Recollé Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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repeter2018-10-17 05:34 pm
recollecters) wrote in repeter2018-10-17 05:34 pm
OCTOBER TDM + EVENT PT 2
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OCTOBER TEST DRIVE - EVENT EDITION The city of Recollé... …is a mess. But that’s probably unsurprising to many of you who have been fighting back to cure the creatures of the night. The golden moon hangs high in the sky and casts its eerie glow over the city. Each day, more members of the Retrospec app fall victim to various strains of the monstrous viruses in the air. Though some of you have discovered temporary cures, they aren't working as well as you've hoped. Even worse, on the evening of the 17th, the moon shifts and wavers in the sky, transitioning from its rich golden color to a deep blood red. The sky remains overcast, never quite dark but the sun refuses to appear. Most importantly? The infection begins to spread further...better hurry. I. - OTA It starts with a rustle. A crinkle. A dry, crackling sort of noise and when you wake up on the morning of the 18th you'll find yourself surrounded by tall, towering cornstalks gently brushing against your window. While plenty of the stalks are healthy several others are dried out and intertwined. The longer you stay in any sort of shelter the louder the rustling becomes and an increased sense of urgency grows, driving you outside and straight into the heart of a large cornmaze that's taken over the city. The stalks seem endless and stretch high into the sky, the tips seemingly touching the moon and providing very little in the way of direction. For those with the ability to fly, soaring up into the sky will lead to an aerial corn maze that's even harder to navigate. Digging your way under will lead you to mounds of roots, too tough to cut through no matter what you try. You could use fire if you really wanted, but do keep in mind that dry stalks will ignite very easily and the flame will spread faster than expected. As for cutting the stalks down? When one's cut down, two more grow back. Work quickly and you can make some progress. Wandering through the maze isn't as hopeless as it seems, at least. Sure, it's incredibly easy to get turned around and lost but as you keep walking you'll find buildings in their appropriate locations to act as landmarks. You might even run into a few friends as you're looking for an exit. However, friends aren't the only creatures looming among the maze. Large, overgrown crows with beady red eyes caw as they linger above, attempting to peck you at every turn. The birds are prone to swarming in groups and will chase anyone who's out in the open for too long. Venturing further into the maze will cause the birds to grow suspicious though and as you walk away from the outer portions they'll stop following you just as something appears in your line of vision. Another person? It may even look like someone you know, though they can't see you with their back toward you. As you approach them, the birds may caw a warning but it's too late. The figure turns around and you come across someone else. The same rustling noise as before becomes louder as the scarecrow advances on you, corn husks spilling from its hands to wrap around your limbs as other scarecrows come to join it. Those who have been on the app for some time will find themselves dragged deep into the maze, disappearing between the stalks. As the scarecrows walk and pull you along, they bind you with their corn husk limbs and your muscles seem to relax against your will. The deeper into the maze you disappear, the less mobility you seem to have. Your clothes soon feel itchy and your hair feels brittle to the touch. A copy of your current outfit appears on the scarecrow that ambushed you as your own clothing fades away into well-worn flannel and patched denim. Hopefully you still have the strength to fight, or you may find yourself alone and abandoned. Those who are brand new to the app, however, will find that the scarecrows have something different in mind. Rather than dragging you deep into the fields, they begin to march along the paths, gathering straw to stuff into your sleeves and the back of your shirt. Patches of mis-matched fabric are placed on your clothes and you find yourself hoisted six feet in the air, tied up onto a pole and looking out at the endless rows of corn. Someone has to protect the crops from crows, don't they? Too bad the scarecrows will just leave you hanging. II. - OTA You would think that the problems would end there. It's bad enough with scarecrows and birds, but as the moon continues washing the city in a soft red glow the primal instincts of the infection take hold. Those who have been infected in the last few weeks will find that the monster side of your personality begin to take its toll. It becomes harder to fight off the instincts to infect and take control, humanity wearing thin even in the daylight hours. On the other hand, at least your luck is better than those who aren't on the Retrospec app at all. In the previous days, your fellow citydwellers had hardly noticed that anything was amiss. Seeing truly is believing and while they could see the changes around them it was all in the Halloween spirit. Your physical changes and your abilities are smoke and mirrors, fun and games, and things they never quite took seriously. Perhaps they should have though. Perhaps if they had, they would have been prepared for the changes brought on by the blood moon. Unlike those on the app, citizens around you will begin to shift and change without any signs of stopping. The monsters in them break through their skin and alter their physique, animal-like instincts immediately shutting down any signs of human life. Sprouting fur, teeth, claws and other tell-tale signs, the monsters around you are the final products of the infection. These are the end game, prime examples of what you can be. And they want you to join them. With their sights set on anyone who isn't like them, they'll be relentless in their attacks to try and change whoever they can reach. Vampires will drink blood, werewolves with bite, mummies will bind and merpeople will lure you in with their siren song. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Everyone is at the risk of becoming infected should you get caught. But you may be able to trick them into fighting their own kind. Monsters by nature want to control, and certain breeds of monsters will attempt to assert their dominance over one another. By leading them on and luring them out, you may be able to pit them against each other for a clean getaway. Traditional warding methods will have minimal success as well, but it's easy to become overwhelmed. This sense of control will even reach those of you who have been infected in the last month. You may love your friends and your family, but if they're an opposing monster, tensions rise and tempers fly leading to fights you may regret if you aren't careful. Don't be afraid to ask for back-up. You have to learn who to trust sometime. III. - IN GAME CHARACTERS ONLY The Retrospec mailbox sits proudly along the side of Wiffle-Waffle, completely untouched and surprisingly free of monsters and corn stalks. While several of you have approaches this place recently for assignments to help quell the infection, the mailbox seems to have a different idea today. Plastered on the wall next to the mailbox is a chart divided into categories, and as you linger to read a small, wrapped bundle will vault itself out of the mailbox and straight into your arms (or, if you're not paying attention, your face.) While the item you have been gifted is randomized, it's easy to locate on this chart. The package begins to glow a soft blue, and in your head you'll hear a small, clear voice. "Into the woods, it's time to go, I hate to leave, I have to, though. Into the woods, it's time, and so I must begin my journey…" As you venture through the corn maze city and fight the night, the voice continues to repeat the phrase until you find your way out of the maze and into the line of trees. Untouched by the maze, the woods are dark but the path is clear. Following the wisps of light and the voice guiding you, it becomes hard to avoid stumbling upon a clearing with twelve stone pillars, each partially colored with a ring of light surrounding its base. For each pillar, there's also an emblem shaped like one of the varieties of monsters attached to the front. The red pillar is for harpy, red-violet is for vampire, purple for shade, blue-violet for werewolf, blue for ghost, blue-green for merpeople, green for slime, yellow-green for zombie, yellow for robot, yellow-orange for mummy, orange for golem and a red-orange for demon. The mouths of these twelve emblems hang open, small enough to fit something particular...like a vial. Before you have time to wonder, a black wolf approaches from behind the trees. Some of you may recognize him as the wolf that's lingered around the cemetery this month, but to others he may be a stranger. As he looks at you, he woofs indignantly before he trots ahead toward the harpy, vampire, and golem pillars. The mouths of these emblems close, a sign that these vials have been found and must be returned to their rightful place. Though he cannot speak for himself, anyone in the woods will hear that same mysterious voice once again as the wolf begins to dig up nine empty vials to carry with him. "Come what may, follow the path and never stray. Only you may draw out the power to light the pillars and drive out the darkness. Fight back." As you look at the pillars, one of them lights up as someone in the city defeats a wayward creature. The ring inches upward, a sign of progress and an example of what you must do. With the collection of cure items on hand, you'll be able to combat anything that comes your way so long as you work together and create the right tools. Reach out to your friends and find those who have items to make yours stronger. Stun the creatures of the night, learn who you can trust, and work quickly to stop the infection from spreading even further. IV. - TDM CHARACTERS ONLY This may be old hat for everyone else by now, but this is very, very new to you, isn't it? Without pause, everything around you suddenly comes into clear focus. You’re not sure what you’ve missed or even what’s happening, but survival instinct kicks in the moment you set foot out of your home. With the city in a state of viral outbreak and several citizens succumbing to their disease, you'll find it hard to go very far without coming face to face with a creature of some kind. Just as this monster looms over you, ready to transform you into one of its own, a blinding white light wraps around you and you’ll find yourself in a brand new outfit. As the light fades, a magic wand materializes in your hand. With an "E" proudly embroidered in the hem of your skirt and a tiara on your head, the monsters begin to back away from you as they eye the wand nervously. Adorning the top of the wand is a clear crystal radiating with power. As the wand meets the eye of a monster, the gem will change to the appropriate color and a powerful beam of light will begin to drive the darkness out in threads and waves. While these powerful wands seem to be the key to fully curing the outbreak, you can't work alone. It will take the combined efforts of residents with cure items from the mailbox and your magical skills to advance upon a creature and exorcise them. As they're fought off with cure items and blinded by colorful hypnotizing light, creatures will begin to rapidly fade to their human selves. While those who are on the app will simply feel fatigued, the remaining citizens of Recollé will fall unconscious in a deep sleep. Nothing you do now can awaken them, but there's still an ample number of threats they face. It's…maybe a little suspicious to be found hovering over someone unconscious, isn't it? A friend will help you move. But a true friend will help you move a body. Good luck, Retrospecters. You'll have to move them to safety, and fast. BONUS. - OTA As the days bleed into the nights and you fight to reverse the effects of infection, a few changes begin to take their toll. The corn stalks begin to dry and even rot as the month continues, the maze becoming easier to navigate toward the end of October. The scarecrows begin to back off, and the birds take a look at you and caw in panic as they fly away in the other direction. Nothing about your situation has changed, but the results begin to show. On the 24th the corn maze begins to fall away in chunks. A winding golden path appears beneath your feet, outlining the roads of the city, and for the next week it becomes harder to walk smoothly. With each passing day, you sink into the ground inch by inch, never quite disappearing, but feeling yourself being pulled under until October 31st. The sky lights up. A wolf howls as twelve beams of light rocket into the air and form one solid column, flooding the city with bright colors as the remaining monsters are quelled and the darkness fades away. As of this day, all monsters are reverted back to their human form. The nightmare seems to be over. Creeping ever closer to Halloween night, you find yourself exhausted from the efforts put forth and as you glance down you notice your hands have begun to fade. Translucent and in some cases see-through, the process spreads slowly. Your body begins to fade away and transform, bursts of color appearing on your skin that light up the area around you including your semi-skeletal frame. Weren't the monsters defeated? Why is this happening now? Asking around never hurts, but maybe a pair of gloves will help. BONUS 2. - OTA On the evening of Halloween, the moon changes to a soft blue and rises higher into the sky. Jack-o-lanterns and strings of light suddenly adorn every shopfront and the chill autumn air sends a breeze through the town. The first thing you think of this evening will materialize over your body becoming this year's Halloween costume. As you look around, piles of sweets, savory dishes, and drinks galore pop up on tables on the sidewalks seemingly out of thin air. Live music begins to play, and those who have fallen asleep rise again to partake. It's...a party? It's a party. A Halloween party takes place on this evening to brighten the spirits of everyone. As everyone around you begins to mingle, you'll find that your phone beeps to notify you that the Retrospec app has entered Halloween Mode. Now decked out in cheerful Halloween colors, with userpics in a randomized (work safe) costume, Halloween Mode comes with a Trick or Treat function. When texting others over the app, users who are asked "Trick or treat?" will have the option to give a treat. If they do, a virtual candy will be gifted to the other user. If they do not, the user who asked the question will have the option to play a "trick" ranging from vandalizing someone's userpic with snap chat filters, choosing a new Halloween scheme for the other person's app, sending the other user into a round of a cutesy Halloween maze game or other light-hearted tricks only lasting up to 10 minutes. Go ahead, give it a try! Post a message and see what happens. It's easier than thinking about how strange this whole month has been, or how it's even stranger that framed photographs of you begin to appear on some of the refreshment tables as well, surrounded by your favorite treats and objects. Oh well. That sounds like tomorrow's problem. If there's ever a time for a celebration, today's the day. Welcome to recolle's October event pt 2 and our TDM! Please read these notes carefully.-All characters who are TDMing will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun! -While only current players may post top-levels using prompt three and TDM players may top-level with prompt four, all players may respond to others who post with these prompts! -If you are TDMing this round, please indicate this by including TDM in your subject line! This will help the playerbase know who is who. -As a reminder for current players, you may still claim multiple freebies! These include: -One freebie for infecting (or being infected by) at least three different characters (this can be on the mod-posted log or in your own logs/inboxes.) -One freebie for exploring with a partner or a group and finding items to begin creating protective gear to ward off the infection. -One freebie for threading with a character that is test-driving. All of these threads must have at least five comments from you to be eligible. To submit for your freebie memories, please link us the appropriate thread with the trigger explanation of "freebie." -As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this event/TDM for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal. -Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. This means for players reserving second characters you must link us your full October AC, and players reserving second and third characters must link us to your September and October AC! Finally, you can visit October's AU workshop here! Any questions you have regarding this event/TDM may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for important information as well! |
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( he seems happy, he genuinely does, his voice lower and affectionate. though shocked to hear how quickly tori had made his choice—it's something even miai couldn't do for leo, as much as he proclaimed his love—within him wells up both monstrous satisfaction, and a human warmth. he's sure it's not a guiltless choice, and yet tori had made is so cleanly all the same . . . perhaps he had plenty to learn from tori, himself.
he shifts his hold, so he's embracing him fully. which. was nice and emotional for the first moment, but it leaves tori's neck so frightfully near . . . mm, he nuzzles against tori's neck with his cheek, to distract himself. almost, almost. )
Before even myself, I'll care for you and stay with you; I'll ensure you're happy. I'll do my best not to disappoint your trust . . . My lovely, sweet Tori. ( a faint laugh. ) I think I might rather die before letting you stray from a path of light, regardless.
( he's going to have so much to answer for when he's no longer a vampire, though he can't even fully blame this on vampirism— he does want tori near beside him, and he does want tori to be happy. he just. might not have worded it so strongly. you would think he'd have learned from leo's mistake during tanabata, but evidently not.
though tori can't see it with how he's facing back, miai's apartment building comes into view—he'd been honest about that much, at least. )
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because tori is crowed as god's light, god's voice, so certainly, certainly, as a child of Him and His goodness... nothing could be wrong with this, is what he can ease his guilt with, squeezing his arms around miai.]
Mm. Okay. Then... I'll go with you, Miai. No matter what or where, as long as you're by my side... I'll be happy.
[the earnest, honest truth; in time it might become apparent that it isn't a complete truth, that he misses wataru should they go far away, but-- in this moment, with miai cold to the touch (against his neck, a shiver not just pertaining to temperature running down his spine), it's true.
there's words thrumming hard in his chest, perched at the tip of his tongue, locked behind bitten cheeks, but tori's too nervous to say them. how miai is his light and guidance, how he'd never stray for anything or anyone, how he'd do anything miai asked so long as it came from his mouth... wataru had always been hesitant around his admiration for miai and tori still doesn't understand why, but faced with the perfect chance to confess, to convey--
no, tori can't figure out why he's so hesitant either. the wand glows still, as hidden as it is from miai's eyes and clear to tori's own. mm. mmm, mmm. monster of not, miai wasn't hurting him, so it was fine.]
Um... Wataru might get lonely too though, so if you do ever leave anywhere I have to give him a proper goodbye. Even if I don't like him, [ever a lie on his lips, actually,] he has taken care of me, and... it's not right if I just leave without warning, right?
[even if wataru was joking time and time again about tori's bluffs, he can't shake the feeling that they've maybe become too used to each other.]
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( he sounds as though he's contemplating whether he'd let tori say goodbye, but that's never been a question. of course he would; he's not such a monster that he wouldn't let tori say his farewells. the real issue is that, instinctively, eichi knows he probably can't go far from wataru. the city limits is fine, but further than that . . . he feels a discomfort that forces his skin to crawl, and knows he never meant he'd be taking tori away in any physical sense, given that. he knows, also, that he'd have to answer to the monsieur if he really did turn tori . . . that's just a fact he's been avoiding.
(up up to the apartment they go, in the meanwhile.) )
How about this: Wherever we go, we go with the Monsieur . . . and his sister, too, if he'd like?
( he phrases this like a generosity rather than an obligation on his part. granted, miai in his usually more sensible state wouldn't take tori from wataru for no reason to begin with— even if he might be slightly jealous to see tori attached to another guardian, when in the past he'd always been miai's little duckling.
he lifts his head, looking to tori. )
For now we can stay here, in Recolle. You have school, besides, don't you? Friends to make, tests to take . . . that's a part of caring for you as well. But I'll keep Rosetis from you if they come to bother you . . . same if we choose to leave— all of us, together. How does that sound?
( if they move they are moving as a Family, basically, )
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... all of them, together. relief he didn't realize was being held like an exhale rushes through him and his grip relaxes, pressing his cheek into miai's shoulder as he nods.]
Wataru might be harder to convince, but my cute charms'll pull him over. ♪ He likes to say he's immune and all, but in reality he's weak as anyone else~! And Hina'll follow close along, even if I would be alright with just you, Miai~.
[but again, he's relieved he won't have to leave wataru, not now and not in the possible future. it comes out a little in his voice, smug smile on his face.]
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happy he's made tori happy, he shifts tori's weight to one arm so he can unlock the door to the apartment— nice in quality on the inside, and probably a bit more furnished as it's been a little while since they first moved in. probably houseplants from leo (hi). it's otherwise well-kept for an apartment housing two monsters during the monster . . . in part because he, has found himself trapped a few times counting things whose contents ajisai has knocked over and containers possibly broken, and he's not taking that risk again, gotta keep everything singular and whole, )
Mmm, as much as you say you hate him, aren't you a little bit too cozy with him? ( he's teasing, he's teasing. ) You're going to make me jealous, at this rate . . . ♪ Unless that's what you want?
( he closes the door behind them gently, though there doesn't seem to be anyone home, and without explanation begins toward his room (well, his shared room with tsukasa). )
But, mm, if you're going to stay with me . . . I don't want to have to ask since it's not exactly easy, but . . . Tori, would you mind helping me, a little bit? You're the only one I can . . . no, the only one I want to ask.
Still, if you think you aren't able to help me with anything difficult . . . I'd rather you let me know now. It wouldn't be easy on me, but it'd be better for me to find someone else now, rather than later.
( coercive? . . . yeah, absolutely. he wants tori to be willing, but all that means to him right now is just that tori says yes, not that there can't be a little pressure. )
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the apartment's nice... it's lived in, it's pleasant with the houseplants, there's the familiar scent of animals lingering too. tori looks around as they go, smiling a little mischievously at the question of jealously (maybe, maybe he was) and oh, his heart lifts at the next.
the only one he wants to ask.]
I-- I can do anything you need me too, Miai! No matter how difficult, I'll overcome it with ease! All you have to do is ask your cute Tori~. ♪
[just like with leaving rosetis, there's no hesitation, not a single moment's thought; tori finds himself too elated to think about his surroundings, about the nagging unease at the corners of his mind.]
So~? What is it~?
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Thank you. It makes me so wonderfully happy to know I can count on you . . . Ah, you've grown up to be so reliable.
( he closes the door behind them, the click of the lock in soft sound of miai's steps. their room is divided in two: vie is too lazy to switch tabs to ask bella what tsukasa's side looks like so she can only presume it looks like a horse girl room, and miai's side is . . . very plush.
the bed is big enough for two, and the blankets and pillows are many and plush, more for nesting than for sleeping under. though the walls and bedside table beside his bed are overall minimalist, there are photographs hung from jute— of strangers tori doesn't know; of miai's friends; of tori in rosetis; of alexander and the circus; and, of course, of he and leo now. there are also a few other things hung up, though it's unclear of why; stamped circus tickets, recolle's amusement park pamphlet; and so on. it's all seems a little excessively sentimental. )
. . . Mmm, for a little while now, my health hasn't been the best, I'll admit. I don't want to worry you, but . . . looking for you and carrying you here . . . I've been happy to do it, to take you here, where it's safe, but it's made me a little weak, enough that I might collapse.
( he sets tori down at the edge of the bed. instead of sitting beside him, he kneels before tori, looking up at him, as if to show he means no harm. he places a hand on tori's wrist—the wrist that carries the wand— as if intimate (though, if tori were to try to pull his hand and wand away, he'll find miai's holding it a little firmly down), and he takes tori's hand bringing it to his mouth again— letting it this time brush against the blunt of his teeth. )
. . . I need only a little bit of blood to recover, and I'd like it to be from you. I could have taken it at any time, but I don't want to be dishonest with you. And . . . ( hm hm, how to put this, ) . . . It'll mark you as mine. I don't want anyone else to hurt you, or take you away. The closer you are to me, the happier I'll be. So . . .
( . . . he nuzzles his cheek into tori's palm, like a cat. )
. . . It'd make me unbearably happy, if you'd agree to be with me once more.
( he doesn't want to have to force this, or deceive tori as wataru had done to him. )
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(it's nothing he's done in a while, not since he's been with wataru, but he never liked listening to other peoples' problems anyway.)
b..lood, though, blood. in trade for miai's health? that's been on the decline for "a little while now"..? how serious was it, tori can't help but wonder, and when did it start..? was it god's punishment for straying off of rosetis's path, or something else? he does try to move his hand a little bit, if only to set the wand away, but it's-- held a bit firmly, drawn to be pressed intimately against more than just lips.
his mouth is dry, the shiver running down his spine again as his mind impounds the unease once more -- miai's cold touch, the unusual red eyes, asking for blood -- and he wonders if this was really miai after all. maybe he was tricked by some demon in miai's form and now he was paying for it; god had tried to protect him not once, not twice, but many many times, and the moment he'd been led astray (by something wearing rosetis's skin no less) he was trapped.
there's a long pause, staring fearfully down at miai, before his hand curls.]
Are you... are you really Miai..?
[there's. a lot miai would ask of him, to be good and to take care of himself, stay on the right path... but he has been rather unusual since they'd met again, and tori berates himself for thinking it was nothing. didn't they say that god gave you a warning system?]
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... I'm hurt you'd say that, Tori.
( but he supposes he understands. he wouldn't have agreed if wataru had just asked, either, but he can't bring himself to lie to tori outright. still, he senses tori feels his trust has been betrayed all the same, and he regrets that. )
Who else have you writing emails to, complaining of how Wataru forces you to do chores . . . ? Who else soothed your arms and back with kisses, when you trembled from how the roses hurt? Who else purged Rosetis for your sake, when the elders were not kind to you?
( he drags his lips lightly along tori's palm, along his wrist, and he can feel tori's pulse beating against his lips. so close, so near, so lively . . . )
. . . I suppose you could reject me now, as much as it might break my heart. I didn't want to lie to you; I suppose this would only be punishment for my confession.
Still, you must believe me when I say my intentions are wholly good. Something out there will hurt you or take you if you don't let me protect you here. You can bathe me with the light of that staff of yours, if you'd like . . . but something will catch you sooner or later, and that something won't love you like I do.
God won't protect you, Tori, if you cast me aside— you've already renounced Him. There are only the monsters out there, and me.
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anything, anything. even this?
god's gaze burns against him, but--]
I'm God's voice, [and god's voice wavers, apparently, trembles at its core, not wholly from fear.] And I... that is, God thinks you're being honest. Even if I renounce Him... if I can still speak for Him, can hear Him, then I know I'm safe. God understands the different paths in life, you know..? I don't need to... need to be with Rosetis to still be with Him, I think.
[and god is telling him to reject, is giving him every damn out, but the fear of finding something that doesn't love him the way miai does, that doesn't care so thoroughly for him the way miai does, stays the urge very, very well.
he takes his wand in his other hand and
sets it aside, within reaching distance but making to clear to miai that it's beyond his reaction time, especially with his non-dominant hand... which shakes a bit as he rests it on miai's head, the words of absolution hesitant to fall from his lips.
tori swallows and tries again, finding it more successful as he lifts his wrist more.]
If... if you need me, Miai, then it's like I said... I'd do anything. I'm scared, [he can admit that much,] but I know you won't hurt me. Just-- Just kiss it better, like you did with the roses, and don't be mad if I cry.
[because this is terrifying in a way, with the thought of demons out to prey on his godly soul and miai being the alternative. monstrous but caring, a devil but not wanting tori to stray off a path of light... he didn't want to lie to tori, hence his honesty, and so tori doesn't want to lie back.]
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yet, the monsieur must not be lonely the way miai is, has always been. if miai must be so low, in a bottomless pit at the foot of the mountain where everyone else so high up resides . . . the monsieur would not understand this urge he's had, stronger lately before even his vampiric conversion, to drag his dear ones down to meet him.
it isn't fair, he knows; he knows tori is scared before he even says it, and that it's a great gesture of trust for tori to set the staff away . . . and even so, miai persists, knowing he is wretcheder for it. he only lets go of tori's other wrist when the wand is away, trusting tori only when tori has made move to trust him. )
I will, I will, I promise. Even if you change your mind, even if you come to hate me and curse me . . . I would never fall short of loving you.
( ... he lets tori's wrist fall from his lips, reaching up with his now free hand to caress tori's cheek softly, tilting his head up at him. shh, shh. )
How can I make this easier for you? Shall I hold you? Would you like me to rub your back, or pet your hair...?
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Holding... is a good start. I want to sit in your lap like I used to.
[when he was younger, when he was a little smaller than he is now.]
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Of course.
( pushing himself up, he takes a seat beside tori and gently pulls him onto his lap, an arm steady at his waist. ah . . . he pauses, for a moment; tori really has grown. he recalls how much more little he felt, how his face was so much rounder and his cheeks rosier. he's small enough in stature that it's easy to forget how many years have passed, but . . . it's a little sad, a little bit, to think how many years of tori's growth he missed. was he okay, between when he left and before wataru took him in? was he happy all these years, or was he, as the monsieur feared, truly dissatisfied with his arrangements?
he brushes hair behind tori's ear, returning the gesture from earlier. )
Anything else? You don't have to be shy. I'll even let you choose where I press my teeth.
( a nice way to say "biting." miai's scared him and convinced him to offer him blood; the least he can do is spoil him a little bit to ease him into it. instinctively, too, he has a sense it'll be much easier on tori if he can somehow relax. )
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Demons... no, um... Vampires do it at the neck, right..? Th-That's fine, just let me...
[undo the ribbon of his fanciful outfit, the red fluttering between his fingers, and then the buttons down. he lets his hands linger at the middle, shouldering off what's necessary. rosetis's vines snake up here too, curling buds against the blade of his shoulder, and miai knows from prior years that he has matching on the other one.]
I'd take it all off, but... it's a one piece kind of thing, so... I don't want to bother with it. It's too troublesome. J-Just go ahead.
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he watches as tori pulls free the ribbon at his shoulder, lets free more and more skin, the effect akin to the scent of a meal from the kitchen growing stronger and stronger, and the food being carted out, and being forced to be patient. his will to resist is weaker than his overwhelming hunger, and he swallows it as he feels his mouth grow more moist.
he has to remind himself to act with grace when tori finally says he's ready, that he doesn't want to scare tori at the last moment by rushing in too hasty— that he doesn't want to ruin tori's image of him any further, any more than this. ah, ah, ah . . .
holding tori closer to him with his arm around his waist, he runs his palm along tori's other shoulder, caressing his neck and jaw as he tilts tori's head so his flesh might be more exposed. then he brings his mouth down, slowly, carefully, and . . .
presses his lips against the skin, kissing it once, twice, letting his tongue wet it there as he sucks at it lightly to make the skin tender, and it's almost all a little reverent, and his voice murmurs warm, almost muffled against him. )
. . . I'm sorry, Tori.
( for not being better than this, though he should be.
he sinks his fangs in, once he's sure tori's as relaxed as he's going to be— wonderful, wonderful, how wonderful the taste of blood always is, though this taste is special, this taste is tori's. he's capable of drinking in at least moderation, his mind at least somewhat alert to mind how tori seems to feel. no pained, he hopes, he's praying, though no doubt god's turned his ears from a hypocrite like him. )
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this is sinful indulgence, eyes fluttering shut with a soft noise and a tightened grip. there's only the initial pinch of teeth sliding in, but pain and pleasure have always been part of rosetis's standard, its creed, so he can't help but feel relieved, feel as if it's normal despite the hold, the circumstances. he trusts miai, he loves miai, he knows he's being a little indulgent in how he's feeling just because it's offered on a silver platter and the vines curving around him burn in reminder of insolence, but who is he to deny god's apparent plan?
(there's nothing godly about this, renouncing Him for one person, allowing himself to be so taken by a devil in the form of a vampire, and he now faintly recalls wataru's own oddities the past month, how they'd grown, and wonder if they're the same..? or if he was stressed somehow.)
when miai's finished tori shudders against him, curling more and terribly, terribly warm. there was. an apology somewhere in the beginning, right? and he's supposed to forgive those that confess their sin...]
Y-You're forgiven. [there.] Thank you... for protecting me, Miai.
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the gratitude and forgiveness is silver to his skin, driven through his heart. ahh, he's terrible, terrible . . . even in his haze of possessive aggression he knows that there may not be enough roses for this, for deceiving tori and himself with false good intentions. )
... How do you feel? ( he asks this finally, pulling away. he brings the hand along tori's neck to press the back of it along tori's cheek. ) Do you feel feverish, or faint...?
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and then biting at the delicate skin of his wrist, fangs sinking in as he laps at the blood. ah, that's better, that's-- that's much better, he'll come back to his senses once he's satisfied, but quenching this is all he wants to do. it's almost like a sleepy kitten eating, slow and unaware of their actions.]
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regardless, he does as wataru had done for him: he reaches to stroke tori's hair. he does this best he can while still securing him, leaning tori's weight against miai's body, letting tori have as much blood from his wrist as he'd like. it is, quite honestly, the least he can do, and ... he feels a sort of additional affection for tori like this, endeared to how sweet he is in his sleepy state.
it isn't enough to overshadow his guilt, but it is a nice distraction. )
... Better?
( he asks this when tori seems about done, but doesn't pull his wrist away should tori want more. he might want to feed on someone again after this but ... he'll worry about that later. )