The Task at Hand

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"The richness of life lies in the memories we have forgotten."
~Carol Shields

Gavin looked around in an irritated manner, of course when the angel of death comes to you and tells you that you should transport two specific people to a specific place in Hell.. you kinda listen to him. He had left a note for Rhyme to meet him here and it made Gavin a bit unhappy to be left waiting for his student to get here. He had explained the situation to Rhyme in the letter, they were to take Suzume with them and find Israfel so that Suzume's memories would be returned to her... and Rhyme was instructed to prepare a song for the act of returning such memories.

Gavin figured his student was ready for the act, but he was still nervous about the entirety of the situation. He didn't want to take anyone to Hell, it wasn't a pleasant thing to do.

Suzume looked up at Gavin for a few seconds, "When is Purpley gonna get here?" she asked, obviously having no clue where exactly they were headed off to, because if she had known, she would most likely not be here right now.

[±Witchcraft±]

His mother and father would have flipped if he told them he was going to go to hell, literary, each for different reasons. His mother for the danger he was going to go through, and his father for not being able to go himself. He would make Rhyme right a 10 page essay on his experiences for each day he was gone. To get around this though he just told his mother that he was going on a small trip with his master teacher, which was not a lie, but it wasn’t telling the complete truth either.

He was still working on the song though. They took more time since he can’t make one on his own, he has to use others or it won’t really work. That and if Israfel has the memories himself, it means that both of them have to sing, and work together, that might be a bit hard. His hand healed a long time ago but there was still tension between the two from it.

He whistled a song to himself though as he walked though the frozen lands filled with volcanoes and fire. It didn’t faze him much though since they were this close to the gates of death. The other two would be able to hear it more and more the closer he got, signaling his arrival.

As Rhyme walked he had his hands in his coat pockets, and his coat full of the stuff he had aquired over his time at TMA. He wasn’t really sure what to really bring so he brought everything. He brought everything from his first item, his necklace, to his last, the puppet. And as always he kept his kunai in his sleeves, ready for quick use. When he got close he saw Gavin and Suzume standing.

When Suzume saw him she ran over giggly at his purple hair. She then jumped up giving him a hug. When she did he hugged her back and swung her up onto his shoulders like he did for Sam all the time. It would most likely be the last time before she grew up again. Then she would probably want Alina’s friendship more then Sam’s.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

((Lol, you called Gavin 'Gerro'... wrong G, yo...))

Suzume carried a broad smile on her face, an occurrance that was getting rarer and rarer through the passing of time, but it was nice to see she was happy. Her fox tail swayed back and forth in an excited manner, reminiscent to canines wagging thier tails. "We're going on a trip! Gavin said so!" she wrapped her arms around Rhyme's forehead so she wouldn't fall or anything, because that would hurt. She didn't seem to even notice the surroundings, she'd come to accept that there were some odd places here and she didn't believe it would at all effect what was to happen on thier journey, she didn't even think of it as an indicator of what thier destination was like.

Gavin thought silently of how simple the passage to Hell would be this time, considering that the power source for any portal to Hell was so nearby- Suzume, or more precisely it was really Ouwashi. Such little details weren't too entirely important at this moment though, "Glad to see you could make it." he nodded to Rhyme whom had been so loudly greeted by the child. "Do you have anything else you'd like to do before we go... or are you ready to go now?" he inquired, taking out his flute silently and looking it over to make sure it wasn't damaged- he knew it wasn't... but it was habit to check before he played it in order to make sure nothing would influence the sound and perhaps twist the magic in an unfavorable manner... because such a thing could end tragically. There was a feeling of dread about him, he obviously didn't wish to do this at all... most of the time if he brought someone to Hell he intended on leaving them there, in his mind he ran through worst case scenarios over and over again.

[±Witchcraft±]

“No, I am ready now” he said slowly drifting back into the speech he used when he talked to his father. “But did you take into account for the variations that magic might have when in such close range to another music user? I in particular seem to have effects on people that are around me for long times.”

Rhyme’s voice was flat and emotionless when he said this. This was from all the drilling his father put him through, removing most of the emotion from him. When he lapses into his old learning, such as now with the interferences of magic, Rhyme would shift back into his old self.

Rhyme had to chuckle though when he felt Suzume’s tail tickle the back of his neck. It quickly knocked him back out of the trance he put himself into and he gave her and Gavin a quick smile. He also put his hands together within his sleeve, an instinct for when he doesn’t know where he is going. This would let him pull something out quickly just in case.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"I've already thought about it, and I think we should be fine, don't worry." Gavin smiled as he turned to face the gate silently, this was in no way his definition of a good time. "And so we're going to Hell..." he whispered to himself as he began to raise the flute up towards his mouth, pausing look back towards Rhyme and Suzume, "When I start playing, I'd like you to follow through the portal, the faster we get through the easier it should be and less of a chance of interference." When he said interference he meant beings that would probably try to keep them in Hell or take them away to some place in Hell where they weren't trying to get to and they'd sooner or later be utterly lost. Gavin was a being whom was able of safely going in and out of Hell, though it was still a lot of work and a lot of magical energy to keep the malevolent things away.

Suzume looked towards the portal for a few seconds, "Purpley... where are we going?" she asked, obviously she wasn't informed of such things, which made sense because most children probably weren't too fond of the idea of going to Hell. She just quietly looked from Gavin to the portal with a rising suspicion in her mind. Her ears swivveled about, picking up every sound that came from the surrounding area, she had luckily not picked it up when Gavin had mentioned Hell, but she could sense Gavin's tension from the situation. "Is it going to be fun?" she asked.

Heheh, if only she knew.

Gavin shook his head with a sigh, why in all of what lived and breathed would anyone want to take a child into the depths of Hell and then take the child out? The poor thing would never be the same after the experience.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme nodded and waited for the man to begin playing. He hoped that nothing would go wrong in the underworld though it made him mentally chuckle because it would be funny if he had to play “A Devil Went Down to Georgia” to get them out. He found that song when he was looking for the one to get Suzume’s memories back.

“We are going on a little trip Suzume, don’t worry, it shouldn’t be long. We will be seeing Issy again.” he said, keeping her mind off the aspect of going to hell.

Israfel and Suzume are going to owe me big for this later he thought to himself as he waited.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"Okay..." Suzume nodded, though she instantly fell still as a clear noise entered the air, it sounded like there were whispers in the music and Suzume began to feel the utter need to dance and it was an intoxicating magic warped into the magic that had started to flow from Gavin's flute. It was a dangerous magic, despite it's relatively happy tune and rythm. Suzume's eyes were wide, her mind was that of a child's and it was easily caught in the magic and entranced as it was now, her turquoise eyes showed that her mind wasn't racing with the thoughts of a child, it was silent. One could imagine that with the right music... Gavin could cause some really nasy havoc.

Gavin looked towards Rhyme and Suzume, he was actually trying not to trap anyone in the music but it was pretty much a lost cause, he had to have enough strength in the song to give them safe passage, he just didn't like it when people were helpless like Suzume had been rendered, if Rhyme managed to let himself be drawn into the music they'd have issues. Gavin hoped that Rhyme was level minded enough and in tune enough with his own magic and music that he wouldn't let himself be swept away.

[±Witchcraft±]

When Rhyme first felt the effects of the of the music, his first instinct was to negate the effect on himself. He started to make a sweeping motion in front of himself then stopped, wondering if they were being taken directly by the magic or if he was opening a portal. If they were traveling directly he would be left behind. So he clenched his jar against the effect and kept his mind focused.

“Just open the portal already” he said through clenched teeth.

Veins were starting to appear on Rhyme’s forehead as he resisted the music and all his muscles were extremely tense. He was ready to run or do whatever he had to do to get it over with as soon as he saw the opening. He really wished he could just dispel the effect.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"Portal's been opened... just go through." He motioned towards the portal that wasn't too terribly far away, Gavin was just specifying where they were going and making sure they wouldn't lose an arm in the process of going there. It was a thoughtful thing to do, really. Nobody seemed to take notice though that Gavin had just done something that was generally considered impossible, that being- playing the flute and talking at the same time. Gavin could also play the flute with one hand... he was just amazing like that, and he had a lot of free time on his hands to perfect his technique.

Suzume mumbled something under her breath as she listened to the music, "Though the grass and life now lies in dust And the rugged, beaten path grows long Amidst the terrors, remember you must Never let mind wander from song..." she muttered but from before and after that whatever she said was incoherent, they were lyrics and in her lost tone you could pick up the slightest changes in her tone, she was singing under her breath as if she heard words in the weaving music from the flute. Her hands were some sort of clammy as they remained gripped on Rhyme's forehead "You are trapped in this music now... A lowly puppet on it's strings At my command you dance, I can make you bow Before the mop and bucket as if they were kings..." she sped up her dialogue, obviously reaching quickly to it's chorus and she didn't seem like she was likely to escape her capture in the music any time soon.

"I have to go through the portal after you do." Gavin said, it was true- he had more controll over it from this end, it was less chaotic here and there were fewer interferences. Soon more danger would come to himself when he walked through the portal and he didn't wish to let such problems come when the student and the child were going through.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme was held in place for a few moments when Suzume spoke. Even with all the sound around him, it all seemed to disappear leaving her voice all alone. Her voice came out crisp and deeper then usual. It sounded as if a higher power was talking through her, but in verse. He just really hoped that this wasn’t some sign that she was picking up some of his power already.

At the end of Suzume words, Rhyme blinked rapidly, the clouds that covered his eyes during the speech going away. He would have shook his head as well if there wasn’t a little girl clinging to it. He adjusted his coat and then put his foot back to begin to run toward the portal.

“Hold on Suzume” he said as he put his one hand on her hip in case she would fall backward a bit when he ran.

Rhyme then sprinted toward the portal and ran toward it. Going through. When he entered he felt as if he was being twisted and contorted in all directions. Though this should have been really painful it wasn’t. Though he felt old entities clutching for something in him, though he wasn’t sure what. During this time he kept his hand on Suzume’s hip to make sure they didn’t get separated.

Rhyme couldn’t help but look at the portal as he went through. It had vivid stripes of quickly moving colors. There was reds, oranges, and even a bit of black that seemed to increase the further they went. He could also hear some weird moaning behind the music of the flute he could still hear.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

Gavin was right with Rhyme and Suzume, concentrating on his music quietly, as the hot, sticky air whipped about himself and the students, his large green jacket whipping about wildly from the ghusts, Gavin seemed not to notice such things, though- there was just his job of playing his music for the journey, his eyes locked to the instrument he heald up to his lips, and he played. The twisting tunes and notes sounded like several instruments together instead of a single flute as they intertwined and twisted and flowed into the ears of anyone who could listen to it, magic hanging thick in every aspect of the song.

Suzume was well caught in the music, her muttering were frantic and unable to be understood, she sounded as if she was being heald at knife-point. She calmed down though as she continued to speak/sing with the music, obviously she had gone through the supposed 'chorus' of the music. "Eternal fire burning on through the night As free as a latch-locked sparrow bird Only you are lost from the world, without sight For amidst cries of death, this song's all you've heard...." she obviously wasn't intending to end sometime too terribly soon and it almost seemed as if the song itself was starting to depend on the words she was speaking, as if it wouldn't possibly ever end and cease Rhyme's struggles with it's powers till the lone voice singing to it would cease it's utterances and find silence, but alas there was still more, "Chosen lamb, you'll weep when you wake And find yourself trapped in Satan's realm With grass of fire and grounds that quake All the while with it's demons at world's helm." she started speeding up, but she didn't lose a bit of clarity in her voice. Ground was starting to form under Rhyme and Gavin's feet, Gavin's song was starting to reach it's end and that would mean Suzume would fall silent from her music-induced trance and return to normal.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme didn’t get hypnotized by Suzume’s words this time as he couldn’t hear them in the portal to the underworld. He could only hear the moaning of lost spirits that was getting louder and louder the closer they got. Suddenly the colors cleared and Rhyme saw himself falling into a desolate wasteland.

He didn’t know how he was going to land but he was going to make sure it wasn’t on top of Suzume. He turned himself so Suzume was off his shoulders and they were falling apart. He could see her lips moving but couldn’t hear her over the rushing of the wind. Then, he threw out his hands and encased her in a protective bubble, which would bounce a bit on the surface and make sure she got a safe landing.

Rhyme didn’t have time to protect himself though and he landed hard on his back, hitting his head off the hard ground. His ears rung from the impact and the air was knocked from his lungs. He coughed a bit as he tried to sit up.

“O light and honor of all other poets, may my long study and the intense love that made me search your volume serve me now. You are my master and my author, you-the only one from whom my writing drew the noble style for which I have been honored.” he said before he fell back down, choosing to stay laying until the others landed.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

Suzume closed her eyes as she neared the ground and of course her landing was cushoned by the bubble thing Rhyme had formed to protect her, her feet met the ground and she stumbled a bit, scraping her knee on the ground, "Ow..." she muttered, looking around quietly, "Purpley... Purpley... where are we?" she asked, she didn't like it here at all, there was a dismal feeling through the air and the air was stale and still. She was terribly uncomfortable with her surroundings and Ouwashi wouldn't shut up and she was on some crazed rant about the place- Ouwashi didn't like it here either.

Gavin landed easily, not stumbling and not falling, obviously rather used to the journey and he moved the flute away from his lips, letting his eyes fall upon a being who looked to be in a rather pathetic state, "I brought them to you- just as Ozryel asked." Gavin didn't sound too overly pleased with the situation, but he stood there, looking at the being half submerged in the rock face.

Israfel.

Israfel's arms were sunken into the rock, his legs in the same state. His golden eyes looked towards Rhyme and Suzume and he smiled, not a malicious expression he seemed tired and rather nervous as well. He was bleeding terribly- his chest dripped blood where his heart should had been and there was a generous pool beneath him, that wasn't the only place where he bled, the places where his arms and legs were submerged in stone were damp and dark with blood as well, the black fabric of his clothing sticking to the raw flesh. Israfel had been stuck there for quite some time... and it really did show, his breathing was rhaspy and he seemed to be having issues staying conscious.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme’s breathing slowly came back to normal as he got up. He didn’t see Israfel as of yet since his back was to him. He sat up at the waist and swung his legs under him, sitting Indian style as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Oww.” he said as he continued the rub the lump forming.

He slowly stood up and began to brush off his cloths, keeping his back to the person behind him, not even noticing that there ‘was’ someone back there. After he was done he turned to see what the others were looking at. When he did the right side of his neck and eye spasm’ed making his eye and neck twitch that way.

He went half numb when he saw what happened to Israfel. He went back on the mental training his father drilled into him but he also held on to the part of himself that he needed. Since he needed the music to break him out. He just hoped they would start soon since the sooner they started, the sooner he would break himself out of his fathers hold.

“Tell me when to start.” he said to Gavin.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"As soon as possible..." Israfel smirked, not apparently caring that the question was aimed towards Gavin, it was odd how despite the fact he had some issues breathing, his voice was still clear... odd, "...please." well now, that was unexpected. Israfel said please, then again- it didn't help to be a jackass to people who were trying to help you. He chuckled slightly, hints of perhaps a bit of was it insanity, maybe? Just a little bit though, probably brought from being stuck in such a place as this... alone... and in complete silence with himself for so long- so terribly long.

"Whenever you're ready." Gavin nodded to Rhyme, almost ignoring the man half stuck into a wall, Gavin really was trying not to stare because you would have to admit that the scene of Israfel's current state was a depressingly grotesque one compaired to what anyone was expecting.

"I wanna go home..." Suzume muttered, wrapping her arms around herself, her wide eyes looking towards Israfel, obviously afraid. "I don't like it here! Please, Purpley... I wanna go home!" she shut her eyes tightly and tears started to form in her eyes, her vulpine ears pressed against her skull a submissive gesture of her terror of the place that was building up inside of her.