logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: TURN THE LIGHTS OFF

EVENT LOG: TURN THE LIGHTS OFF

characters: everyone.
location: around town.
date/time: january 20-29.
content: the lanterns begin to malfunction.
warnings: body horror and psychological horror. please cw tags appropriately.

you'll become one

January 20th arrives the same as all the days before it. There's no great pulse of warning that throbs through the air, no ominous wind that causes the bonfire to shudder. The spirits are neither agitated nor do they hide. You could almost miss the change, if the lanterns weren't always by your side. There's no explanation that comes with the way that it's changed, but it's impossible not to worry when it's happened so suddenly.

Maybe it takes a few days, or maybe it only takes a few hours, but suddenly it isn't just the lanterns that have changed. You, yourself, have become somehow different. It's possible that you won't even have the right state of mind to wonder how long it will last. At the very least, it appears you aren't alone. All across Beacon, lanterns are changing, and changing the people with them.

Out in the distance, the lighthouse's beam has turned green.

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Link whimpers, he doesn't really care to have people know about his wolf form. Maybe he's just proud of his secrets...

The Soldier doesn't seem to be afraid of him. That had been his main problem back home.

He gently sets his lantern down in the snow and places a paw upon it as if to say "Mine."

A creature out to hurt people or worth being afraid of wouldn't be carrying a lantern around in its mouth, probably. And would probably be more sneaky than just trotting along out in the open.

He guesses at the gesture, "You are Link? Okay. Good." They pause, frown at the lantern, and realize, "It's red. Like mine when the arm went crazy." Does that mean red means physical changes? "Can you usually turn into a wolf?"

Link bounces in a circle, wagging his tail to communicate that, yes, this is a familiar shape to him.

When he comes to a stop he sits back again and whimpers.

This time, he hadn't meant to take this shape. Something happened and he's stuck until whatever it is decides to let him go.

The Soldier is not sure they caught the exact meaning of that. Link looks like he's jumping in and out of focus: one moment so close as to be all but on top of them, the next too far away to catch the details, though never lost in the dark so they know he's not actually that far away. It's just that the world is playing tricks again. Curving away.

"I know," they say. "My arm was terrible for a while. Metal spikes everywhere. And it hurt." Feeling the sensation of pain in an appendage that isn't meant to feel pain had been more deeply uncomfortable than the shreds it made of their back. "You'll change back. I did."

Link isn't sure he wants to change back, not until his lantern is better. Being trapped in the body of a wolf is obnoxious but it's preferable to being Hylian right now. In his normal body the lantern turns green and he feels his mind start to unravel...

He's bitterly amused about that. The Hero's Green, it turns out, is the color of his own madness. Of course it is.

When the Soldier mentions their arm Link's ears perk forward in alarm and he inches closer to sniff at the limb in question. Is everything okay now, Soldier? Is there anything he can do to help?

They helpfully hold it out for Link to sniff or even nudge at, if he wants; touch from a wolf doesn't elicit the immediate negative response it does from human-shaped people. The metal is back to normal now, no pain or sharp edges, exactly as Link would remember from his stay in Crowley and Aziraphale's cabin. "It was all sharp edges before. It's fine now."

No, now they just can't see or move properly. It's a toss-up which was worse: constantly bleeding from metal spikes everywhere and having the risk of accidentally cutting anyone they tried to touch, or this constant vertigo.

Link sniffs at the offered hand.

It smells like metal. That's about what he'd expected.

The Soldier still doesn't seem to be moving well, though, he wonders why.

Maybe he can help...

He turns around and faces away from the tree, then looks back over his shoulder, trying to communicate that if the Soldier needs help getting anywhere, he could be a guide. What could be a better guide dog than a magical wolf?

The Soldier doesn't immediately put that together with leading them somewhere they actually need to go, but it is a very clear "follow me" signal regardless. They find the tree trunk again after two tries, and use it to level themselves back to their feet. "Okay. Don't forget your lantern."

Link is already slinking ahead through the snow when the Soldier speaks.

Oh.

He had forgotten his lantern.

With his held bowed in embarrassment he creeps over and picks it up again in his teeth then lifts his blue eyes towards the Soldier's face and stares expectantly.

Which way do you want to go, Soldier?

They had been aiming for the Invincible. But maybe with backup they can get all the way back to Crowley and Aziraphale's cabin. The Soldier motions in what they hope is the direction of the village bridge.

It's slightly off to the right, because everything fucking curves right now. But maybe Link can get it.

Link turns in the indicated direction.

Something near the bridge?

Ah. The Soldier probably wants to get back to the cabin.

He's pretty sure he remembers the way.

With a small bark he starts walking forward across the snow.

The Soldier follows, using the sound of wolf-paws on the snow, wolf breathing around the lantern in his mouth, for as much of a guide as the bobbing red light. They have to go slow, though, probably more slowly than Link is prepared for. Too fast and they trip on things.

The bridge is a welcome sight, though, and they reach out to keep a hand on the railing. Solid support. Keeps them going in the right direction a little bit faster.

Link is patient but makes a mental note to check back in on the Soldier once he's human again. They're not moving well and a warrior who doesn't move well is suffering.

He sniffs around in the snow as they reach the bridge, then falls into pace by the Soldier's ankle.

"I wish you could understand me," he says in wolf. The words come out as a small series of yips.

After a pause, the Soldier reaches down to pat Link's furry shoulder, using their other hand to keep them steady on the bridge's railing. Even without understanding, they do okay. Not talking is kind of nice, now and then.

Though as they start moving again, if Link keeps close enough, they might actually keep their flesh hand in his fur for guidance and grounding.

Link does look up when the hand comes down on his fur but he doesn't shake the Soldier off.

Sometimes he stops to sniff the ground and the edge of the bridge. There are monsters water, he's heard.

At one point he gets a little too curious sniffing around the railing and his paws suddenly slide out from under him.

There's an indignant bark of alarm as he starts slaloming backwards in the snow and frost on his belly.

"Shit! Link!" The Soldier makes a wild grab to try and keep Link from slipping into the water, but look, their whole problem is everything looks like its in the wrong place. They miss. Then they lunge again and land half on top of the wolf, but at least that means they can grab him and haul back?

Link barks when he feels the Soldier partially land on top of him, but then he's hauled back and has enough room to put his paws under himself again.

He bristles and snarls around the lantern handle, not at the Soldier, but at the water, the night sky, the ice, the red light in his jaws, this entire situation...

Good. Got that out of his system.

He walks close to the Soldier's legs now, just to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to someone with two legs.

The Soldier just kind of overbalances once Link is on his feet again, landing on their ass in the snow, wide-eyed and concerned. The growling makes the metal arm buzz, preparing for combat, but they're at a serious disadvantage here, and Link… isn't growling at them, anyway. Oh, good. That probably had been scary enough for some stress-growling.

They make an attempt at getting back to their feet, reel and don’t quite manage it, try again and almost fall sideways, and then have to use Link's shoulder to finally lever themselves up, giving an apologetic wince. "You okay?"

Link buckles slightly under the weight but manages to not collapse.

At the question points his snout up at The Soldier and wags his tail to communicate that, yes, he is okay.

Once he's sure his companion is steady on his feet again he'll continue forward, stopping sometimes to sniff the wind and make sure no forest spirits are stalking them.

[[(sorry for the wait! catching up after having company)]]

((no worries! welcome back! :3 ))

"Good." The Soldier pats his shoulder once, then starts on their wobbly way towards the cabin again. "Let's just. Stay away from the river for the rest of this." Absolutely no desire to repeat that frantic scramble, or to fall in.

Link starts off again in the direction of the cabin. For a few minutes he simply continues trotting in silence, then he stops abruptly again.

Inside his lantern the scarlet flame starts to flicker frantically and he whimpers.

Oh hell. They're almost there, the Soldier can see the torch just barely in the distance, wavering between too close and too far, but clearly far enough away that they can't hear it or smell the hot wood. Is there trouble so close to home? "Link?" they ask warily, before realizing that the red flickering is not in fact their perception giving them fits, but rather Link's lantern.

They promptly let go of his fur. "Hey. It's okay. You're okay. We'll wait a second."

Link drops the lantern and bolts away from it as the flames begin to flash. A golden plume of light engulfs the lantern and the wolf becomes, all too suddenly, human.

Link pinwheels his limbs a moment before landing face first in the snow, unharmed except for in his pride.

"Ugh."

The Soldier backs a step away from the lantern which tries to turn into a step towards Link as he falls, and nearly falls over themselves. They hold carefully still after that, trying to focus on the now-human... ish... shape. Link is not technically human, not with those ears.

"Link. Hey. Hey, are you okay."

Link sits up, snow falling from his floppy cap.

"Yeah, I'm all right."

He scrambles back to his feet.

"Sorry about all this...I can't control these damn transformations."

EVENT LOG: TURN THE LIGHTS OFF

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oh lord I'm sorry I lost this one

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