Alice "Cheshyre" Carroll - The Cyan Grin

and... well, let's give her the rest she deserves.]

COME ON OLEKSANDRA!

ONE FINAL FIGHT!

LET THIS NIGHT BE OUR LAST TOGETHER!

[When I see your face once more... I hope you can forgive me.]

LET'S DANCE!

[Love you, Ol. More than you'd ever know...]

Iridescent Tempest... it was... a name I came up with on the fly, to be honest. But now... in the moment?

My grin still remains on my face, shining brighter than ever.

Radiant Grin.

Heh, now that's a name.

I look towards my cap-

No.

I look towards Oleksandra one final time, right in her face

probably look like a right loon right now, but I DON'T CARE!

HAHAHAH! LOCKE! I... I couldn't be more proud of you if I tried, bud... heh, look at me, cryin' because of ya.

...and she's still here. Not backing down.

Heh, not a surprise.

My grin doesn't falter, and I call forth my EGO again.

. . .

[Fuck I'm exhausted... feels gross too, lotta blood on me. How many times have I died now? Heh, can't remember...

The rain subsides and a beacon shines in the distance.

My agent... how brilliant you've become...

A grin forms on my face once more, wider than ever, and I begin to laugh. I

At the top of the lighthouse, the rain still poured down. Sand and oceans bleached red by the falling droplets of crimson could be seen for miles. Tree branches swayed in the violent wind, whereas others would simply snap off unable to push back against the incredible force. Green eyes look out to where the darkest clouds hung in the sky, trying to find the source of everything. While Olive had caused such vicious shifts in the floor’s weather, they were nowhere near like this in terms of the rain… Soon, Locke managed to find the source of it all. Nearly slipping off of the roof as they had to stop themselves from taking a step backwards. Between the blood dripping down off of it and their own shaking form, Locke had to quickly steady themselves. “...She’s still here? But… Did the others… Fail?” They spoke to no one but themselves, speaking their thoughts out loud. Perhaps doing so would allow them to realize that this wasn’t a nightmare. “Then, is this rain-” It was difficult to clearly see, but Locke recognized the two figures in the distance standing off against the Distortion. The streaks of cyan with the flickers of red gave it away the identity of one… As for the other, they needed no fancy colors or tricks for Locke to tell that it was their own brother. “This could’ve been prevented, you know.” That voice. They hated how sweet it sounded. How intoxicating it was. It was so warm, welcoming, but all it did was send a shiver down Locke’s spine. Had they not locked up the Abnormality cabinet properly again? They knew the voices from within, even under containment, could become invasive. The worst part was they knew, deep in their heart, the voice was correct.

If Locke had access to the Abnormality pages… If they were willing to truly stand up to Olive and properly use their keypage to its highest potential… If they were any stronger… Perhaps not physically, but mentally. Perhaps then they could’ve done something proper rather than make things become far worse. “Ah, but you don’t want to become that reflection of yourself in the past again.” That horrid reflection. A horrible reflection of which Locke became a traitor and somewhat quietly lashed against the very same facility that was to blame for their unbecoming. A weapon slicing the hands that had sharpened them by allowing the same monsters they were meant to slay roam about. Perhaps not even that far back into the past, but back when the Library was at its prime. A place where the corpses of others became not just books, but stepping stones for the future of the director. When people would quite literally sign lives away, sometimes not even their own. It was because of all of this did Locke become adverse to fighting others. Enough blood stained their hands, at least they thought so. Yet, it seemed like the world was pushing for them to become violent more and more… Citing it was necessary for survival, for conflict will and always be unavoidable. Either Locke would remain a coward and lock themselves up in the Library, refusing freedom even if it finally arrived for they were fated to always be a spineless coward… Or, they’d become part of the endless cycle of violence in the City with dried blood between their nails and nothing but a soon forgotten name and a rotten heap of meat that will be cleansed by the Sweepers soon enough. “What will you do, then? Which part of your past will you relive?”

Locke could hear the voices of those they once knew. The voice of a Disciplinary Captain who held nothing but ire in his eyes, citing Locke to be nothing more than a waste of space. Murmurs of assistant librarians who claimed Locke had no right breathing once again for their actions in the past. It felt like truly the past was coming back, once again. They had a choice. Either to rejoin the fight once more and be nothing more than an obstacle with a weak heart not strong enough to lay waste upon their foe… Or to run away, turning a blind eye to the suffering of not just Cheshyre and Kenneth, but Olive as well to an extent. They could feel their face, their body becoming glass. Locke’s movements became slow, as if afraid of shattering their body. The amount of pressure was dizzying. Guilt wanted to bubble over. It caused Locke to falter, almost sliding off of the roof entirely. “The form you’ll take to deal with this ordeal… How strong will it be? How weak will it be?” Yet- They remembered the moments that truly did matter. Their superior in the Safety Team, a man who helped Locke find their footing alongside Alice. Relief that while the main branch’s Disciplinary Captain spooked Locke, she was far much more competent at her job and far more inspiring than the last one Locke had dealt with. The kind smile Kenneth wore when he got to see Locke was still alive even after all of these years. Joy shared between Locke and their old friends when they finally were able to be reunited… If they just hid away in the Library, such warmth couldn’t reach them… If they allow their heart to become cold, then they lose their way entirely…

Down their baton would slam, right into the roof of the lighthouse. Light would kick up, as if a match was lit. Groaning, Locke heaved their body back up, hands gripping now what seemed to be a flagpole. Blood trickled down their face, yet it soon vanished with a wave of light. “...I am not a weapon. Those terms… I won’t let them define me. I have to keep going. If not for myself… For those that believe in me, both back then and now. Being in Disciplinary and Safety has taught me one thing… Be there for those that need it. To protect as many people as you can.” Red. The color of heroes. Green. The color of peace. It felt… Incomplete, yet even so… The same lights that once danced in the skies of the Inhumanities floor swathed themselves around Locke like a cape. “Even if my voice can’t reach them… Even if this is all just in vain…!” They called out, gripping the flagpole tighter even in the pouring rain. “Stars still shine, bright in the sky… Even with clouds as horrible as these… I’ll make them see-!” Locke would pull out the pole before slamming it back down. Then… There was light. An almost blinding light. The clouds above the lighthouse gave way to two bright, shimmering stars in the sky. One green and another red. While it did not end the rain on the floor, the sky above the lighthouse no longer was plagued by blood raining down forth. Instead, a night sky full of shimmering lights blessed the building and its surroundings. Perhaps it was the surrounding rain or the dark of the night, but the stars seemed to shine even brighter than it had prior to the floor’s changes. Locke looked upward at the stars, trying to reach out to them. Fatigue seemed to finally catch up, or perhaps their footing finally gave way, however. Soon the Librarian felt themselves fall off of the roof, falling back down to the ground.

The Colors of Heroes (1/2)

;;Text in ALT

[They quickly barge into Kenneth, moving him out of the way of the distortion's path.]

NO YOU DON'T-

[The Floor of Inhumanities suddenly changes in a roar of thunder, the sky changing to a near black shade of red as torrents of blood rain from the sky, and, across the Library, cyan and red flashes can be seen in the distance as the Fixer continues their fight against the distortion.]

//The effects that image had on the gaming community and meme culture is staggering

The alsume spreads...

//Locketosis

TWO OF THEM.

[They move to practically leap at the blade to try and hold it in place, a small, bloody shield formed to cover them from the weapon.]

Haahh... of course you do this bullshit.

//number one skittle squad

[They quickly stand back up, a mantle of blood forming around them as two hardblood gauntlets appear on their fist.]

. . .

Let's go.

Oh shit-

[They try moving out of the way of the sudden manoeuvre, yet still gets caught by the distortion.]

Fuck-

//PFFT- OMG HES SO ROUND-

Of course-

[A wide slash cuts through the two of them, again, trying to divert it's attention.]

But can you keep up?

//Locke is definitely Grace-fitting

Stop now, one by one, your desires convince me you've always been a human
For you, the shelves have fallen, now they're gone, see?
Now they're gone, forever gone from the stage that allowed us our one and only dreams

[They vanish, appearing behind the distortion with a hardblood greatsword, slashing at the distortion. This is less so to actually hurt the distortion, but to keep the pressure on and keep it's attention away from Kenneth.]

[Cheshyre moves in front of Kenneth to shield him from the wave of heat, it being partially absorbed by their EGO, causing the energy to grow more wild and frenzied.]

. . .

[They're silent, unusually so, only turning to look at Kenneth to make sure they're okay.

...but I do care.

Haahh... like that matters to you.

[Their body is overtaken by the usual iridescent energy of their EGO, but this time, more of a cyan, light blue colour more than anything, with hints of red through it.]

Haaahhh... alright, I'll try my best...

Let's do this.

Yep, that's her.

. . .

A-And she's dancin'... with somethin' she made...

[They go to say something, but whatever they try to say doesn't come out.]

By the Wings...

Yeah, I'm glad that it's contained here too, less death... and any deaths ain't permanent anyways... that's why I tried an' kept Olive distracted more than anythin'...

How far is she now, would ya say?

//yahooo!!

Ah, yeah I can imagine that, but I'm glad I won't be a distraction.

Hey, Kenneth? I'm... sorry for all this, with Locke bein' killed an' you gettin' involved.

A rift in someone's mind... hm, I won't get in the way of this, will I? I don't wanna make this harder than it is, ya know...?

Huh? How can ya tell?

I'm not sayin' I don't believe ya, I really do, but how can ya?