what part of this sounds like a good idea

[unitas]

Who: Sharon da Silva, and you!
What: Haven't you heard? It's a 'party'!
Where: Fear's Temple
When: OCT 7 - 10
Warnings: Cursing, sarcasm, Sharon.


[ There's something going on at Fear's temple. Some people go in, some people leave, some people stay awhile. Maybe you heard it was a party?

Well?

It's not a party. Whoever told you there was a party was lying. There are no streamers in Fear's temple, no candles, or cake. Hell, there's not even music unless someone brings any. Sharon's not a great party planner, it seems. Why would she think she'd have a quiet time giving her fear to Fear when she has friends like Kate (who, in turn, has friends like Faith)? ]


[ ooc: sharon's prompts are in the comments. please feel free to add your own! any character is welcome to come in, and mingle, even if Sharon might not appreciate it. if you want something specific, or have questions, you can message me here or on lunareism ]

Comments

Sharon da Silva | Open

[unitas]

▍▍▍▍I. OCT 7th

[ Three days.

Fear was asking for three days of her time, and fear, in exchange for some insight into his past with Hope. It felt like more than she should be willing to give up. The information could be nothing, and offer no new leads on either of the gods. It's no wonder it took weeks for her to gather the courage, and will necessary to go through with it.

With a stuffed knapsack pressed at her side, Sharon da Silva stands outside of Fear's temple, expression drawn. She is not looking forward to the next seventy two hours. ]

▍▍▍▍II. OCT 7th

[ The first day is relatively quiet. She tosses her pack in a corner, hops up onto the altar like it's a chair, and pulls out her phone. There's a lot of time to kill, so she spends it texting, and swallowing in deep breaths to keep her nerves steady.

Fuck Fear. ]

▍▍▍▍III. OCT 8th

[ Sharon is uncomfortably aware of her fear. It's a constant presence, impossible to push away. It's ignorable, if she let it, but ignoring her fear wasn't the reason she was here; she had a purpose.

So, even as people come and go, Sharon tries to keep a grip on the fear, nursing it. She puts her attention into her sketchbook, sketching out creatures from memory, scenes that can only come from nightmares. Long limbs, torn flesh, gnarled teeth. Monsters. Sometimes, there's a name to go with the monster. Colin. Leonard. Lisa. Peek, and she'll glare, or cover it up.

When someone enters the temple, she glances up from her work. ] Oh, yeah, hey. It's a fucking party! [ There's a lot of sarcasm there. Oh, hey, she's not sour after the long hours here. ]

▍▍▍▍IV. OCT 9th

[ By the third day, Sharon is testy. Irritable. She's slept little, eaten less, and the constant fear has somehow managed to dredge up memories best left to the rust, and darkness of the Otherworld. Of days spent in the basement of a hospital, alone with only the hum of machinery to bring her comfort. Of the years spent in that same bed as the world around her rotted.

The fear in those moments had been suffocating, overwhelming, and her whole world. A feeling as familiar to her as the beat of her heart—a heart that should have stopped long before she ever reached that hospital bed.

Sharon pulls her feet up, arms wrapping around her knees, a plush animal pressed against her chest. She hadn't meant to bring it, hadn't even meant to keep it, but somehow it brings her some small, childish sense of comfort.

There are only a few more hours to burn, and Fear will owe her. Maybe more than he'd expected given all the foot traffic she brought with her. Let's see this shit through. ]

▍▍▍▍V. OCT 10th

[ Sharon walks out of Fear's temple sometime on the tenth, and upon exiting, and noticing the fucking dragons, she turns right back around.

Fuck that shit. ]

the 7th.

[torrefied]

[Mello doesn't waste time after Sharon texts him and tells him where she is. This isn't his first time inside of Fear's temple, and he mentally notes the irony in the fact that it was Sharon who brought him here the first time, too. Just like then, he feels the wave of anxiety wash over him the second he steps inside, and just like then, he inhales deeply and swallows it down. Fear won't get the better of him.

He doesn't announce himself, just walks in and steadily makes his way toward her, slowly unwrapping the scarf that covers his mouth, since they're alone. He silently takes a seat on the ground near the altar and glances up at her.]

So ... are you having fun yet?

[unitas]

[ Sharon snorts quietly beneath her breath, rolling her eyes dramatically, exaggeratedly. The anxious, fear induced bubble in her chest eases somewhat, and she breathes a little easier with him around. ] Oh yeah, I'm having an absolute blast. I am so ready for three days of this bullshit.

[ The sarcasm sounds flat, and forced. The next she speaks, her voice wavers, twinged with fear and anger. ] Or I thought I was, but it's been so long since I've been in here, I forgot how much I hate it.

[torrefied]

Yeah ... not really my first pick for a vacation spot, either.

[Mello leans back lazily against the wall at his back, one knee bent, arm draped over his knee.]

You wanna tell me about what you're doing here? What this is supposed to accomplish.

[What did you bargain for? Is it really worth putting yourself through this?]

[unitas]

[ The question hangs in the air, and Sharon lets it, uncertain how to answer without giving too much away, or possibly turning Fear off to the deal entirely; he's got to know everything that's said within these walls, right? She licks her lips, and then laughs quietly to herself. ]

Answers, Mello, I'm hoping to get some answers. [ A sigh escapes her. Fear didn't want to answer a question, a simple, stupid question about his relationship with Hope. Maybe that means something. Maybe the answer will uncover something more for them. Maybe it will be a waste of her time. ] Now, whether they'll be useful or not, I don't really know.

[torrefied]

But you think they might be.

[Enough to willingly subject herself to three days in this place. Those answers must be pretty damn important. It's an unconventional method of obtaining something, but Mello certainly can't fault her for that.]

You said you wanted a distraction. What can I do?

[unitas]

[ It seems like a lot to give for something that could turn out to be useless, but someone's got to be willing to get answers out of them—even if it's not one she wants to hear. She taps a finger against the stone, nail clicking against it quietly. She's really not sure what she was asking for, or what will work, but... ]

I don't know. Uh, maybe tell me about something good in your life? [ From back home, from now, it doesn't really matter. ]

9th!

[dedikated]

( she comes as soon as Sharon explains what's going on, spends the first day lounging in the temple, able to ignore the soft buzz of building fear. she spends too much time afraid, pushes herself too often into situations where she has to confront all the things that make her panic to not be able to deal with it.

after two nights here? it stops being so easy, the images - all imagined, bloody deaths of the people who are still alive - plant themselves firmly in her mind, burn bright in her mind like overexposed film. she hears voices occasionally, the mutterings of long-dead family (who can't possibly speak to her, they're dead and that was just one of her mother's stories) whispering in the recesses of her skull.

all you're good for

she shakes her head and looks over at Sharon, shoulders tense but face otherwise impassive. )

Not long now.

( she stretches her legs out, rolls her shoulders, tries to pretend that she doesn't hear the end of that whisper in her mind

killing killing killing )

[unitas]

You don't have to stay, Kate. [ It's a sentence she's said a lot during the last twenty-four hours, and one she foresees herself saying a couple of more times in the future. A part of Sharon appreciates the gesture—a person willing to stay with you through something like this means something—but she finds herself growing a little more frustrated with it as time goes on.

With everything. ]

This was my dumb decision.

[dedikated]

( sorry, Sharon. basic facts about Kate: she's stubborn as muck. )

And you shouldn't be alone for it.

( she knows all about dumb decisions. it's better if others are there.

and the voices... well, she ignores them most of the time anyway. )

[unitas]

[ It seems stubbornness is the thread that connects her to all the people she's grown close to within Hadriel, each one of her friends (still a term she uses as loosely as possible) all share the same hardheaded persistence when it comes to what they believe, which makes treating her own life with reckless abandon incredibly difficult. She sucks on her lower lip to keep from frowning further.

Don't they get that it's easier, and better, to suffer alone? ]

What if I'd rather be alone? What if I like being alone?

[dedikated]

Then you're shit out of luck.

( sorry, Sharon. she gets it, she does it far too often.

she doesn't want to allow a kid to have to do it, not after everything else. )

[unitas]

I don't need you to look after me, Kate. I mean, that is what you think you're doing, right? [ She regrets the words the moment they're out of her mouth, but a part of her wants to hurt the older woman, to push her away using as much venom as she can. ] I don't need a fucking babysitter.

8th

[ushahin]

[The first creature that enters Fear's temple soars in on a pair of coal black wings. He stops and lands just out of grabbing range, looking Sharon over with a pair of eyes that are far too intelligent for just a mere raven. He harrumphs in the back of his throat, muttering to himself under his breath like he's plotting something dire against all of humanity.

Then he opens up his wings and lets out a loud Caw! to let Ushahin know where he's at. Sharon's not so favorite person will be along in a little while.]

[unitas]

[ The ravens appearance is startling, and Sharon finds it to be mildly unsettling. She bristles when it gives its call, and scowls in the creature's direction. ]

I will roast you. [ The sound was definitely not appreciated, it seems. ]

[ushahin]

[Fetch's eyes narrow at the threat and he takes a few short hopping steps away to make sure she can't follow through with it. Grraww! is what he says, sounding like he's scolding her.]

Don't you dare.

[Ushahin comes walking into Fear's temple, pushing back a lock of fair hair that has fallen into his face. Fetch flies over to him and lands on his right shoulder.]

[unitas]

Oh, it's yours. [ Sharon snorts derisively, rolling her eyes. Ushahin is one of the last people she wants to see here. He's capable of seeing too much, has seen too much, and that just manages to put her further on edge. She uncurls her feet from beneath herself, letting them hang over the altar's edge in some attempt to appear at ease, but she is anything but. ]

That makes it even more tempting.

[ushahin]

Fetch doesn't belong to me. We're just good friends.

[He steadfastly ignores the creeping sensation that comes into his mind as soon as he enters the temple. It whispers to him how everything he cares about will be taken away from him. He pulls a piece of jerky out of his pocket, letting Fetch snap it up into his beak. Both man and bird watch Sharon with curiosity.]

What are you doing in such a place? [He's been under the impression that people only come here in times of trouble.]

[unitas]

[ Their stares are unsettling, but she swallows it down, quietly cursing Fear, and the rest of his ilk. The deal feels too heavy now, a weight against her heart and soul, and she can already taste regret on her tongue. There's no way she'll back down, even with the growing suspicion that he's taking more than he'll give. ]

I really don't think that's any of your business. [ The few people she's told have all been considerably close to her; people she feels she can lower her walls around without being taken advantage of. There's no way she could admit what she's doing to someone she doesn't trust. ]

Just like I'm pretty sure you don't need to be here right now. [ The time spent in the temple thus far has made her feel raw, exposed, and she finds it difficult just having someone like Kate see her this way. ]

8th

[closerift]

I didn't know you were an artist.

[ Cecily meets her friend's gaze, smiling appreciatively at the sarcasm, a pack on her back. She glances from the drawings to Sharon again, the smile fading gradually. ]

You should have told me you were doing this. [ She notes, settling in nearby, her back to a column. ] What is this about?

[unitas]

I didn't think you needed to worry about this. [ Not with Cullen gone. The last couple of months have been hell on Cecily, she knows that, and the last thing she wanted to do was add to that. She flips the sketchbook closed, letting the stub of a graphite pencil mark her place. ]

I asked him a question, and he didn't want to tell me, so I offered an exchange for the answer. He gave me two options, and I chose this. [ This was her decision. This is how she gets information. She holds up three fingers. ] Three days in here, that's it.

[ It's only been one, though, and already she's irritable. The few times she's allowed herself to doze have been nightmare filled, and startling enough to wake her. ]

[closerift]

You wouldn't have told me anyway. [ Cecily points out. If it weren't because of Cullen, it would be because of something else. That's just how these two women are, trying valiantly to keep others from their own problems. ]

I hope the answer was worth all this. [ She replies dryly, with a faint bitterness meant for Fear. ] I feel worse having just stepped inside.

[ Cullen will come back with memories of another woman, comes the whisper. Cecily swallows hard, expression stoic. ]

Well, you're not going at it alone. [ Comes the statement, after which she sits against the same column. ]

[unitas]

[ Sharon lets her gaze fall to her lap, knowing the other woman was right. The people she did text, she didn't want them to come, hadn't expected them to, but knowing Cecily as well as she does, she knew Cecily would have walked through that door before she even bothered to reply; that was just the kind of friendship they had. ]

Any new information about the gods might be worth it. [ It's begun to feel like a foolish endeavor. She rubs at the graphite stains on her fingers, managing only to work it into the skin. ]

And I... [ She licks her lips. ] I didn't tell you because I knew you'd come, and I didn't think you needed to spend time in this shit hole. He doesn't deserve your fear, not if you're not getting something for it.

[closerift]

It might. [ She answers evenly. ] ... But, be careful in how high a price you're willing to pay.

[ She'll be destroyed herself before she allows her friend to lose too much in pursuit of information. ]

Well, it's good that he doesn't deserve it, because he isn't getting any of it. [ Cecily says lightly. It's stubborn and untrue, considering that Fear's power to coax out her own fears is too great to withstand, but she isn't about to admit it. ] Here I am, perfectly un-fearful, ready to keep you company for as long as you're here.

[unitas]

[ The only price that seems too high is one that doesn't involve her, the kind that expects her to use other people to get what she needs. She swore she wouldn't be Alessa, but it seems like it's a road she's beginning to retread. ]

You know, I thought it'd be a cakewalk, too, but that tingly, all-nerves, butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of feeling doesn't go away. [ She thought she'd walk in, and it wouldn't affect her, but hours have turned that feeling into an angry hum, no longer capable of being ignored. It's irritating. ]

But if you're really un-fearful, come and lend me some of that badassery. I kind of already want to walk out.