Show And Tell
IC date: Winter 8
OOC date: 12/27/12
PCs: Nocturne Rising-Chaos
NPCs: None
GM: None

The stormy weather appears to be getting to the townsfolk, as there isn't too much activity present today - understandably, since storms don't mix too well with stones. It's not enough to stop Nocturne, though, who gallops through town, with a small-scale guitar strapped around his neck. The grey unicorn eventually stops at the residence of Rising Chaos, and knocks on her door frantically.

"Rising Chaos! It's really important! I have an idea!" As he knocks on the door repeatedly and shouts, a few pedestrians give him some looks of concern, but go about their way. Chances are, they've seen crazier.

Inside the house, all is still. The only pony present in any kind fo shape to get the door is in fact, Rising Chaos, who is sitting on her favourite chair. Slowly, very slowly, she gets to her hooves and trots towards the door. Her entire posture is low, broken, her eyes unfocused. Unfortunately she recognizes the voice, that of Nocture, the stallion who, last time he saw her, was less than happy about it. Striaghtening up, she opens the door. "Yes, what is it?"

"Okay, okay, so," Nocturne takes a few steps inside to at least avoid the rain. His eyes appear glazed from sleep deprivation, and his breath brings about the scent of coffee. "I read through some books back at my house. Unfortunately, my only skills are musically inclined. But listen," With that, his guitar glows faintly with a red hue. He begins to play a simple bluesy riff on it, but the sound it emits is considerably louder, and somewhat distorted and fuzzy.

"It's an amplification spell," he says, sporting a very wide grin. "And at the moment I can only use it with sound. Maybe we could modify it to make our magic stronger."

Rising-Chaos watches him carefully, this colt who, not more than a week ago, was insulting her is coming to her with a new spell? She can't even use her magic now, why shoul she car-

Rising Chaos podners for a moment, before realizing. He is probably talking about fighting Spindrift. Well, that isn't happening. "Very interesting Nocturne, but I see no "we" here. I'm going to be staying home and resting, the fight's over for me."

Nocturne stood still for a moment, in deep thought. Maybe this isn't a bad thing. Perhaps the mare knows that this will all end well. Maybe she's enlisted some help.

'Quit lying to yourself. How many times has Spindrift gotten away from you two?' The thought haunts him. His stomach drops, and his nerves tingle with anxiety.

"What are talking about?" He hyperventilates somewhat between sentences. "We're just going to let /that/ happen?" He asks, gesturing out the window towards the bay. He trots inches from her, making eye contact. "What happened? You're not the same."

Rising-Chaos turns around and walks away from the alarmed colt. "Let is happen? Yes, I'm done. Not the same? Of course I am, you just didn't know me very well." She climbs back to her spot, curling around her tattered cloak. "I want to make this clear. No more, I lost, I am finished. There is no 'we'and there never was," she sighs, her voice flat, almost emotionless. Staring at her hooves to hide her face, she thinks that this is perhaps not going to go well.

"Okay. So you'll just sit here, and wait to die?" Nocturne sighs, sets his guitar against the wall, and trots in circles. "Pathetic," he mutters under his breath. "/Pathetic!/" he repeats, much louder than before. "It must be great not having to care about a single thing in this town." Disgust is clear and present in his tone. He shakes his head, and trots up to her again. "What drives a mare like you to fight in the first place?"

Rising-Chaos curls up tighter, this is NOT what she needs right now. "You're right, I am pathetic. A pathetic failure who deserves scorn and hatred. Glad you can provide both." She shivers at the line about caring. "Of course I don't care, why should I? You want to know what drove me to fight? Hatred, stubbornness and a disregard for my own safety. Now there's too much to lose by fighting, so I wont fight." Her voice is still flat and emotionless, as if she just doesn't care.

Nocturne still looks dumbfounded by the mare, and his glare grows more cross-eyed. Her reasoning disgusts him the most, because it's exactly what drove him to fight, aside from actually caring about the Harbor. "How does someone who doesn't care about anything have anything to lose?" As Rising curls up tighter, he grabs one of her forelegs and yanks her upright. "If you're worth your weight in trash you'll look at me when I speak to you!" He shouts as he pulls her. Still, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, there is concern for his unusual behavior. Through all this, he is trying rationalize his desperation.

Rising-Chaos stares at him blankly as she's pulled upright, not making any move to shake him off. "Because now I do have something to lose, Nocturne. I have ponies and things that I love and care about, who have already been hurt or nearly killed. I no longer care about this fight, about a conflict that is as hopeless as I am. I'm not worth my weight in trash, so why do you even bother?" Her cloak falls to the ground, it's ripped, torn, destroyed. Nocturne has never once seen her without it on. A glance down at it makes her frown slightly, but she can't grab it, because she's being pulled upright.

"Could'a fooled me," Nocturne replies sarcastically to the mare's first comment. His sensations of fear grow as he begins to accept that there is no convincing her. What's worse is that her reasoning makes perfect sense, and having almost gotten themselves, along with Muzaji, killed in their first encounter, he can relate to it. "So… what now?"

Rising-Chaos growls at that, there are some things she isn't going ot let slide. "Believe me or not, but I do have abheart. I may not care about you but I do have things are value." She snatches up her cloak and storms away, to the kitchen." I don't care what you do, haven't you gotten the picture yet? I am going to stay here and try to live in peace and with some measure of happiness. What I do now is none of your concern." She leans against the doorframe, shivering. "Just go away, take this fight away from me, I don't want to be afraid any more."

Nocturne looked ready to leave before the sorcerer could even respond, his eyes fixed on the door. It wasn't so much that he was fed up with her, rather that he hasn't slept in several nights, staying up to work on his spell, and it was starting to catch up with him. The fear and anxiety certainly didn't help, and at this point, his heart was almost visibly racing, and his own pulse was deafening to him. He began walking to the door, but was met with an intense head rush, prompting him to quickly sit down on his haunches and recuperate.

Great, he can barely get out of the mess he got himself in, and right now, he wants nothing more than to go to bed, and wake up to this all being over. "Well at least if you and your loved ones survive this, you won't hear from me any more. I'm leaving this place." Saying those words brought some comfort to him. Finally, he wouldn't have to worry about the Harbor any more.

Rising-Chaos closes her eyes, shivering and taking deep breaths. "Just go, just go. I don't want it any more." Sinking to the floor, everything seems to be going wrong. Hopefully one day somepony will be able to forgive her, but probably not. "I can't, I wnat to, but I can't." To her embarrassment, she's forced to blink back tears.

Nocturne wants nothing more than to leave this house, and leave this wretched harbor, but seeing the mare choked up tugged at what's left of his emotions. He rolls his eyes and groans, annoyed by his own guilt. Making an unsteady canter to the doorframe, he sits back down with his head facing the ground. "You know what I really hate about you? The fact that we're so much alike." Shaking his head, he dreads forcing himself to continue.

"I don't understand the ponies here. This place is a hellhole and I wouldn't miss it if I left. The only thing I had to fight for was that I'd matter to somepony in this town. It's given me a few good things, and it's the only way I could possibly give back." Holding his head in one hoof, he tries to hold back a few tears. "I shouldn't bring you down with me for that reason."

Rising-Chaos snarls, now he's going to be symnpathetic? "We're nothing alike, don't fool yourself. You wouldn't want to be like me." She gets to her hooves, holding back the tears. "This is not a hellhole unless you make it one. The ponies here are brave, stubborn, proud, and strong, they raise families and find joy. This place is beautiful. I just don't care it." She moves away from him, not wanting to be near a pony who apparently hates her so much. "You haven't brought me down, you give yourself too much credit."

"Let me finish," Nocturne chimes in as soon as Rising finishes speaking. "I don't-" He stops, muttering a few swears to himself. "I don't hate you. I hate that you're so hard on yourself." Trying to stand back up, he leans back against the doorframe, still feeling rather unsteady. "I spent three years of my life hating myself. It's easy, isn't it?" His tone grows more angry, but it's also very obvious that he's overwhelmed with tears, which he tries to hide in vain.

"Do you know how hard it was to get out of that? Do you have any idea how many times I felt like just giving up and ending it?" At this point, he's almost too choked up to continue. "Do you know how many times I tried? It only gets worse, Rising. I don't care if you fight or not. Just don't do this to yourself."

Rising-Chaos turns to him, suddenly completely calm. "Hating myself? You think this is just me being sad?" A small smile plays across her face, but there's no happiness there. she approaches Nocturne slowly, her voice rising in volume. "Oh I know what you're talking about colt, hating oneself. This is far and beyond what you have ever imagined. Have you touched, the Black Heart? Have you had the experience of having all of your hopes and dreams crushed and replaced with despair? While being aware it was happening? Have you, seeing what is whas doing to you, messed with it MORE?" Putting a hoof under his chin, she forces him to look her in the eye. Her expression has a tint of madness, but otherwise is blank. "Don't you dare think you understand what's happening, or my actions. You have no idea. Go back to your room and cry if you want, colt, I have a life to live."

Nocturne feels nothing short of defeated, flinching as Rising glares at him. So much has been revealed to him that he didn't take account of. His guilt is exponential at this point, and he is somewhat infuriated that Spindrift was involved.

/*SMACK*/

He sends a hoof flying across her face, giving a vile laugh, matched with a grin. "So it's artificial. You're going to let that filthy wench dictate your emotions." He puts his hoof to her chin just as she did, but whips her head forward much faster. "I don't care how bad you feel any more. You have the ability, and if I have to be your motivation, I will." He takes his hoof away from her and raises it to the side of her head, giving a wide-eyed grin.

Rising-Chaos doesn't even blink as she's smacked. she stares him straight in the eye. "Idiot," is all she says, pushing him away. "You really have no idea, do you? It's not artificial, no more than any other emotion. And don't call your enemy a 'wench' it shows a lack of respect." She picks up her cloak again, which fell whens he was smacked. "I'm glad you don't care. I don't need you, nor do I want you. You are no motivator, and I don't need it." A quick glance over to the door shows her swords resting in their scabbards, within easy reach should Nocturne attack. Reconsidering the idea, she doesn't want to fight. "keep your hooves away from me, colt. You won't like the consequences."

"Go ahead," Nocturne mutters. Between sleep deprivation and futility, the unicorn has lost his mind. His legs already ache terrible, and it shows that he's beyond caring. "I don't know what made you think for a moment that I respect. She'll die some day. She and I will be thrown to the dogs in Tartarus, and it'll be worth every second of watching her suffer. So go ahead."

He lets out sigh, which breaks into a cackle. "It would be a hilarious turn of events. You're one of the first ponies I've made friends with here since I came out of my proverbial shell. I thought you were nice. Pretty, even. I would /love/ to see my hopes for this town turn on me."

Rising-Chaos scoffs at him, he just lost all her respect for him. "You respect your enemies because they are what define you, idiot. If you're only in this fight to watch her suffer then you are no better than she is." She looks away, another? "We were never friends Nocturne, you made that clear from the start. You used me to gain purpose, that's all. Don't think obviously false flattery will get you anywhere. Your hopes are none of my concern."

Nocturne looks back at the door, growing tired of the futile shouting match. "You're right," he mutters. "I'm no better than her. I'm hateful. I hate so many ponies here. What matters is that it's my fuel for taking her down - of course, I'll likely die trying. Good thing you won't care about that." He is desperate to head home and forget about this, but he doesn't want the sorcerer to get off that easily, and both words and violence have proved ineffective. "So I'll be going now." He turns to face the door, and in hopes of catching the mare off guard, he jerks back around.

And in the blink of an eye, one hoof is wrapped around Rising's head, as Nocturne leans in to plant a kiss for a few seconds. As soon as it ends, he begins trotting towards the door, looking completely unphased. "Sorry for my being so hateful," he says, looking back, with a clear tone of sarcasm, as he straps his guitar around his neck.

Rising-Chaos doesn't bother to look as Nocturne leaves. To her he's become just another loser. She struggles to break away when he kisses her, falling on to her back when he let's go. "WHAT?" She leaps to her hooves, suddenly filled with rage. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! You filthy, disgusting colt, I despise you!" A blush starts to take over her face, as she starts storming around. In her own house too! This is absurd! "Never come near me again!"

Nocturne only laughs in response. He laughs loudly and heartily all the way to the door. As he opens the door, he turns back one last time. "At least I can die knowing I kissed a mare, now." Punctuating that with more laughter, he slams the door shut.