself back out of the water and flopped onto his back. The water had been cold, and he was soaked. He shivered, did his best to control the shakiness in his voice.

"W-what do you w-w-want?" He asked again, still laying on the cave floor. "Why am I h-here?"

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

This time, when the voices came, it was a different one for each word. As if they were pulled from his memories of people speaking.

Your pain brings you here. To see what you might have been able to do- to change.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Hux closed his eyes. He willed his body to still. Tears still slid down either side of his face but he didn't bother to wipe them away. He focused on the sound of the water dripping. His chest rose and fell in time with each drop. It was a tactic he'd used in his youth to quell his emotions- which had been even more volatile then. In the past, he'd used a metronome but the water did just fine in its stead.

"And how do you expect me to do that?" He asked, eerily calm now.

Ashdown Whoaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

You are made of memories. You will see them, relive them. Try to change them, if you want, though it will not change who you are.

The surface of the water rippled, as if fingers had dragged across the surface of it.

You are only what you let yourself become. You will learn this.

happy bonsai

 

[happy bonsai]

Hux released a long, slow breath. He opened his eyes just in time to see the water's surface shift.

"Who are you?"

Ashdown Whoalerr

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Does it matter?

The water rippled and between them is reflection changed again. His eyes were different colors, one bloodshot and the other normal. His skin patchy and falling off in places and then healthy and whole in another place.

It was the reflection next to him that was worth noting. The one that never seemed to stay a single person. It was his sister's children, his sister, Adoelle, each person he had met in Ashdown ...

What matters is who you are.

happy bonsai