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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 5:50:42 GMT -5
Oblivious to everything, Gambit turned to the south and went on, "Adonai, Adonai, Adonai..."
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 5:57:23 GMT -5
Shade wanted to reach for him, the sound of Gambit´s resonating voice lulling her further, making her demand for his closeness. All this was so strange, but she was at a point where neither worry nor fear was affecting her any longer. The understanding of his betrayal was there, somehere, but it was too deeply burried in her mind for her to notice now.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 6:13:24 GMT -5
Finally turning west, Gambit concluded the chant with "D’Aborde, D’Aborde, D’Aborde..." and then turned to face Shade, standing so that the marks on their chests were aligned. The ritual was over, and now he only had to wait for the magic to happen.
His own chanting, combined with the throbbing of his pulse in his ears and with the effect of the drug, made his senses completely hazy, but still he took this moment to take a look at Shade for the last time. It comforted him to know that she obviously had no idea what was going on - she probably wouldn't even know what hit her as her soul would be sucked out of her and conjoined with his own. He thought he should be grateful to her - for this opportunity, and for the time they'd spent together, for everything good that had happened in his life because of her, for all the love and tenderness she'd given to him - but being genuinely, consciously grateful would require him to snap out of the blurred shaky state he had descended into, and to think properly, and he couldn't.
The mark on his chest started to burn slightly as the powder, finally mixing with the blood, was activated by the chant and penetrated his skin, marking the gateway for the soul transfer.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 6:24:00 GMT -5
Shade kept looking at him, returning his glance with a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. He had stopped singing. Why did he stop? It had been comforting in a strange way and now Gambit was not doing anything. The look he gave her was strange and again she noticed through the blurr her mind had become that this was not Gambit as she knew him. Again, for a very brief moment, she felt fear, strong fear, this time mingled with something like dispair which - as she was unable to sort in in her state - resulted from the emotional pain of realising what Gambit was doing. It was a dull, very distant feeling, like the memory of a pain long past, not her own but the pain of someone else, like a terribly sad story someone had told her. She did not realise it as her own, maybe a means of unconscious protection, sparing her soul the pain of a broken heart.
A single tear entered her eye, confusing her since she did not realise it as what it was and she gasped slightly when the blood and powder started to burn.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 6:34:51 GMT -5
Gambit saw a tear run down her cheek, and his breath got caught in his throat. He wanted to say something as a means of final meaningless comfort, something to ease the parting, but could think of nothing, and found that he couldn't move, either - the strong pull of the gateway was already there, paralyzing him for the benefit of the exchange, now he wouldn't be able to step aside and break the connection off even if he really wanted to. The loud sound of his heartbeat in his ears grew to the point where it blurred into incessant low yet loud hum, and he wanted it to stop, but couldn't get it out of his head.
The powder began to glow, first setting alight the blood-smeared areas on their chests, then spreading more and outward to create a shining channel between their hearts.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 6:43:55 GMT -5
The drug had a strong effect. If it hadn´t, Shade would have lost her mind from fear and despair this very second. Even the remains of that dull pain somewhere deep in her soul were enough to make her want to writhe and toss and turn, do everything to end this terrible situation even though her mind was blurred. There was no effect. Inwardly, she was struggling weakly; her confused and lost self at a loss of what to do, half heartedly trying to do something, anything. She was too tired, too lulled to act. She could not move, paralyzed the same way as Gambit.
Her eyes were darting this way and that, slowly, but hints of panic mirroring in them nontheless, finally fixing on him. She did not realise what was happening although part of her heart did to a little extent and she kept her gaze fixed on him, not allowing it to stray. Not his purpose, but the whole atmosphere were scaring her to death and what little of Shade stayed clung to Gambit like a drowning, knowing and not knowing that he was the reason for what was happening.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 6:52:24 GMT -5
Gambit felt his energy being drained from him, as if he was getting momentarily tired, and also similar to when he used his powers, only in a more intense way, as if he was using his entire body to charge something very large. He scowled inwardly - this wasn't the way he thought it was supposed to happen. The transfer went the other way, and he was supposed to be on the receiving side.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 7:01:54 GMT -5
Shade would have been shivering if she had not been paralysed. Fighting the urge to press her eyes shut and wait for things to stop, she continued staring at Gambit, unable to do anything. Then, something changed. She could not describe it and of course she had no idea what was supposed to happen. It was as if she was gaining strength from somewhere outside her body, strength that was not her own. She glanced down her chest partly confused, partly scared, for the first time focussing on the visual connection between them.
Somehow she understood that it was that connection giving her strength and a very, very faint part of her, a part that she had not even known existed, responded to it, creeping from some secret part of her soul, the part that nourished revengous thoughts and hatred and darkness, a part that was a part of every human existance but that had played no significant role in her life thus far. That part of her soul responded and tried to surface, curious about what she subconsciously identified as Gambit´s strength flowing into her. That dark side of her crept nearer slowly, greedily and carefully watching Gambit´s wavering. Shade was scared by that development as it was still remote. She unconsciously tried to force it back, but to no avail. It was the effect of the potion, dragging the darkest shades of her soul inside out.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 7:39:32 GMT -5
As his inner strength was being pulled from him, Gambit yielded to the effect of the drug more and more with every second. He felt like dropping on his knees, wanting everything to stop and be over and just curl up somewhere in the corner and wait for the bothersome hum in his head to stop and for the ache in his chest to subside.
He met Shade's eyes and thought he saw their expression changing - from fear and dazed confusion to... something else. He couldn't place it. He just hoped it would all be over soon. He knew he had made a mistake somewhere, but now it didn't matter where, he just wanted everything to stop.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 13:26:35 GMT -5
Shade kept watching him. There was weakness in Gambit´s gaze which evoked her worry... but that worry was retreating slowly, forced back by that very part of her that the potion had already begun to drag out to the surface. She looked at him, still curious, but now more and more with the curiosity of a predator, intent on seeing where his weaknesses lay and where.
She breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment, acting more actively and consciously than she had since the drug had started to show effect. It was not her usual consciousness any longer, it was starting to be replaced by something darker. Shade could not sort it in and somehow she was scared about it, but a harsh part of her altered mind told her to hush about it; that pity and tenderness did not matter.
As the potion was slowly working its way through her system and as the connection between them stayed, the magic Gambit had begun could start to fledge out its full effect. Shade was not one of the strongest mutants, her powers still developing and far from omega level, but the potion was picking up on that, reminding her of the powers of every other mutant she had ever extended her powers on and forging them into one inside her own body and mind. The first effect that showed was that she could sense something she had not sensed before and which she only seconds later identied: metal. The torches were in metal holders and she found she could reach out for them with her mind. Curiously, she did and one of the torch holders bent. She chuckled.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 13:28:53 GMT -5
Gambit felt increasingly weak, and the only thing that was holding him on his feet was the paralyzing block of the gateway between them. But it was closing already, the transfer being nearly complete.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 13:40:27 GMT -5
Shade tilted her head to the side slightly. It was a curious thing that Gambit would grow weaker and weaker while the opposit thing happened to her. Reason for Shade herself to worry, to start crying and becoming hysterical, but for Shade affected by a voodoo ritual gone wrong, a rather amusing thing to watch.
Her attention shifted when another power got under her control, remains of the same mutant she owed the metal manipulating: Gabrielle was a telepath as well and all of a sudden, Shade could use this power too. She narrowed her eyes at Gambit slightly as his mind and thoughts became clear as her own to her all of a sudden. She digged through the curiously, finding confusion, weakness, pushed back memories she considered having a closer look at but didn´t. There were more important things to explore. And apart from that: she was tied to that strange structure and didn´t like that. Shade reached out for Gambit´s mind, not roughly but exploringly, yet with demand, as if testing what she was capable of no. "Let me lose." she commanded, her voice very low, a few shades darker than usual, with more power in it.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 14:15:46 GMT -5
Gambit all but fell to his knees, but the commanding tone in her voice made him move in a hurried manner. He couldn't remember when it was last time he was so ready to obey. Pressing the buttons on the platform, he made it return to its previous horizontal form, and after that the straps were gone.
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Post by Shade on Nov 1, 2007 14:31:03 GMT -5
Shade sat up slowly, not because she would not have been able to do so more quickly, but because she felt there was still an uproar of newly manifesting powers raging through her mind, taking hold of her, tuning in to her to be at her complete control. She did not have to test it, she knew that she now possessed Rogue´s powers as well, but more completely so. Rogue, it seemed, had no full command at them and Shade could control the death touch at will so it answered to her when she needed it, but was no curse. Powers surfacing in the same order as she had extended her powers to their owners, it was Gambit next. Feeling an unfamiliar tingle in her fingers, she levitated the first thing metal in her reach which turned out to be the chicken cage, let it hover towards her and touched it, charging it. Her lips curled into a grin that was totally unlike her when she turned her face to have a look at Gambit who had been obediently following her command. "Well, well, look what I can do..." she drawled making sure he had his gazed fixed on her so he could see and maybe understand whose powers she was using now. There was a mad glimmer in her eyes, mirroring how much she was changed and how completely her normal self was driven out.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 1, 2007 14:36:43 GMT -5
Gambit's expression shifted from utter confusion to despair and helplessness when he saw Shade use his powers. He took a step back and slowly lowered himself down to his knees, not certain if he could stand straight. She had his powers. It all went wrong. The entire ritual went upside down. What was it he mixed up? Where did he make a mistake?
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