97

[lamb_of_gold]

[The Coliseum is deathly silent. The air smells of burnt ozone and coppery blood, and still feels slightly 'charged,' as though lightening had struck only seconds before. It's almost suffocating, the atmosphere, and the prickles of gooseflesh on the skin of anyone entering the area would not be a surprising reaction.

There's a dark stain on the ground towards the centre of the building and closer inspection reveals it to be a mix of blood and scorched earth, though there is no body nearby, nor trail of the red liquid to indicate any direction a wounded person may have fled in.  And it is red - whoever shed it is...or rather was...untouched by Death here.

The perceptive may notice the silence break, then - a single gasp, from just beyond the arena proper.  A sharp and heavy intake of breath often heard when one is trying not to sob.  Mu is wedged into a corner, just out of sight from the ring. His knees are drawn tight against his chest, and his arms cover his head. His Cosmo, for those who can feel it, is a roiling, unstable mess of emotions - remnants of a bone-deep rage, heart-stopping terror and, overshadowing it all, a very profound  sorrow.

In his corner he shakes, trying to come to terms with what he's just done.

His hands are stained red. They smell of copper and burnt ozone.]




note: occurs directly after the end of this (which we're working on)

Comments

[ram_of_gold]

[All it takes is just a faint sense of Mu's cosmo for Shion to know something is wrong. The intensity of those emotions catches him off guard for a moment and he has to steady himself before he sets out to find where Mu is. He finds him quickly, and hurries to kneel next to him. He notes Mu's appearance, alarm ringing though him.] Mu? [He doesn't dare touch him, not yet.]

[lamb_of_gold]

[ Shion's voice seems to stir something in Mu, and he looks up, revealing red-rimmed eyes and a faint smudge of oily blood under his nose. His voice is almost uncharacteristically meek.]

Shion....?

[ram_of_gold]

What happened? Are you injured?

[lamb_of_gold]

No, I...

[Shion's presence is a calming one, and coherence slowly begins to return to Mu's speech]

I...Saga, we...we fought and I...

[He leaves the last word out, but spares a glance back out to the arena.]

Oh Athena forgive me I swore to her...

[ram_of_gold]

[Shion glances over at the spot in the middle of the arena unconsciously before turning back to Mu, alarm ringing through him.] You started a thousand days war with Saga of all people? Did he lose himself again? [He's sure Mu wouldn't have started something without a reason.]

[lamb_of_gold]

N-no he...I was angry at him and...

I promised her I wouldn't do it, but...I was so angry. I couldn't control myself...

[not_a_lamb_nor_ram]

[ It has become hard to avoid the Coliseum as of the past few days, and Kiran had found himself in it with at an odd frequency. He had thought nothing about it -- until he had come to the realization that he might have just been a tad too outspoken in Saori's presence back home...

But 'home' had become an afterthought, what with the sight that meets him upon arrival -- ]

Master!

[ there is no second thought as worry and fright clouded his more rational thoughts. Kiran approached Mu, crouching beside him, and reaching out his hands to touch his arm and shoulder. ]

Master, are you hurt?

[lamb_of_gold]

[The instant he speaks, Mu's entire Cosmo focuses on Kiki - no less wild, but..focused. He looks up sharply as Kiki touches him and, without a word, pulls the younger saint against him in a hug. His breaths are shallow, but regular, and he's only shaking a tiny bit.]

I'm.... I'm alright, lamb. I'm alright.

[not_a_lamb_nor_ram]

[ Mu focusing on him was reassuring at most -- but something about the agitation in his Cosmo troubled Kiki, much more so than the smell of death in the arena. While he returned the embrace -- rare were the times he had felt his Master's Cosmo like this.

He could keep quiet, take his Master's words as they are but -- ]

What happened? Something happened-- tell me.

[lamb_of_gold]

[That soul-crushing terror roils back around and Mu's grip tightens very slightly. His protectiveness of Kiki is straight on it's heels]

It's...don't worry on it. It's over. It is passed.

[not_a_lamb_nor_ram]

[ In other circumstances, Kiki would have found the embrace comforting; an indulgence, even. While in his younger days, a simple look or a ruffling of his hair sufficed in giving him reassurance, there is something stifling -- suffocating -- not just about the way he was being held, but in his Master's stubborn words. ]

What was it? I want to know... please.

Master, please tell me --

[ He tries to pull away from the embrace, just so he can look at Mu in the eye. ]

[lamb_of_gold]

[And suddenly, all those long years of keeping secrets comes crashing back, and as Mu pulls away, he closes off with a rush of stubborn protectiveness.]

Kiki, its alright.


[Except for the part where it so isnt, but who's counting?]

[not_a_lamb_nor_ram]

[ The counting's actually being done by this one. His own frustrations at being kept from truths, being fed white lies surfaced. With anger on his face, Kiran pushes himself away -- forcefully, if he has to, anything to get some kind of air to breathe. ]

It's not!

[ Raising his voice at his own Master -- it was unthinkable. But at that moment, Mu had become more than that of just his Master -- the man in front of Kiran is all he had come to despise in the people who lie to him: Saori, Marin, Seiya... ]

You have blood on your hands and you're-- [ weak ] you're stuck in your corner like something's frightening you and you're telling me it's alright? Why can't you tell me what's wrong?

[lamb_of_gold]

[He could get mad, but he's too exhausted to drum up more than irritation, and far, far too exhausted to continue stonewalling like this. So instead he looks away, fighting the urge to curl back up. ]

Saga and I began to fight. I won.

[not_a_lamb_nor_ram]

[ The remnant of the fight and Mu's words do not paint very agreeable pictures. ]

That... wasn't just some fight-- some spar, wasn't it?

[ More of a spoken out thought than a question. And it is less of the plain admission that grated at his nerves, but more of his Master's gesture: looking away, hiding, escaping...

Kiran reaches out to grab at Mu's collar, any iota an attempt to understand, to sympathize, are all burning away with his anger. ]

Don't look away from me! Couldn't you have just told me that-- told me the truth?

[bornofwisdom]

( visiting random spots on the plane has become her mission to familiarize herself with her newfound 'home' — this just happens to be the spot for her to visit today. it's just an unfortunate day for her to chance a visitation, it seems

the scent of blood is on the air and it's something that she's unfortunately smelled before. cautious, she reaches into her back pocket to pull on her cap; vanishing from sight as it touches her head — a gift from her mother. heading into the coliseum properly, she widens her eyes at the sight

a shiver crawls along her spine, the large stain wrenches something in her gut and as she moves closer, her chest tightens

what happened here? she finds herself thinking, gaping at the deep crimson color when the sound of gasping breaths fill her ears. moving her head, she looks to the broken form of mu and noting blood all over his hands, she worries that he is the injured party )

Mu—! ( she breaks into a jog, pulling her cap off as she does, approaching the man. kneeling, though keeping a slight distance from him and not daring to touch him lest he be injured, she frowns deeply ) Mu! Are you hurt? Mu?

[lamb_of_gold]

[Oh no. Oh no no no.... He looks up at her with wild eyes, halfway between despair and terror and shakes his head, even as his knees pull a little tighter into his chest.]

No....[he manages to stammer out after a moment of staring at Annabeth as though he were a rabbit staring down a snake] I'm...I'll be alright...


[attempt to calm down #1 has failed.]

[bornofwisdom]

What happened!? ( in an instant, she moves closer to him. lifting her hands, she gently and cautiously touches at his arm with a frown to her friend )

Mu, are you sure you're alright? All this blood... ( and the way you're acting... )

[lamb_of_gold]

Its... Its not mine.

[He breaks her gaze, then, and looks away almost...ashamed? But he cant bring himself to lie to her.]

Saga and I came to blows with one another.

[bornofwisdom]

Saga—? ( her chest felt like it imploded. all that blood was saga's—!?

jerking her head, she looked for what she figured would at the very least be surely an unconscious form of the man, but saw nothing. turning her attention back to the lavender haired man before herself, she inched forward just a bit closer to him still )

Mu, where's Saga now? The hospital? ( wait, was there a hospital on the plane? she couldn't recall ever having found one ) Are you sure you're alright? ( calm breaths, annabeth, calm )

[lamb_of_gold]

[In response to the first, Mu only looks outside at the stain, then to his bloodied hands.

But as she asks the second question, he buries his face in his knees again and nods, even as he covers up his head with his arms again.]

Fine. I'm fine.

[bornofwisdom]

( she certainly can't say that she likes his being unresponsive to where saga might be. while she's terrified and worried for the other man, she really should be sure about mu first.

frowning, she shifted closer still ) What do you mean, blows with one another? A fight? Mu, where is he?

( looking to the stain caused a shiver to crawl up her spine, shaking it off, she looked to him once more ) Do you need something? Maybe I can find a first aid kit of some kind... ( there might be one at camp )

[lamb_of_gold]

We fought. I won. He...[he pauses for a few deep breaths, almost steeling himself against the admission.]

Saga is dead.

[bornofwisdom]

( her mouth went dry with his words. chest tightened, head reeling.

dead?

her mind went back to the weird little brochure that menzies had given to her when she first arrived on the plane. it covered so much information but it hadn't said anything about death. was it even the same here? the plane had so many different things to it, but...

death was death, always, permanent — sort of. the only way she could even think of saving someone was to talk to hades, or the fates, or brave the river stix — none of which she could do here.

trembling, she let herself fall to her knees in front of the saint and despite her reservations, looked to the blood again. it caused her to wince this time, closing her eyes tightly to keep tears from falling, she gave a shake of her head; more to herself than any other at this point ) No... ( the word was all but gasped from her lips ) No Mu, that's... not a good enough answer...

( forgive her, mu — in the end, annabeth has seen death a number of times but it's never easy, and, it's her first death here with someone she had grown so fond of ) He can't be de— ( she couldn't finish the word, just shook her head instead )

I'll...

I'll go look for him... And someone to help you...

( she stumbled to pick herself up to her feet, almost falling backward as her heels rolled in her missteps, but managed to catch herself ) I'll go find him, and it'll be okay, you're just remembering things wrong...

( you have to be )

[lamb_of_gold]

I'm not.

[His answer is subdued, compared to hers. He sounds almost ashamed - defeated - exhausted. The rush of emotions and adrenaline that had sustained him thus far are long gone now, and in the wake is nothing.]

It is a poor answer, but it is the only answer.

[bornofwisdom]

You are—!

( she didn't mean to snap the words to him, but he had to be recalling things incorrectly, perhaps this was some sort of sick joke the plane was pulling on him

no one was dead
no one )

—y, you are, you have to be...

( where were the kids from the apollo house when one needed them for healing purposes? maybe they could clear mu's mind, for he obviously couldn't be thinking straight; never mind that it was her who was trembling and falling into a panic )

It's okay... It's okay, I'll find him and patch him up— ( somehow ) —and everything will be fine, you'll see, Mu

( maybe... maybe she needed to find her mother to help deal with this )

[lamb_of_gold]

There's nothing left to find - the body is gone.

[He doesn't even have the energy left to argue or get annoyed.]

He'll return in a few days, and you may ask him yourself.

[bornofwisdom]

( she's about to say something to him, but the words falter and she's left with her mouth hung opened a moment

days?
it doesn't work that way. death isn't...

—unless )

How is that possible? Days? Is— ( she hesitate, but takes a shaky step toward him ) —is Hades here?

[desertdaggers]

[that's mildly unsettling, if maybe not entirely unexpected. It all seems a little fresh for comfort, and Hawk moves carefully, keeping an eye and ear out for anything out of place. It takes him a little while to spot Mu, but once he does he moves quickly, coming to squat next to Mu.]

Hey! Are you okay? [and then he bites his lip, because the answer's fairly obvious, right?]

[lamb_of_gold]

[The voice of a stranger rouses him, and immediately afterwards, rouses his pride. Mu tenses in an attempt to stop trembling.]

I'm... I'm unhurt.

[desertdaggers]

[That doesn't help much, and Hawk frowns, eyes flicking over Mu.]

Then why've you tucked yourself away here? And what about your hands?

[lamb_of_gold]

I fought someone...I won.

[That's all he says, even as his gaze flicks back to the stain in the centre of the Arena.]

[desertdaggers]

[Hawk follows his gaze, and can't suppress the shudder- the desire to is there, but a bare flicker.] …why? What happened?

[lamb_of_gold]

[Mu shakes his head.]

I was angry. I couldn't stop myself...

[desertdaggers]

And… it all got out of hand. [He goes quiet, hands tightening.] Do you often…?

[lamb_of_gold]

Fight? No. [Mu shakes his head again, trying to bury his face in his knees] Never him.

[desertdaggers]

Never… [He's still worried, still a little bit frightened- but most of the tension seeps out of Hawk as he watches Mu. That's not the look of someone about to get angry again now.] Are you… are you friends, then?

[lamb_of_gold]

No. No, not friends. Comrades, that's all.

[desertdaggers]

Comrades… so you weren't as close as that. Still… you start to pick up on how the other people work, don't you?

[oliverplus]

[when Oliver comes to the Plane, he doesn't expect to find himself in the Coliseum. after all, it isn't a place of happy memories for him, so he never goes there. and yet here he is--and the first sight to greet him is blood in the middle of the arena]

Oh god... Hello!? Is anybody here? [panicking, Oliver starts to walk around the Coliseum, only one word in his mind: deathmatches. it doesn't take him long to catch sight of Mu, although when he sees the blood, all he can think is that Mu is the one who's been injured] Mu! Oh god, Mu, what happened? Are you all right?

[he runs over to his friend, crouching in front of him and looking him over for wounds] Where are you hurt?

[lamb_of_gold]

[Mu looks up at Oliver, a smudge of the black oil-blood under his nose, proving the red isn't his.

More importantly, however, Mu makes eye contact with Oliver, forgetting about his empathy for just a moment too long. The entire flustercuck of emotions comes at him full force - fear, anger, sadness and shame, like a tidal wave of negativity and it's a wonder nobody has drowned in it yet.]

[oliverplus]

[Oliver of all people should know the red blood can't be Mu's, but he's too panicked to notice at first--and then he makes eye contact. he can't help a cry of pain and horror as he's overwhelmed by the emotions, and he reels, immediately breaking eye contact and putting his hands to his head]

Mu!

[lamb_of_gold]

[Panic flares up around the other emotions, and Mu jumps forward to catch Oliver before he stumbles into something. For one beautiful moment, it chases away his other thoughts and Mu focuses everything he can muster onto Oliver.]

Ah! No, no no no, I'm sorry oh Goddess. Oliver...

[oliverplus]

No, it's... [without his own emotional barriers, Oliver cringes against the remembered echo of that horrible mess of emotions, still holding his head. when Mu grabs him, though, he instinctively jerks back from Mu's bloody hands] It's you! [his voice is shrill--horrified and even a bit frightened] What...what happened?

[lamb_of_gold]

I know! I can't....

[Mu pulls away and hides his face again.]

I'm sorry. I...

[Deep breaths. Desire to not hurt Oliver is enough for Mu to focus on, and he starts to calm down.]

Saga and I fought. We...I..won.

[oliverplus]

You...what!?

[Oliver's shock is so great that the word sticks in his throat. he gapes at Mu's bloody form again--and then he turns, abruptly, looking all around them. there's desperation in his gaze] But--where is he? Mu! [he turns back to his friend, grabbing his shoulders this time as he leans forward intently] Mu, where's Saga? What happened to him!? All...all that blood...

[lamb_of_gold]

I won. He's dead.

[He can't meet Oliver's eyes.]

[oliverplus]

What? [he gapes at Mu, shaking his head in disbelief] No! No, no... How...how could you!? [his eyes fill with tears. he's completely unable to control his emotions--not that he's even thinking of that now] Why!?