Fantasy Music Box

[cykomaria]

Vanna smiled at Cian cheerfully, nodding in gratitude as she followed his direction. "Thank you." she nodded gratefully. She sat down as she was told, breathing in and out slowly and quietly, trying to calm her surprise. All in all, she didn't feel too bad. Well, except the fact that the room was rising in temperature every couple seconds and it was because of her. Clasping her hands, she held them to her chest quietly as she looked around the room. One of the people had woken up finally, and so it seemed all of the "players" had joined at this point. Although some of them haven't had a shot at the machine apparently, or at least haven't had as much of a reaction. 'Murder huh..?' Vanna glanced at her hands, which on the outside seemed perfectly fine. 'What good is raw fire for except burning?'

 

[Egyptiankitten2113]

"I won't either." Dixie readily agreed with Quinn, nodding her head in agreement, though she did chuckle about his comment of her burning him. "And you have nothing to fear darling, even if you make me a little irate I won't burn ya. At least...not on purpose." She promised, patting his hand gently.


She cntinued to watch the group in silence, wondering in slight confusion why they were given these powers. What much good could hers do? She could gve bad sun burns...that was about it. Besides, she couldn't hurt anyone. The little Cajun was a lover, not a fighter, always was.

 

[Cyan]

Cian nodded his head in acknowledgement, watching as she studied her hands. It seemed that she was hesitant and unsure of her abilities. Doubt wasn't a luxury this group could afford if they wanted to survive. "Your power is valuable" Cian began, not making eye contact "Don't underestimate it". A few seconds later, he felt someone grab at his arm and noticed that the unconscious body next to him had awakened. The boy questioned him about the smack across the face before finally realizing the strange occurrences happening around him. "Their going through their transitions" Cian explained.

 

[Bawadaboo]

Once everyone had come to grips with the idea of superpowers things were moving much much slower. Most talk had died down, and people were just trying to figure out how not to kill everyone, let alone themselves, with their power. This Cian guy seemed to know more about what was going on then anyone else, but Quinn still spotted some suspicious looking characters. He hoped they shared his stance on wanton murder, but you never know what will happen when survival comes into play.


As for Quinn, he'd decided his power was not inherently dangerous, not physically anyway. He'd have to experiment, but he'd already found himself thinking of clever ways to use his newlyfound abilities. He found that he was not only able to make himself glow, but he could also send light anywhere he chose, like a beacon. He could focus the light to individual body parts as well, which he began toying with by passing the light between his fingers.


Dixie promised not to burn him. He'd have to hold her to that. "Thanks." he responded with a small worried smile. Her company brightened his mood slightly, but he couldn't shake the feeling something really bad was about to happen.

 

[Egyptiankitten2113]

"Hey..." She saw the worried look, and could easily tell since his smile had not been at full force. "Remember what you told me? You must stay positive huh? Something bad may be coming, but you won't stay alive being depressed, it'll weigh you down and only cause suffering. Cheer up." Please...


Managing a strong and sweet smile, Dixie laid her hand over his lit up one, giving a comforting squeeze to it as she tried reassuring and at least hoping to bring back his goofy tendencies.

 

[Madi]

"Oh..." He said, not 100% sure he knew what Cian was talking about (lets pretend he already know about the powers and everything so that we don't waste too much time on stuff we already know). From a distance, Kent saw his cane, and decided to head over and grab it. From here, he lifted out a bit of the sword, checking to make sure it hadn't been damaged. Seeing it was still intact, he placed it back inside the cane, and leaned on it a bit... unsure of what to do next.

 

[Cyan]

"You and I are the only ones left yet to obtain a power" Cian continued and gestured towards the slot machine. He had been waiting for this one to wake and was curious of what element he would receive. It seems as though all the initial four have been taken but the possibilities of receiving a power similar to one of the others couldn't be completely ruled out as it had already occurred between the girl beside him and the one sitting with the light user. But he needed to test this theory and the only way was to wait until the boy acquired his.

 

[Bawadaboo]

A flash of embarrassment rolled over him as she took his hand. "You uh.. You weren't supposed to see that cher." he mused. "I try to keep a spritely exterior, even when the inside is freaking out." He laughed. "Guess I let it through this time." His eyes dropped to her hand and he placed his other on top. "Thank you though Dixie, I'll keep it together." He punctuated with a normal Quinn-like smile to set her at ease.


He found himself wishing these last two would get on with it and pull the demon slot. The suspense was killing him.

 

[Egyptiankitten2113]

"You're welcome Quinn." Her smile was small but yet held all of the sincerity from before in it. He had cheered her up so she felt as though it was up to her to do the same. "Now...show me how you do that." She urged with slight enthusiasm, slipping her hand from between his and grew a small grin. "The light is pretty cool, and I want to see what you can do." Then...even a little playful smirk formed, "I want to see if you can impress me there cher." Dixietaunted unabashedly.

 

[Madi]

Just then, as Kent was brainstorming various ideas of escape, a large crystal shard burst from the wall and caused the room to somewhat vibrate. Another shard, and another... three were stretching from the wall, and each one aiming its points at Kent. He screamed a bit (no, not a girly scream) as more and more shards began bursting from the ground around him, and the walls nearby. Eventually, it began obvious that they were attempting to trap Kent, as each shard became larger and larger, interlocking. Eventually, what was left was a small crystal hut, with no way of escape as they stopped their growing with Kent trapped inside. "WHAT. THE. HECK?!" He yelled, stepping to one of the small openings in the hut, and looking out at the people around him. As he became angry, small shards of crystal began to sprout from the ground.

 

[Bawadaboo]

Everything seemed quiet, everyone was doing their own thing. It seemed like a good enough time to continue with the whole 'getting to know Dixie' thing. He grinned and took her hand. "If you insist, there is something I'd been wanting to try." He held her hand in both of his and shut his eyes, concentrating hard. He focused everything into her hand, and when he opened his eyes a delighted smile spread across his face. Her entire arm was glowing, just as his hand had been.


"Hah! I knew that would work!" he mused. It looked like Dix was going to respond, but she was interrupted by commotion coming from one of the non-lever-pullers. He whipped his head around to see a wall of crystals barring the kid in. The kid seemed distressed, but from what Quinn had seen so far, this was probably just a crazy manifestation of his power. He was sure the kid would be alright.


He was a bit peeved that his conversations with Dix continued to get interrupted. Maybe it was fate that they'd never say more than three sentences to each other before some spectacular problem pulled attention away.


'Damnit.'

 

[Cyan]

Cian quickly dove out of the way as shards seemed to burst from the wall behind him. He shoved the girl by his side out of the way just as one sprouted near her head. The end was result was him splayed awkwardly over the girl, trapped by one of the crystal pillars. Cian, however, didn't seem to be the least bit affected by the less than suitable position as he glanced at the boy crawling out of the crystal hut. Cian was beyond perplexed at the scene occurring before him. This was either the Music Box's work or the boy's powers, which Cian highly doubted. The boy hadn't even pulled the lever yet.

 

[Egyptiankitten2113]

Those hazel eyes went extremely wide as he made her arm glow, and she had eagerly been about to parise him when the kid becane trapped. And her awe turned to shock and worry when the crystals barred the kid inside, "Oh my gosh! What happened!" She gasped, her hand jumping from Quinn's in surprise, though it quickly laid back over his. "The poor thing who did that!?"

 

[cykomaria]

Vanna let out a squeak as Cian pushed her over, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the boy land on top of her. Vanna blushed profusely as her eyes darted from Cian to Kent to everyone else in the room, all of whom were just as surprised. "Please don't tell me you were just born with Crystal-birthing powers because if so, could you like..not try to stake us next time?" she asked with an apologetic smile. She let one of her hands fall next to her, unknowingly next to a crystal spike that had erupted from the ground. Her hand had this yellowish glowing tattoo-like spiral up her arm–a sign that flashed in and then out of existence just as quickly–and after a couple of seconds, the crystal melted under her palm. Unbeknownst to her, it was obvious Cian was going to feel the intense heat radiating from her body. What Vanna did realize though was that she couldn't breath as easily as before anymore, and her eyes felt unbearably dry. 'It honestly feels like I'm on fire.'

 

[Cyan]

Cian looked down at the girl beneath him as if noticing her presence for the time. He became increasingly uncomfortable and not just because of the rather close physical contact but the intense heat that seemed to be rising from her body. He winced in pain as she became impossibly warmer. Cian tried to get up only to have his back pressing against the crystal pillar. At this rate he would be burned alive. He glanced back at the girl and noticed that her breathing had become erratic and uneven. "Control your breathing" He instructed, staring straight into her eyes. Cian began to feel light headed from the increasing heat and blinked, struggling to stay awake.

 

[Bawadaboo]

Quinn had thought the crystals were just a harmless manifestation of power, but they were quickly becoming more dangerous than he'd have liked. Still, he had no idea what to do about it. Just as he began to wrack his brain he heard a small crack from beneath. He looked down and directly under his and Dix' hands out sprouted one of the crystals. He recoiled, pulling his hand away and sliding off the wall. Things were kicking off, and just when he'd started to feel comfortable.


"Dixie, watch out. Hey all, keep an eye on the floor for those crystals." He clenched his fists tightly and swooned as they lit up obediently. He was getting the hang of this! He held them low so everyone could see the floor well enough to avoid the crystals. "Can someone please calm him down?" he requested tilting his head toward the crystal fort in the center of the room.

 

[sox]

Celene hopped around, avoiding the crystals to the best of her ability. "Hey, kid?!" she called, not knowing his name. "I know it's kinda crazy for you in there, but you gotta keep calm and make the crystals obey you. Show 'em who's boss, you know?!" She hopped closer until she was right next to the crystal hut. "Breathe easy, okay? Concentrate on gaining control of your power. Your mind's a strong tool; you can will your crystals to obey."

 

[cykomaria]

Vanna nodded quickly, tears sparking in her eyes as she tried to "control it". 'But how?!' Her efforts were becoming more and more in vain as her panic started to fuel the fire. 'Breathe in, breathe out.' She repeated to herself, trying to pace the rising of her chest. 'It's no good, something's going to be on fire really soon!' She let her head fall to the side as she blinked in despair. Her blood rushed in her ears, and in the fear she faintly heard a girl's voice. "..oncentrate on gaining control of your power. Your mind's a strong to..l; you can will your crystals to obey..." Vanna knew it wasn't for her, but it brought her back to her senses.


Her eyes caught sight of a small mound of material that was unlike the ground she was lying on next to her hand, and she quickly realized it was melted crystal. 'I can melt crystal..I can melt it! Then..!' "Bear with me for a bit!' Vanna said quickly as she reached up and pressed her palms on the crystal shard trapping Cian on top of her. Almost instantly, the shard collapsed and solidified in odd shaped puddles on the floor, releasing Cian from being in such close proximity.


Pushing herself away, she barely made it an arm's length from her original spot when the yellow tattoo-like lines appeared again on her skin, inching their way up her arms like the cracking of lava on the surface of a volcano. Vanna let out a gasp as her eyes flickered a golden yellow, and the crystals closest to her began to drip an opaque liquid.

 

[Cyan]

Cian collapsed onto his side as the crystal dissolved into a ring of puddles around him. He could feel the burns that littered his body sting and chafe like a million needles piercing his skin. He didn't mind the pain though, considering it better than death. But it seemed as though his relief was short lived as he noticed the other shards beginning to bubble and melt. He swiftly scrambled to his feet just as the molten liquid flowed where he had been resting. "You have to control it!" Cian exclaimed, limping away from the advancing fluid. This was just turning into a series of unfortunate events for the young man.

 

[cykomaria]

"I-I'm trying!" Vanna gasped, digging her nails into the palm of her hands as she stared at the ground, gasping. She backed as far as she could from Cian, her breathing ragged. She paced her breaths desperately, trying to imagine the flames going out. 'Control it, control it!' Imagining a lit matchstick, she imagined blowing it out and at that instant, the yellow lines on her hands turned soot black and the crystals solidified again. The yellow glow in her eyes disappeared, leaving Vanna gasping for air with stained and trembling hands. It took her a minute to understand what just happened, and she turned to look at Cian, eyes still wide with post-panic and confusion. "Y-You okay..um...?" The girl wondered if the boy had ever told her his name. "Did I burn you at all?"

 

[Cyan]

"I'm fine" Cian stated, though obviously wounded. He covered both of his slightly charred arms with the sleeves of his shirt causing him to wince as the fabric brushed against the burnt flesh. The damage had already been done and it would be useless to concern others of it now. He was more interested in the strange lines that had appeared on the girl's arms. Slowly, he grasped both of her trembling hands gingerly in his, stilling them. "These marks must be associated with your powers..." He muttered, examining the streaks of black.

 

[cykomaria]

"Yeah...but I get the feeling that they're just there to remind me that I could kill somebody with this...power of mine." She sighed, her eyes shy and apologetic. "Sorry again...my power isn't as easily preventable as the others." Vanna eyed the slightly burned sleeves of Cian, a regretful look coming over her face. 'Why couldn't I have calmed down earlier? It was so stupid of me!' Her face was flushed with embarrassment with all the drama surrounding her element in particular. 'How troublesome. Why couldn't I have something less..destructive?'

 

[Cyan]

Cian's grip tightened at her discouraging words. For some reason her doubt and insecurities made him feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. "The labyrinth is filled with living dangers" He said, his voice quite "Your power has the ability to kill them too". He wasn't exactly sure why he was encouraging the girl. It was true that her powers were unstable and had already proved to be quite troublesome in the long run. But he felt a certain empathy for her which both surprised and unnerved him. He let his hands drop to his sides, feeling disconcerted by his strange and unusual thoughts.

 

[Egyptiankitten2113]

"MY lord!" Poor Dixie had jumped much higher than Quinn had and had unfortunately landed on her behind yet again and pressed back against the wall. It was a strange sight to see now, the hapy strong willed Cajun, shaking with fear against the wall. Her fear brought forth her power again, and it almost looked as though her skin was turning red with the heat of her body, her shaking increasing it and it was very much possible that she was even burning the wall behind her. The little firecracker was a literal firecracker now, becoming extremely hot as she watched the events before her unfold.

 

[Bawadaboo]

"MY lord!"


Quinn's adrenaline spiked when he heard the shout from the wall. Dix had narrowly dodged the crystal, and was literally fuming against the wall. His head swiveled back and forth looking from Dix to the melting crystal fortress. It wasn't as if he could actually do anything for the others, but he could in fact do something for Dix.


He jogged back to her spot against the wall and knelt beside her. The area she was leaned against was blackened and burnt, but it looked like she wasn't quite nuclear yet. Careful not to touch her, Quinn placed his hands on the wall and forced all of the light from his body into it. Tentacles of light slithered up the walls and spread through the ceiling, giving the room a heavy dose of light, enough that he'd no longer have to focus on keeping it within himself.


He slipped off his blue button-up and wrapped his hands up in it. Carefully, oh so carefully he reached into the oven and took Dix' hands giving a small squeeze.


"A little hot under the collar are we?" he mused with a forged smile. The heat from her hands was bearable, but probably not for very much longer.