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Post by mintedstar/fur on Aug 6, 2020 5:59:37 GMT -5
There was a strange shift in what Macon was hearing and the way Skye and Orpheus reacted when he finished talking. Outwardly, Macon remained the same as always, but inwardly he puzzled over what had happened.
What had he said?
He turned his words over, but he couldn't really work it out since he didn't know what sort of reaction Orpheus and Sky had had.
He pushed the thought away when Orpheus mentioned food.
Huh?
He tried to picture what "food" was and why it might be found in a house, but the image that rattled around in his head, almost as equally confused as he was, was an image of Orpheus and Skye.
He knew what food was by definition. Or was it more instinct? He didn't think he was hungry though.
He did cast a slightly confused look at Orpheus. Should he ask?
The conversation had for the most part moved back to something before. But it still nagged at Macon.
"That sounds logical," he said to Orpheus, also carefully. "To wait and see what we find."
He bit his tongue then, waiting a beat. Then, equally carefully, he asked, "What sort of food are you expecting to find if no one is here?"
He was still trying to work out what "food" might mean, but he was still only coming up with the draw he'd felt toward the odd colors from Orpheus' and Skye's heads and Orpheus and Skye.
If that was the same thing food meant to Orpheus, then why did he need to go looking?
I'm different. I can tell I'm different. But I don't know how.
--
Several feet away, Sam had frozen, watching the two size each other up. He wasn't sure if anything he said would let them have an out - a way to avoid this. It looked like they didn't want to avoid this.
But that also meant that Sam had to do something eventually.
It was like he only had to think about it - wanting to go somewhere quickly - before he was there.
It was ... weird.
The world slowed down, perception on high alert. The sounds he was hearing from Nico and Kelsier respectively slowed down - enough to frighten Sam. But even then he found himself overstepping where he'd aimed to end up - between Kelsier and Nico - and almost ended up running into the sunlight.
Things snapped back to regular speed almost at once as Sam fell back and then scrambled backward. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten from point A to point B, but it freaked him out a bit.
"What did I do? What did I do?" he asked no one in particular.
There was a tickling of ... something ... in his stomach - an ache he couldn't place, but he was distracted enough not to dwell on it.
He hurriedly scrambled to his feet again and spun to face Kelsier and Nico. He held up both hands, trying to control his own surprise over what he'd just done, and instead said, "Hey, hey ...hold up." He was frowning. He could tell.
"Do ... do we need to split up? It's clear we aren't all comfortable together. But we're all in this together and we should really be trying to make this all as comfortable as possible for each other. So if it's not ..."
He looked between Kelsier and Nico. "Then maybe we should deal with that first? Like, like, like ... I don't know. What's making it uncomfortable? The ... bladed edged weapons are making me uncomfortable honestly."
He could feel himself babbling.
"And I really don't know what I just did or what I can do. Or why I seem to be hurt by the sun but neither of you are. That's freaking me out. The lack of memories too, of course. But that's for all of us, right? So can't do anything about that right now."
He looked between Nico and Kelsier again.
"But - but yeah. I'm ... I'm scared. I'm also not armed, I don't think."
He patted his pockets absently. Nothing was there. Empty pockets.
"So nothing there. Got a necklace. Don't know where that's from."
He tried to grin a bit, holding up the gold charm as if this would so something.
"But ... but yeah. If things are uncomfortable then ... then I don't want that. And I wouldn't blame either of you for ... going to do your own thing. I'm sure it would be okay. But making enemies your first day? No one knows anything. Maybe ... maybe it's just reacting?"
He was rambling and also grasping at straws.
"I just ... sorta ran a couple yards in around two seconds. That certainly wasn't what I meant to do. Maybe if you're ... comfortable or angry ... you're just reacting? Maybe that's a good sign? Maybe that's your memories coming back. But I doubt it's supposed to be directed at each other."
Sam tried to grin again.
"You're both wearing different clothes for different sorts of weather, right? So if you knew each other, it's one heck of a long distance relationship. You can't hate someone on sight. Right?"
Mentally, Sam was just thinking: Heeeeeeeeeeelp.
That twinge in his stomach was a bit more noticeable now.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 16, 2020 8:38:39 GMT -5
Skye nodded. Food was a good idea. He realized suddenly how hungry he was, and glanced around, wondering where food might come from.
Why did he expect it to simply exist? Was that how it worked where he was from? Maybe?
He had a feeling they would all feel a lot better once they’d had something to eat, anyway. He wasn’t sure how that worked exactly. Maybe it was just that people didn’t like being deprived.
He glanced at Macon. The taller person looked...a little confused. By what? Not food, surely? Maybe his memory of food had been damaged when whatever had happened, happened. In which case they were probably going to have to explain it to him, and he wouldn’t understand, and it would be annoying.
Skye sighed lightly. If he didn’t remember food, what else was he missing? It wasn’t his fault, of course, but it was still irritating to deal with.
“I agree.” He said finally, nodding at Orpheus. “We should wait and see. I don’t like it, but it’s the best we’re going to get, I guess.”
He looked back at Macon. Should he say something? Then again, maybe he was wrong, and Macon knew what food was.
Then the other man spoke and the boy frowned slightly.
“What kind of food are you hoping for?” He asked, carefully turning the question back on Macon. If he knew what food was, maybe he’d have something in mind. If he didn’t, hopefully he would just admit it and then they could handle it.
-
Kelsier smiled, and it wasn’t a nice expression. It was cold and though it had humor to it, it wasn’t the right sort of humor.
Was he a coward? He didn’t blink, though internally he found he had to wonder. He was needling a kid, after all. What made him angry about this kid? Why was his blood beginning to boil? And why did he think it was okay to say these things when he didn’t even know this person?
He felt suddenly like he ought to apologize, but he resisted the urge. Somehow, he didn’t feel like the kind of person who apologized easily. Did that make him confident? Or stuck up? He hated to think he was a bully, yet he found himself acting like one.
He gritted his teeth. There were too many damn questions. He opened his mouth to say something (he wasn’t even sure what to be honest) when suddenly Samual was in between them.
The Mistborn took a step back, exhaling in surprise. He stared, open mouthed, at the boy, who seemed to be as confused as he was, which was a...good sign? Bad sign?
???
He registered that the kid was talking, and he focused on that, instead of the seemingly impossible feat he had just accomplished.
Splitting up seemed like a very very bad idea to him. He didn’t like Orsino. He didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean he wanted him dead. It just meant...apparently it meant he was just going to be a little mean to him.
He didn’t like that.
Maybe he could change it.
He focused on Samuel, who he was trying to protect already. The boy was unarmed. That wasn’t good. Kelsier hesitated a moment, then flipped a dagger so he was holding the sharp end and handed it to the kid.
“There.” He said. “Now we’re all on even ground.”
He looked back at Orsino. Then, very deliberately, he put his weapon away.
“Samuel is right.” He said without regret. He wanted to fight someone, but he didn’t want to fight Orsino. Not really.
“We shouldn’t split up unless we absolutely have to.” He added. He tilted his head, a very different half-smile on his face now. It was gentler, more amiable. “Do we have to?”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 16, 2020 13:53:54 GMT -5
Orpheus frowned. He hadn’t really given much thought to what kind of food he expected. Probably nothing terribly perishable, but maybe… bread? Or was he foolish to believe there would be anything edible here? He was about to answer when he heard the edge to Skye’s voice, the careful way he turned the question away from him. There was something he had missed. Maybe about the way Macon had reacted to food?
“We won’t know what type there is until we look for it, right?” He gave a soft smile, trying to figure out what Skye had seen that he hadn’t. If Macon was confused about food, it was probably just because he couldn’t remember what he liked to eat. “It’ll be an adventure, right? To figure out what’s here, and what we like? Won’t it be exciting to taste our favorite food again for the first time?” He was trying to be positive. He wasn’t sure it was working. They were all being cautious, tiptoeing around each other. They were working towards a common goal, it seemed, but what even was that goal? Survival? Figuring out this mystery?
“I just think… if people had fled, they would have packed up a little more. We’d see signs of people leaving in a hurry. They would have taken food. But everything’s… normal. Like the people were just removed. So chances are there will be food somewhere.”
-
Nico blinked at the sight of Sam suddenly in between them. Right, okay, super speed. The tiny voice in the back of his head whispered that super speed was cool, but the rest of him was so tensed against the thought of a fight that he quickly pushed down the thought. There was something about Kelsier’s smile that made Nico’s skin crawl, and his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened a little bit. This was going to become a fight, whether Nico wanted it to or not. He didn’t know if he could use his sword, but he was going to find out, wasn’t he?
His gaze moved towards Sam, something squirming in his stomach at the sight of Sam so close to the sunlight. Subconsciously, he lengthened the shadow so Sam would have a little more room to move around. Something pulled at the corner of his vision, darkening for a moment before he straightened up and blinked. Now wasn’t a good time to be flagging. He watched Kelsier carefully, waiting for the man to pick up on his momentary sign of weakness. He didn’t like feeling weak. Did anybody? Was that a personality trait or just survival instinct?
Nico shook away the thought, instead focusing on Samuel. On what he was saying. Did they need to split up? Nico was uncomfortable, that was for certain, but was it because of Kelsier or because he was near anybody at all? He had caught on to the way he was keeping track of how far away both Kelsier and Samuel were from him. That… was that normal? There was no such thing as normal. Samuel burned when exposed to the sun. What was normal for him wasn’t normal for either Nico or Kelsier, so what was even the point of trying to define normal?
Slowly, he lowered his hand from the hilt of his sword, watching as Kelsier put away his own weapon. Arming Sam was a good idea. But it also meant that Kelsier was weaker, and of the three of them, Nico’s bets were on Kelsier for most trained fighter. Age had something to do with it, because it meant experience.
“I don’t know.” His words were quiet, uncertain as he took a few steps backwards. Splitting up felt like a bad idea. But being alone, not having to watch his back among strangers… that felt safer. Besides, there hadn’t been any tension before Nico had caught up with the group. Sam and Kelsier had waved at each other, they’d been having a friendly conversation, and then Nico had ruined it. A lump formed in his throat as he looked between them, trying to understand. Trying to make some sort of decision.
“Being near people makes me uncomfortable.” The words were quiet, reluctant. He wasn’t the sharing type, it seemed. “I don’t know why. Apparently I make you uncomfortable,” he added, pointing at Kelsier. “So maybe… maybe it would be better if I just…” he trailed off, looking behind him as though the scenery would have changed at all. “You both were fine, before you waved me over.” He hadn’t noticed the way he was backing away slowly. Like he was trying to put distance between him and then even as he made his decision. “I don’t know who you are, or who I am, but we don’t get along. And maybe it’s better we just trust our instincts.”
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Aug 18, 2020 23:14:30 GMT -5
It seemed like a trick, or a trap. There didn't seem to be any way that Macon could work out that should have meant that Orpheus and Skye shouldn't be getting the same impression that he was.
There wasn't a way for this to be a trick or a trap, however. Not that he was aware of. If their understanding of what food was the same as his, then why would it matter what he said?
"I'm not hungry," he said to Skye. He kept his tone careful, arching an eyebrow as he waited to try and see if Skye was going to explain anything. "So I'm not hoping for any food in particular."
He shifted so he could better see Orpheus in his field of vision. "I just wasn't sure why there was such a need to search for food when there was already some nearby. It seemed fairly unneeded to me."
There was a disconnect between what he was saying and what Orpheus and Skye was saying and Macon couldn't pinpoint what it was. It seemed like it should be more obvious, but he just wasn't working it out just yet.
"I'm missing something," he admitted. "Like we aren't talking about the same thing."
He waited, sure that he would be branded a fool, but he wasn't ready to play any more games.
---
"Instincts don't make a person who they are," Sam said, biting his lip. "It's what they do when reacting to them."
Kelsier's offer of a knife unnerved him. He'd taken it only because he wasn't sure what he could do otherwise, but he was holding it by two fingers and still didn't know what to do with it. It didn't feel right in his hands. He just shifted this way and that before finally gripping it and holding it a bit awkwardly away from his body. Where else could he put it? It wasn't like it would stay in his pocket.
He didn't want Orsino to leave. He was still chewing on his lip. But he figured he'd continue to try and speak honestly.
"I ... I don't have a problem with you! I like you, I think. At least I'm okay with both you and Kelsier. But I get it. If people make you uncomfortable, I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."
He shifted from foot to foot, then managed to ask, "Is it being near people." He waved his free hand. "Like ... proximity? Or is it being with people? Like you feel better off on your own. And is it, like ... a feeling you like? I think ... I think it's important that if you make a decision that you like it." He glanced around, then looked up. "Uh. Like, I don't ... I don't think I like being out in the day, but I like the idea of being with other people more, because then I think I'm better off."
He glanced back at Orsino and smiled again. "But just do what you need to do. If ... if you do go off by yourself I'm sorry I couldn't help with anything. You seem nice. Just do what you need to."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 22, 2020 19:05:47 GMT -5
Skye watched Macon, suspicious even though he couldn’t put his finger on why. There was just something...off about the interaction. He didn’t know what it was, or why he couldn’t let it go, but he couldn’t. It just wouldn’t go.
He glanced at Orpheus to see whether his instincts were shared. No...from the way the other man was looking at him, Skye was the one who was acting strange. He almost sighed out loud, but he resisted the urge. There was no need to look outwardly annoyed if he could help it.
Instead he just nodded briefly and shrugged. “Okay.” He said simply, and forced himself to leave it alone, for now, even if he felt every muscle in his body straining against it. He wanted answers, and he wasn’t going to get them. He would have to deal with that for a while.
Then he looked back, blinking at Macon. “I haven’t seen any food nearby.” He answered, puzzled. “Orpheus? Have you?”
Now he was sure there was something worth inspecting, even though he didn’t know what exactly. It was just that...he didn’t know. He didn’t *know*.
Maybe it was just his instincts malfunctioning for some reason.
“Maybe.” He agreed with Orpheus finally, forcing himself to relax. He couldn’t afford to get agitated. Instead he just nodded and shrugged again. “I guess we’ll find out.”
-
Kelsier was watching Orsino closely, even though he was also watching Samuel. He didn’t want to look away from either of them, for two very different reasons.
Or maybe the reasons weren’t so different after all.
Was he the kind of person who wanted a fight? Well, he didn’t exactly seem too opposed to it at the moment, did he?
Maybe the better question was, did he want to be that person?
His fate was in his hands. A slate wiped clean. He could make his move and he could do what he wanted to do, and he didn’t have to worry about who he’d been before because that man was dead.
Kelsier was dead.
Kelsler was alive.
And Kelsier put his weapon away.
“Apparently I’m impulsive.” He muttered. He hadn’t known what to expect when Orsino had come over, but it seemed his brain had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Orsino didn’t appear to be a threat. At least not right now. No more than Kelsier himself was, anyway.
“I think perhaps we’re just both a little anxious about strangers.” He said quietly, but loudly enough for Orsino to hear. “Maybe we don’t make each other uncomfortable, maybe it’s just the situation.”
He felt like he had to figure out how to get the kid to stay. Being alone in this place seemed like a very bad plan.
“Or I could go.” He added, the thought occurring to him. “Since I’m the one you have a problem with. And I think I’m older. Being alone is probably safer for me than it is you.”
He glanced at Sam. He really, really did not want to leave this kid. But maybe if they were together he could follow from a distance and make sure they were okay.
Yes. That was what he wanted to do. He glanced back at Orsino and smiled, inclining his head.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 25, 2020 0:08:58 GMT -5
“Where do you see food nearby?” Orpheus asked before he could help himself. His brows furrowed and he shared a momentary glance with Skye, finally catching on to the weirdness Skye had noticed earlier. He may not have been certain about a lot, but he had a feeling he would have noticed if there was food. “I mean… if there is, then that’s great! We don’t have to look!” He hoped Skye understood why he was framing it like that – if it seemed as though they were ganging up on Macon, their little group wasn’t going to stick together for very long. As much as Orpheus wasn’t sure he liked Macon, he didn’t think he wanted any of their group to be separate. Being together meant they were safer. It meant that they each had two other people watching their back. Any threat was a lot less likely to take down three people than it was to take down one alone.
He frowned for just a moment, then glanced back at Macon. “If… if food for you is different from what I think of as food or what Skye thinks of as food… then we’ll have to find some of that eventually as well. It wouldn’t do any of us any good to starve to death.” He forced himself to smile, hoping that might just be enough.
-
“You’re insane.” The comment was directed at Kelsier, and Nico almost immediately cringed away from it. If he didn’t want a fight, he was sure going about this the wrong way. He hadn’t meant the words as they had come out, but they were there now. “You just gave away a weapon and you still it’d be safer for you than for me?” He took a step back, trying to force his heart to beat normally. Trying to force himself to look at the situation rationally, because if he didn’t then he was just going to end up doing the wrong thing. The choices seemed simple. Leave, or start a fight. Nico needed a third option. And, as much as he wanted it to be, trust wasn’t an option.
“And you.” He turned his gaze on Sam, shaking his head incredulously. “You don’t even know me! I don’t even know me! I just know that you apparently think the best of people when you’ve just met them, and I…” Nico slammed his mouth shut, wanting to continue, but afraid to. He wanted to tell the truth. He wanted to tell them he had a voice screaming in the back of his head that he was too close, wanted to tell them that his mind tried to pick up every movement either of them made and translate it into attack. He had already shared too much.
“It… it’s not you in particular,” he managed quietly as he turned his attention back to Kelsier and clenched his hand harder around the hilt of his sword. Too tightly to be able to draw it with any speed or dexterity. He just needed something to hold onto, something real to cling to while he tried to figure out what sort of situation he’d gotten himself into. “The problem started when I came closer.” He took another step back, feeling his breathing settle once he was far enough away from them both. He didn’t know why, but he knew that felt better. “Being alone seems dangerous, but I don’t know if it’s more of a threat than I am to either of you.” He met Kelsier’s gaze, desperately trying to read him. Samuel he felt he had a handle on, if only a little bit. Kelsier… he had no clue.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Aug 26, 2020 1:26:29 GMT -5
The longer this went on the more confused Macon was. There couldn't be that much difference, could there? Between what was going on in his head and what was going on in the other two people he had turned up with.
He was starting to think there was or they were just stupid.
"If this is a joke it isn't funny," he said with a scowl. If this was a joke, it probably wasn't theirs. It was just hard to look that vulnerable and admit that.
So he plainly stated it.
"By all accounts, my understanding of food is ..." He tilted his head, trying to put a word to what he was smelling. "You?" The question slipped in there. "At least in some fashion. I can tell that I could, on certain occasions, feed off either of you."
He hesitated and then waved a hand vaguely at Orpheus.
"I think I did. I haven't been hungry since."
He glanced between both Orpheus and Skye, waiting. He wasn't sure why he was uneasy, but he got the sense the other two were. He wasn't sure why.
...
Sam watched Orsino back up with his head inclined ever so slightly. Then he looked back at Kelsier.
"I don't think you're a threat," he said to Orsino. "Not unless you want to be anyway. But I respect that you don't want to be around people."
He smiled at the other boy. "If you're on the fence about it, you can always follow from a distance. I can hear you even if you're not within my sight range, so if you run into danger we could always head back."
Apparently figuring the same for Kelsier, he glanced at him as well. "Same for you. I don't know. Do either of you have good hearing or is that a me thing as well? I'm pretty sure if you were ..." He eyeballed the distance. "Uh, so past that house that's jutting out a bit over there."
The house he was pointing to was at least two blocks away.
"I could hear you talking very clearly, probably. I can hear the wind over there now."
There was hardly a wind anyway, just a light breeze by all human accounts.
"So I don't know ... if you want something like an in-between. As I said, I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 29, 2020 13:30:21 GMT -5
Skye met Orpheus’ eyes, acknowledging the confusion in his eyes. He seemed to have caught on. Good, that meant Skye didn’t have to explain it. The oddness of what Macon was saying seemed even more obvious now, and he no longer thought he might be overreacting. There was something really off about what Macon was saying. Something that gave Skye a very bad feeling.
“No one’s joking.” He said, his tone wary. He didn’t want to risk upsetting someone he didn’t understand. His eyes were wide as he watched the other person like a hawk, his face pale and his forehead creased.
Then he said it.
You?
Skye stopped breathing.
“What are you talking about?” He asked slowly, his voice betraying his fear. They weren’t food. They were people. They couldn’t be food.
He took a step backwards. Then another. He shook his head slowly. “Stay away from me.” He said flatly, pointing around Macon. “You...are you the one who did this to us? Did you trap us here to...to eat us?”
-
Kelsier smiled. He didn’t mean to, really, but it just sort of happened. Why wasn’t he offended? Why didn’t he feel like that was an insult?
“Possibly.” He agreed easily, his smile still resting on his hawk-like features. “Possibly I am quite insane. Not that that’s relevant at the moment.” His expression shifted slightly, becoming a little more serious as he considered Orsino.
“Yes.” He answered simply. “I do think that. I’m bigger and probably stronger, and I think I’m significantly older. I definitely have the best chance out there.” He tilted his head, glancing at Sam. “If one of us has to go, it should be me. You two are getting along just fine.”
He looked between them. He didn’t want to leave Sam alone with Orsino, but he also didn’t want Orsino to be alone based on some stupid argument they’d had. It didn’t mean anything. It just meant they weren’t immediately compatible. It wasn’t worth anyone dying over.
He looked at Sam as the other boy spoke. “Wait, you can?” He asked, frowning as he looked over where the kid was pointing. “I can’t. Not even close.” So they really were all very different. That would make this even harder.
He looked back at Orsino. “It’s your decision.” He said finally, though it sounded like he didn’t like it. “I can’t force you to stay. But please consider it.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Aug 30, 2020 1:44:24 GMT -5
The reveal felt like a punch to the gut.
“You… fed on me?” Orpheus’ eyes widened, then narrowed. While he hadn’t noticed anything wrong, would he have even noticed? He had only been here for a day, how was he supposed to know what was normal and what wasn’t? How was he supposed to know if he’d been fed on? The idea made him sick to his stomach, but part of him was still trying to give Macon the benefit of the doubt.
Still, he stepped in between Skye and Macon. He was taller and older than Skye was, and apparently he’d already been fed on. Which meant that he was at a lower risk if Macon decided to attack or something. He hoped Skye got the message, though he sent quick look over his shoulder that he hoped said “Stay behind me.”
“I don’t believe you’re responsible for this,” he managed after a moment, trying not to make it seem like Macon was being ganged up on. If this was a misunderstanding, then isolating one of their group seemed like a very bad idea. “I just… would like to know what you meant by that. Because Skye is right, there’s a difference between people and food, at least as far as I’m aware.”
-
“Don’t pretend to think the best of me now, Kelsier,” Nico replied, a little bit of tension tightening his tone. “I saw the way you looked at Samuel a few minutes ago, like you thought I was going to hurt him. Don’t pretend you didn’t. Don’t pretend you don’t think that anymore.” Was he getting hysterical? Maybe. Not quite, though. Maybe just a little bit on edge. He knew what Kelsier thought of him, it seemed stupid to trust him alone with Sam. What did it mean that Kelsier wanted to be the one to go if it would make things easier? What did it mean that Kelsier was willing to do that for him a boy who didn’t know, and who was more than happy to threaten him back when the situation called for it.
Finally, he let his attention rest on Sam. “I can’t hear anything over there,” he managed. “How…” a how question wasn’t going to get answered. It would likely just make Samuel feel worse. “If you can hear all the way over there, then the things you hear here must be excruciatingly loud cause they’re so close… do you… do you need us to be quieter?” Us. The term had slipped out before he meant it, and he almost took it back before realizing that would likely just draw more attention to it.
“I think… I think Samuel has a good idea, anyway,” he added, not wanting to distract too much from what Samuel brought up, but not wanting the issue to hang in the air forever. “I can follow along behind you. And if one of you gets hurt I’ll be able to tell, and I can… help, maybe.” Did the other two see the aura that surrounded Kelsier but seemed so faded around Sam? Nico didn’t want to ask. He didn’t want to give these strangers anything to use against them if all they were offering now was false kindness.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 1, 2020 1:49:51 GMT -5
"Now why the hell would I do that?" snapped Macon, feeling his emotions rise just a bit higher than they normally should. "If you thought for a second about what you said, you'd realize that has far to many flaws."
Even so, his brain was scrambling. This wasn't normal then? Why? Why was he different the other two? That didn't make sense and he didn't know what to do. But he couldn't let that show. He took a step, even though part of him didn't feel like he should be doing so. He met Orpheus' eyes and he wasn't sure if he was able to keep the feral-like confusion from slipping just a little into his eyes.
"I'm not," he said. This was uncharted territory. His whole existence that he remembered was. He wasn't sure why what he had said was such a big deal. It didn't internally feel like one, but Skye and Orpheus seemed horrified.
He wasn't even sure how he could explain. He just knew the connections of words to describe what he had done.
"I'm not sure," he finally admitted, quietly. He felt a bit off kilter. "Something happened last night. You were ..." He tried to remember the word of the thing he'd never accomplished. "Asleep. And something happened."
He tried to grasp around for a word. And to his surprise, it came.
"Dream!"
He blurted the word out, surprised, and then more surprised he'd blurted anything.
"You were dreaming." He grasped around a bit more, just a bit excited. If he knew what a house or a rock was, he had to have words for other items, right?
But this time he wasn't sure what to pick out. He could smell so much from Orpheus, but he wasn't sure what it was that was food. Just that there was something else and that he could get it if he needed.
So he just settled for, "I think ... I think that's what I eat. Dreams."
He sounded a bit annoyed now, the brief spark of joy after figuring something out gone.
...
Us!
Sam's grin widened. He had known Orsino was nice!
"No, I think I'm good," he said. "I mean ... it is noisy, but I've been hearing it all since you got here, I haven't actually noticed so much. I just assumed it was what everyone was hearing, but if it's not, then I guess it doesn't matter. It's normal for me."
He looked over at Kelsier then, a bit pleading that he'd just let Orsino go for now. The other boy might come back around, but for now he clearly needed space. And it seemed pretty clear it was space from everyone, including Samuel.
"That sounds like a plan!" he said. He nodded at the sun. "Plus, that's just going to get higher and I need to find better shade. Or better covering for my head and hands." He hoped that was a good option for things to do. It was certainly all that he could figure out to do.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Sept 7, 2020 10:48:42 GMT -5
Skye stayed right where he was, staring at Macon with wide, wide eyes.
He let Orpheus step in front of him, something he felt he shouldn’t do but was too afraid not to. He eyed the older man, and he tried to think of something to say, but there seemed to be nothing, nothing he could say to make this better. He could have been fed on, whatever that meant. Orpheus had been already. How hadn’t he noticed? How could he possibly not know something like that?
“Are you sure you haven’t fed on me?” He demanded finally, crossing his arms over his chest. It made him look even smaller. “You can’t just eat people! That’s awful!”
He looked at Orpheus. The other person seemed to be okay, but was he? What if he was about to keel over? What if he was slow, like poison? Skye shuddered. Something about this was just so...wrong.
“Dreams?”
He narrowed his eyes. “How can you eat dreams? That doesn’t make any sense. You’re not making any sense!”
-
Kelsier inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the charges against him. “I do think you might be a threat.” He said quietly. “More so than Samual. He wasn’t even armed, and you were ready to kill me just now if it came to it. If we’re being honest with each other, then don’t lie about it. Do me the same courtesy you ask of me.”
He glanced at Samual, who obviously thought this was the best they could ask for. Was it? Perhaps. Kelsier didn’t have to like it, though.
He looked back at Orsino. “I don’t like splitting up.” He said cautiously, testing his words before using them. “But I don’t know you and you don’t know me, and I can’t force you to stay. If you think it best to follow behind, then I won’t stop you.”
He hesitated, then continued.
“We’ll keep to the shade.” He agreed. Then he took off the long, tasseled cloak he was wearing and offered it to Sam. “Try this.” He suggested. “Maybe it’ll help. We should get moving as soon as possible, before the shade is nearly impossible to find.”
How did he know that that would happen? He didn’t know. But he knew he was right, somehow.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Sept 9, 2020 12:31:21 GMT -5
“Is there such a marked difference between dreams and memories?” Orpheus asked, meeting Macon’s eyes. He didn’t blame him for whatever had happened here. He didn’t blame him for feeding on him – after all, he felt fine, which probably meant that whatever he had done hadn’t left any lasting damage – but he did wonder. They didn’t know how they got there, and though Macon seemed just as clueless as he and Skye were, it was a theory as good as any other.
“I don’t remember dreaming last night,” he admitted. “Perhaps it was because of you. And… and maybe I’m thinking too abstractly here, but dreams are just one way for our minds to process the world around us. They may not… they may not be true, but our mind creates them and stores them, and in that way they’re just the same as memories? Might not dreams become memories? Or memories become dreams?” He glanced back at Skye, wondering if he was catching onto what he was saying. “I wouldn’t accuse you of dishonesty, I… don’t know you well enough to do that, and I think I’d rather believe you both to be telling the truth, but Macon…” he took a deep breath. “Is it possible something happened, and you were hungry enough to go past feeding on dreams to feeding on memories themselves? Is it possible you consumed ours as well as yours?” He was still standing in front of Skye, trying to make sure the boy was protected if anything happened. Orpheus may not know how to fight, but at least he’d be a solid obstacle for Macon to get past if something happened and he wanted to go after Skye.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the only possibility I can think of.” He looked back at Skye, then at Macon, something in his eyes looking rather sad. “And if that is what happened, you’re still as impacted by this as the two of us. We’ll… need to come up with some sort of system so you don’t starve and… and Skye and I don’t get hurt.”
--
“Kill you?” The words slipped out with a degree of disgust and horror that shocked Nico. “I don’t think… is that…” he slammed his mouth shut, realizing if he said anything more he might dig himself a deeper hole. He took a deep breath, meeting Kelsier’s eyes. “I don’t know who I was, but who I am now wouldn’t kill someone unless there were no other options.” His brows were furrowed, his chin set with the kind of confidence of someone firm in their belief. Of course, whether Kelsier was going to trust him on that was another matter entirely. He wouldn’t have trusted himself. After all, he hadn’t even told his companions his name. He was a liar, and once someone lied once… well, they could tell as many truths as they wanted for the rest of their life, but they would still be a liar. It struck Nico that his way of thinking seemed rather absolute, but he didn’t dwell on it.
“If you were ready to kill me, though…” he trailed off, noticing the way his body tensed of his own volition. “I don’t think you’d be the first.”
His gaze turned back on Samuel and the shrinking shade. Helping Sam should have been their priority, not arguing over who was going to kill who. Samuel was going to die if they didn’t get moving.
“There’s more shade that way,” he pointed without looking. He didn’t know how he knew, but he had to hope the others would take his word for it.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Sept 18, 2020 6:30:27 GMT -5
"I think I would know," Macon tried not to snap at Skye. Why was this so hard? Why didn't there seem to be the same understanding? "No, I didn't."
It was with a deep breath that he said, "I can. I did. I ate a dream, so clearly it's possible."
There, however, was a sudden and frozen pause when Orpheus spoke. Macon tried to meet his eyes, but suddenly found his head spinning.
He could eat memories.
He know that. Very clearly.
He didn't like where this was going, but for once he heard it out til its end just to be sure. He shivered.
"It's ... possible," he said, finding the words cold in his mouth. He didn't know how he'd eat his own memories. He didn't dream. He wasn't sure how that would work. But the rest? That was possible.
He blinked slowly, sudden guild gnawing at his chest. He didn't want that. He didn't want something to go wrong like that. He just wanted to survive.
So he was a bit surprised when Orpheus actually offered help.
Macon let his head raise, staring at him in a bit of shock.
--
"Thanks," said Sam. He was done with the drama. He reached out, not much caring, and grabbed Kelsier's hand. Then he slowly started pulling him in the correct direction. Somehow, he'd already assumed he had more strength than should have been possible, so he managed to keep the tug measured. Kelsier didn't go flying like a rag-doll. That was awesome.
He headed for the shade, letting go of Kelsier's hand as he did. Now it was just a matter of working out ...
"Where should we go?" he asked the older man.
He knew Orsino was following at whatever distance was the most comfortable. Sam was still paying attention to that. Now he just wanted to be sure about other things. That they knew where they were headed.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 17, 2020 9:43:05 GMT -5
Skye caught his breath as he realized what it was Orpheus was talking about, and he stared at Macon, real fear in his eyes. He hid behind Orpheus, letting the older man protect him even though he knew he shouldn’t, he knew it should be the other way around, he knew he should be protecting Orpheus from whatever Macon was. Any liking he had had for Macon was gone now.
He was just scared now.
“How do we know you didn’t do this on purpose?” He asked before he could stop himself, his voice high-pitched and panicky. “How can we trust you if you can hurt us like that?”
He wasn’t being fair, he knew that, but survival instincts were taking over, and he didn’t know what to do. He considered making a run for it, but no, that was stupid. They were both bigger and probably faster than he was. Unless Orpheus stopped Macon from chasing...no, he wasn’t going to provoke Macon, and he wouldn’t put Orpheus in any more danger than he was already in. The selfish part of him just wanted to use Orpheus as a human shield, but he found he hated that thought too much to even accept it had crossed his mind.
Then he stared at Orpheus as the other man offered to help.
“What are you doing?” He hissed.
-
Kelsier blinked. He hadn’t really considered that Nico hadn’t been thinking of killing him, but...well, now that he thought about it, he supposed that had been a bit of a leap. Why has he made that jump? Why had he assumed that they were going to try and kill each other? He didn’t actually know.
“Well, that’s good to know.” He said, trying to sound nonchalant about it, even though he felt off balance now. If he was making assumptions...that was bad. He didn’t have enough information to be making assumptions. He was going to have to be much more careful.
“I…” he broke off, puzzled. Had he been about to kill Nico? He actually wasn’t sure. He looked at the kid, then shook his head. “I wasn’t going to kill you. I just didn’t know what your intentions were. Sorry for the misunderstanding.” He offered a smile with the apology, somehow hoping that it would make it seem as genuine as it was. He really hadn’t intended to do more than assess the situation, but he had a bad feeling that he had messed that up somehow.
Then Sam took his hand and began pulling him along, and Kelsier went willingly, letting the kid tug him in the right direction. More shade was good. He knew Sam needed that.
“I say we look around town.” He said. “There should be lots of shade there, and we can scout out whether there are more people here.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Oct 23, 2020 0:06:26 GMT -5
Orpheus was happy to stand in front of Skye if it made the younger boy feel safe, but he himself found he wasn’t as afraid of Macon when he considered the possibility that Macon – whether or not he had done this to them – hadn’t done so on purpose. Orpheus believed the confusion in his eyes, believed the way he looked at them like he found the possibility as abhorrent as they did. Whoever Macon was, if he was the type to have done this on purpose, he wasn’t that type now. Orpheus found it much more important to consider who they wanted to be now, who they decided to become, rather than who they had been before. They didn’t have their memories. They could become anyone now. Somehow, Orpheus found it hard to believe that Macon had done as much as he had with them while lying. He found it difficult to believe that somehow, Macon had his memories when the two of them didn’t.
“I’m trying to figure this out,” he murmured to Skye, trying to give a comforting smile, “I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, because we don’t know what happened. And because even if he was responsible, even if he’s lying, I don’t want to do anything to hurt him if there’s even the slightest chance he’s innocent.”
-
It was harder than Nico wanted to admit letting Sam and Kelsier go ahead of him, leaving him behind. He knew Sam would be keeping an eye on him, knew that he wasn’t really alone, but it still felt like the breath had been stolen out of his chest. Great, he was learning about himself. He was terrified of people, but also capable of feeling soul crushingly lonely when they were gone. Who was he? He got the distinct feeling that he wasn’t who he wanted to be. Sad, confrontational, terrified? Overall, not a great person. And he was tired, so tired it was like a physical ache. When was the last time he had eaten or slept?
Looking after Sam and Kelsier, quickly disappearing, Nico felt a tinge of disgust towards whoever he’d been before. Whoever had used this body before, rather, because the more he thought of that person as himself, the less hope he had for who he could be. He was not the same person. He was not Nico di Angelo, not yet anyway, and he wasn’t going to become him if he could help it. Perhaps it had been a good thing he’d given a fake name. Perhaps that was who he should try to be instead. As soon as he got the courage to rejoin Sam and Kelsier. Based on the quickening of his heart as he thought that, he figured it was going to be longer than he would have hoped. Nonetheless, he put one foot in front of the other and followed.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Oct 30, 2020 3:19:50 GMT -5
"I ... you don't," said Macon. "But I wouldn't be able to think of any way I would want to do this to myself."
It didn't make sense to him. How would eating dreams hurt anyone? Would it? Did it? Did drinking blood? He didn't know. He wasn't sure if he completely grasped why Skye was so terrified.
Oddly enough, Orpheus was a bit grounding in that respect.
"I don't know," he swore to Orpheus and, by default, Skye as well.
"I don't know if I did this. I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I don't have any more memory of who I am than you have of yourself." He wasn't sure what else he could say.
"But clearly we are different. I didn't realize. I thought you did the same things that I have to." And he felt like he had to. He knew he would have to even if they didn't want him to. At some point, he would starve.
"If you need me to leave, I will."
But if they truly were his only source of food (and he'd never admit it, but also company) wouldn't he have to come back?
--
"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Sam as he kept some of his attention on the person they'd left behind. Hopefully that wouldn't be for long.
He kept to the shadows all the while, but after a second met a bit of an impasse.
"Should we look inside any of the houses?" he asked Kelsier. Then he glanced around, stepped back in the direction they'd come, and took a different direction.
Thus far, nothing bout the town really stood out.
"I can't smell any more people," he admitted. "Old or new. Might be deserted."
That might be the case for this side of town, at any rate.
"I'm not sure how far my senses go compared to yours," he admitted. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Other than keeping to the shade, which was proving to be harder the longer they went. And Sam was trying to make sure that Orsino could keep up.
--
The chair had been left at the edge of town ages ago.
No one had technically seen it move.
In fact, it had taken the chair a while to work out how to move at all.
When it had - when they had - they'd spent an great amount of time focusing on doing so.
After all, there didn't seem much point to just ... remaining out in the middle of nowhere. They got the distinct impression that they shouldn't - that they were ... weaker ... than they were supposed to be.
L-l-li ... no.
There was a word. No telling where the word was actually contained. It was just a struggle for the chair - they looked like a chair anyway (ish) - to grasp at it.
Librarian?
That was it!
Was that a ... moniker of some sort?
Seemed a bit long.
Ian?
...
The 'person' - and much like the chair they looked like a person (ish) - appeared a long time after the chair. But considering the fact that the chair was hardly moving, they were in fact still able to see the chair. As soon as their eyes fell on it, the chair stopped moving, but they did know it had been.
There were odd prints in the dirt.
Could only be the chair, that's where they led.
"!"
It wasn't actually a word, nor a sound, but the person seemed to brighten up somehow. They moved forward. If any actual humanoid was watching, they'd perceive it was walking, but that was about as accurate as saying this being was a human. When they reached the chair, they circled it once or twice.
Had no idea what it was. What they were? But it was moving.
They looked at their own ... hands ...
This didn't seem quite right.
They dropped the fleshy form they'd appeared in. What stood in the no-longer-a-person's place was ... a whole lot more confusing than the ish-human.
It also didn't seem quite right. Too many limbs, too long claws, and the face felt like it contained too few mouths.
Back to the ish-human form.
Were they supposed to be able to do that? They'd known they'd felt wrong, and they'd been checking to see if they were also chair shaped. But no, they weren't.
Who were they anyway?
Librarian?
Only word in their head, it would seem. Only thing they could remember at any rate.
Bari?
Seemed easier to think of.
Bari patted the back of the chair. They hoped that was okay. They seemed to be having an issue moving.
Ian.
Ah!
Could they do that?
They weren't sure how they'd know it to begin with.
Bari? they tried.
Nothing. No response.
Oh.
Bari patted the chair again.
Ian.
Bari got the sense that the chair couldn't hear them. Oh.
What ... what was that sensation? It was making the mouth of this too-few-mouthed body turn down?
How very odd.
They patted the back of the chair, getting the same mental words. They'd have to work out what to do. They weren't sure where they were either.
Bari directed their attention to the town.
That had been where the chair - Ian - was going.
Might be a good start. Bari wondered whether it was a good idea to continue looking like this or the other way. This way seemed a bit more mobility capable of patting Ian for reassurance. Could Ian look different? Even for Bari, it was hard for them to perceive what the chair actually looked like. There might have been eyes there, might not.
Well, they'd be slow, but Bari had no reason to hurry if Ian couldn't.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 6, 2020 11:20:42 GMT -5
Skye looked up, frowning at Orpheus, his heart beating fast.
This seemed so wrong. If they knew who had done this to them, then they should be able to fix it. And yet they couldn’t, they were still just standing there with no idea what was happening, and Skye hated that. Orpheus seemed so sure that giving him the benefit of the doubt was the right move, and he just...he didn’t know whether he believed that or not. It seemed like maybe they should be running away. It seemed like maybe they should...no, he shook his head firmly, startled by the thought that had crossed his mind. It was that more than anything that brought him out from behind Orpheus, slowly and cautiously, yes, but at least he was moving. If Macon was telling the truth, and Orpheus seemed to believe that he was, then they shouldn’t run from him. They definitely shouldn’t hurt him. Even if he was lying, Skye decided firmly, they shouldn’t hurt him, if only because that could ruin their chances of ever getting back to normal.
“All right.” He said quietly, mostly to Orpheus, though he was still eyeing Macon. “I’ll trust you. But I don’t want him eating my dreams.”
-
Kelsier, too, was trying to make sure Orsino could keep up, though he didn’t have Sam’s senses to help him do it, so he was a little lost. Still, he did his best not to move too quickly, and he did his best to avoid looking over his shoulder, since he suspected that would just make Orsino uncomfortable more than anything else.
He walked, keeping an eye out for shade as well. If Sam couldn’t step into the sunlight, that severely limited where they could go until night fell. He would still prefer that than the alternative, though, so he didn’t say anything, and he wasn’t even terribly frustrated by it. He was more worried about keeping Sam safe than he was much else.
He paused, glancing at Sam. “Yes, we should look in one of the houses.” He agreed, glancing at the nearest building. “You can tell whether there are people inside, right? But there’s no one.” He amended. “In which case, unless there are traps, it should be fairly safe.”
He headed for one of the houses, glancing back to smile at Sam for a moment. Then he turned to the door, braced himself, and aimed a kick at a spot just below the knob. He stepped back quickly, half expecting some sort of trap to go off, though he had not idea what it might be.
-
The floor was soft.
Not just that. It was also warm, like it had been left out in the sun. Which was odd. Floors didn’t usually feel like that, not unless they were close to a window. Was this floor close to a window? That seemed to be the only explanation.
There was still the matter of it being soft, though.
The young man blinked. Then he blinked again. He was staring down at his bare feet, and especially the thing under the. Ground. Outside. That made more sense. He stayed very still, his mind slowly starting to work again, and with it came a flood of questions.
Such as who am I and where am I and why.
He had been…
What had he been doing?
The young man looked up finally, his dark eyes cautious as he looked around. He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see something interesting, but there was just...nothing. Nothing at all that way.
What was in front of him? He narrowed his eyes at it. It was...it was a town, he realized. A town meant people. People meant questions and answers. He tapped his lips with his index finger, considering his options even though he didn’t have any to speak of. Stay here or go towards the town. The choice was fairly obvious.
L.
L.
L.
That was the one thing he was aware of. Why a letter? What was it for? He frowned, tilting his head as he considered it, but he didn’t have the answer to that question. Instead, he took a step forward. Then another. Then he was walking towards the town, hands in his pockets.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Nov 17, 2020 2:49:24 GMT -5
Orpheus took a deep breath, looking between them before glancing at the ground. This wasn’t ideal.
“You aren’t leaving,” he stated firmly, offering Skye what he hoped was a comforting smile. He had to take charge of this, because if he didn’t handle it right, then someone was going to get hurt. “It doesn’t matter if we’re different, the point is that we need to stick together. Even if that means that we find an agreement of some sort on how mealtimes work.” He tapped at the side of his pant leg, trying to release as much of the nervous energy flowing through him as he could.
“We need ground rules,” he added, directing this entirely to Macon. “About when you… eat. And what.” He frowned slightly, trying to work something reasonable out in his head. “You don’t touch Skye, alright? And if you’re hungry… tell me beforehand. I’d rather know when you’re going after what few memories I have left.” Coming from anyone else, that might have sounded aggressive. From Orpheus… he just sounded unsure. Like he was trying to figure out how to evenly split a pie, or something. Or perhaps like he was trying to figure out the right thing to do in an impossible situation.
-
Nico watched the two of them carefully, making sure he wasn’t as exposed as they were. He was… tired. And really, really, hungry. Sleeping here, though, when he didn’t know what was going on? That felt like a very bad idea. He kept walking, following from a distance, staying more hidden in the shade than either Kelsier or Sam. They were… comfortable. Probably not as comfortable as they were to Sam, considering the sun itself didn’t seem to pose any danger to Nico, but still… comfortable. Like old friends.
He watched as Kelsier opened a door, then moved close enough to crouch by the side of the house as the two of them went in. There wasn’t anyone alive inside, he could tell. Could they? Was that different for them, like Sam moving really fast or burning in the sun? Either way, Nico was too far away from them to mention it. Although… he did figure they might be inside for a while, so he allowed himself to settle on the ground beside the house, his knees pulled up to his chest and his forehead resting carefully on them. The world felt.. heavy. Was it supposed to feel like that? Was it supposed to feel like it could crash down on him at any moment if he let it? He didn’t think that was normal. But he’d deal with it alone, because alone was safer. Alone was much, much safer.
-
Whatever Kell had been doing, it appeared he was going to continue doing it as his mind caught up to what he was doing, where he was, and who he was.
He was vaguely unaware of the fact that there was a person next to him, only that his mind was surprisingly blank. He wasn’t aware at all that his fingertips, which had previously been dragging their way down a wall, were now dragging their way down what was (now previously) a white shirt. He was aware that there were two letters running through his head: K. L. Kell. Kell. He was not aware that his fingertips were smeared with blood from a wound on his arm that had already healed over. That is, until he looked up, snapped out of his head, and realized that he had just dragged a bloody trail down a stranger’s shirt. Oops. He backed away a few steps, staring in confusion first at his bloodied fingertips, then at the three inch long streak of blood on the stranger’s shirt.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, wiping his bloodied hand off on his (thankfully) blood-red coat. He whirled around, the coat flying out behind him rather majestically, his inky black eye facing L for just a moment as he spun, trying to take in where he was. “Don’t worry, it’s… my blood, I think.” He didn’t stop to think that that might also be concerning.
“Sorry,” he said again, his tone less apologetic this time and more full of forced politeness, “Do you happen to know where we are?” The who could come later. The where was more pressing at the moment.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Dec 6, 2020 7:19:21 GMT -5
The whole idea of ground rules was clearly surprising to Macon. Honestly, the fact that this conversation had happened and the nagging guilt that he was somehow responsible for it all was never far from his mind. He wasn't really sure how to respond to Skye's fears. He wanted to get defensive, even just on principle, but the issue was ... he didn't know if Skye was wrong. With the knowledge that none of them were like him, how was he supposed to know how others should act around him?
Orpheus own offer seemed ... unusually fair. Macon expected there to be a catch. He waited for it. A little 'but' tacked onto the end.
There was a great amount of things which were not going to be easy.
"Alright," he said after a second.
He couldn't work out anything else when as far as he knew, these two were the only people around.
"... what do you need?" he asked after a very, very long pause. He wasn't sure what else to say to this conversation other than to try not to feel too awkward. Like he was being talked down to by children. But he ignored the feeling. Pride was nice, but he needed to be more practical. He needed to see what else he needed to know.
-
"Why would there be traps in the house?" Samuel asked. And he shook his head. "No people."
He wasn't sure why Kelsier had at once jumped to the conclusion that the house's might be dangerous. As far as Samuel could figure, it seemed more likely that they were just empty. Was he supposed to assume something differently? Did Kelsier know more about houses? Sam couldn't guess.
He was surprised when Kelsier kicked the door, wincing.
"What if it was unlock?" he exclaimed, but didn't do more than that. He stepped forward a couple steps, trying to get a look inside.
At the same time, he was still paying attention to their shadow. Sam could hear him, but he wasn't sure what to make of the irregular growing 'thump thump thump.'
It made him want to go back, to do ... something ... but he wasn't completely sure why. The same situation was with Kelsier, but Sam wasn't as tempted to bi ...
To what?
The concept hadn't really come into his head properly yet.
"Is ... is there anything in there?" he asked Kelsier. No traps, that was.
-
It took a little while for Bari to spot anyone. They and Ian hadn't been moving in any particular hurry and, to add to it, Bari wasn't sure that they should be. Ian certainly couldn't. At risk of only moving a foot or so an hour, however, Bari did end up lifting Ian up and carrying them at some point.
But yes, eventually there was other people. Bari perked up a bit. Not so much in expression, but general body language seemed to imply some excitement on the matter. The figures looked similar in shape and form to what Bari currently looked like, so they assumed there was some connection.
They didn't hear anything until they got closer. Sounds. They understood the sounds. They set Ian down, where the chair actually just remained perfectly still. Bari got the impression that there were too many people. Too many eyes that could possibly watch.
So that left Bari to try and make sense of the sounds. Could they make sounds? They hadn't tried and they weren't sure why they would want to. They did walk into better view though, appearing happy. And also confused. They understood words, and knew what L and Kell were trying to communicate, but Bari wasn't really sure how they were doing it. Sound was coming out of their mouths?
The apparent human tilted their head, questioning, and gave a little wave.
There was a twang of discomfort at the communication of greeting. Bari ignored it. They just wanted to say hi. Also there was red stuff - blood ... that wasn't ... good, was it?
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 7, 2020 0:36:17 GMT -5
Rue was walking.
Well, not quite. She was first standing in one place, then she was suddenly standing somewhere else. Standing in the shade, shivering a little. The pain faded as soon as she was out of the sun, and she stood very still, feeling her heart beat fast.
She didn’t speak.
She didn’t do much of anything, actually. She just stood there, trying to think. Her head hurt. Most things hurt, actually.
“Rue.”
Her voice was soft. Then she blinked.
And her red eyes slowly shifted back to dark brown.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Dec 7, 2020 0:58:21 GMT -5
Well, the "person" which appeared was, by all definitions, completely the wrong person for this situation.
From a practical stand-point.
It took a second for Myrnin to register where he was and the scent of blood hit him so heard that it was the first thing he knew. First that it was the only thing in his nose, in his mouth, and in his mind.
Secondly that he wanted it.
But not like a bad want. A want he could set aside to know that there was no memories in his head but his name.
Then there was the dying man.
Technically speaking Myrnin had almost appeared on top of him. It wasn't very pretty.
He could feel sympathy and worry and then fear burst like bubbles in his chest. He hurried forward, not sure what he could do. Not sure what was happening.
Other than he was dying. That he could hear a steady rhythm of ... something (heartbeat) playing in his ears, but it wouldn't for long.
"H-hello?" he started.
One hand rested on the ... thing ... stabbed through the man's chest. Should he take it out? He felt like, somehow, he could save the man. But that these would need to be removed. Yet another part told him it would kill him.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 7, 2020 1:10:39 GMT -5
Her name. It was her name.
She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. It was the one thing she was completely sure of, in fact. She was called Rue.
She didn’t have time to think of anything else. She turned sharply as she heard it, a thumping sound, and the smell of something that made her feel very hungry all of a sudden.
She stared. There was someone there. Has there been someone there before? Wait....two people, actually.
And one of them was dying.
She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. She could tell. The scent washed over her and she stepped forward before she could stop herself, trying to step into the sun, then letting out a small hiss as it burned her.
She couldn’t get to them.
She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped, because what could she say?
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 7, 2020 1:20:46 GMT -5
Combeferre tensed at the feeling of someone nearby, forcing his eyes open to look at the owner of the voice. He didn't recognize him, but that wasn't saying much. He didn't even know where he was. He was... tired. And his body was failing him quicker than his mind was. He shifted so he could see the man, his eyes narrowing at the feeling of pressure on... whatever was sticking out of him. A bayonet.
Well, he thought wryly, at least I know what that is. He glanced up at the man once more, forcing a breath in.
"If you remove that," he murmured, his voice quiet, "I will bleed out quite quickly." He didn't know how he knew that. He seemed to have a better than usual grasp on human anatomy. Which... wasn't helping the fact that he was dying. He let out a low gasp, his body tensing as it tried desperately to keep the blood inside his body. Had it punctured a lung? Given how difficult it was the breathe, the wet, wheezing gasps coming from him, it seemed likely.
What use was it to know exactly what was wrong but be utterly unable to fix it?
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Dec 7, 2020 1:36:00 GMT -5
"I know," said Myrnin. He wasn't sure how.
Wait.
No, he was, because he could smell the blood, feel the pounding of Combeferre's heartbeat sending blood through his veins and then where it was escaping. He knew. And he knew what would happen if he removed the edged weapon because it was what was keeping the body under him alive just a little longer.
The sun prickled against the top of his hand. Almost dangerously slowly. But he ignored it.
"I'm sorry," he said. As if that would offer some solution to what was happening. The nagging sense that he could do something grew stronger. That he could somehow change this. He was so focused on this, in fact, that he didn't notice Rue. But he did hesitate again. Like he knew ... he knew what he could do. He just wasn't sure if ... how ... the words wouldn't connect up, other than what to do. He knew what to do.
"I can ... fix you ..." he said. "I can fix you. Do you want to be fixed?"
He wasn't sure how else to put it. But he thought he knew how.
Would he do it if he was told no?
He felt like being told yes was better, be he thought there was still a way. If the man wanted to live.
"Do you want to live?"
He thought ...
He looked over at Rue. He thought she knew. Did she know. What was going on?
Hadn't she wanted to live? Hadn't he?
And he smiled at her. Even though blood was on his hands. It was reassuring. That he thought he could fix this. Like ... like he had fixed her. Wasn't that right? He thought that ... she was ... that they had an agreement. That they were ... friends? Family? He could feel a connection but he wasn't sure how.
But he didn't think he wanted this man to break ... to die. To leave somehow when he could fix things.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 7, 2020 1:47:41 GMT -5
Rue tried to step into the light again, then flinched back as it burned her. She wanted to get to them, somehow, she needed to. It was very important that she get to the other two people.
She didn’t know why. Something told her something was about to happen. Was she trying to stop it, or something else? Was it bad, or was she trying to help?
Then one of the two looked at her and she stopped trying to get to them. She thought she recognized that look. It felt deeply familiar, like she had seen it before, like it mattered to her.
Then he smiled.
It was reassuring, somehow. Like he knew things were going to be okay, like somehow he could make this okay.
She heard what he said. He could fix this. He knew how.
Why did that feel right?
Her forehead creased slightly as she looked back at him, trying to understand why she felt like this was going to be okay when he was so clearly dying. Like there was any way this could be fixed.
But she also believed it could be. Why did she think that? Why did that smile make her relax and stop trying to get to them, even though she had the distinct impression that living was not an option here?
She knew. Or at least, she thought she did.
And she knew that he could fix the dying man, just like he said he could. She didn’t know how she knew that, she had no idea why she believed him, instinctively trusted him even, but she relaxed and smiled back at him.
Then she waited for him to fix it.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 7, 2020 1:52:18 GMT -5
Fix it? Combeferre was dying. He felt that in every part of his being, he felt himself slipping away. He knew... he didn't know what, exactly was failing. His heart, probably, unable to pump out enough blood to keep the rest of his body alive. That was how most injuries of this nature went. Of course, there were other complications, and there were, after all, three bayonets just barely keeping the blood inside his body.
He wasn't paying the girl any attention. He didn't realize she was there, only the man who stood beside him, offering him a way to fix it. Did he want it fixed? Did he want to live?
Combeferre didn't remember before. He didn't remember why he was dying, and he didn't see anyone nearby who could have wielded the bayonets. If it had been the man standing above him, why would he offer to fix it? That seemed unlikely.
Slowly, very slowly, he nodded. "I want to live," he murmured softly, his warm blue eyes meeting Myrnin's green. "I want..." his thoughts were coming too slowly, they were hard to hold onto. They were... slippery. "I want you to fix me," he said definitively, though he didn't understand what that entailed. All he knew was that Myrnin was offering him a rope, and he wasn't going to be foolish enough not to take it.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Dec 7, 2020 2:09:31 GMT -5
That was all Myrnin needed to know. At least he thought that was the case. He thought that was all ...
Why was his mind going numb now. Why did he start distrusting he knew how to fix this? Why did he think he somehow could make this better.
Panic set into his fingers, resting on the blood drenched weapon. He had to close his eyes to make himself move. To do what he needed to do. He had to stop thinking. He knew that. He had to stop trying to grasp for memories that weren't coming or if this was the right thing ...
Like how you knew to think. It just happened. He had to let it happen.
He pulled out the bayonet. Swiftly. Swiftly enough that his hand blurred, but he didn't see that because his eyes were tight shut. He had to open them to find the others, but he did the same. He knew it would be painful. He knew it would bring on death and stillness quicker. But as soon as the last one was out, as soon as his hands were slick with blood, almost to much to grip the last one, he had it out and he found his teeth at Combeferre's neck. He didn't know why he did it, but he felt like he needed to. That he needed some of Combeferre's blood for this to work. Even if the rest of the man's blood disappeared into the ground.
He didn't know the man's name.
But the hunger rose up, somehow familiar and welcoming.
He wasn't sure where he'd been, but he was sure what to do. Wait for the man to die ... take his last breath if he needed to. Speed it up if that's what it took. Then bring him back. Reach out to his soul or his life or his being and grab it before it disappeared. Pull it back. Bring this man back.
So he could learn his name ...
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Dec 7, 2020 2:19:08 GMT -5
And Rue couldn’t do anything at all.
She could hear every word. She could hear the man agree to this, whatever “this” was. She could hear the thump, thump, thump that she knew was a good thing, even though she couldn’t hear it from herself or the other man.
And then it happened and she started, her eyes going very very large.
She tried to speak. Her mouth was open just a bit, her expression shocked. This wasn’t...this wasn’t right.
And she couldn’t stop it.
Did she want to?
Yes. She told herself firmly, even though she didn’t believe it. Something told her this was okay, in spite of the fact that rationally, she knew this was killing the man.
Her head said this was wrong. Her heart said this was right.
And it didn’t matter because there was nothing she could do about it.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Dec 7, 2020 2:26:38 GMT -5
Combeferre could have screamed at the feeling of the bayonets wrenched from inside him, but he managed to keep it inside. Instead he just let out a soft, hissing breath, trying to fight away the wave of unconsciousness that threatened to burst over him. To take him down with it. To die would be so easy... to give in to the life seeping out of him, to look up and greet death warmly.
As soon as the last bayonet was out, though, Combeferre felt Myrnin's breath warm against his neck. It was the last warmth he'd ever feel, though he didn't know it yet. If he'd known, would he have protested? Would he have pushed Myrnin away?
He didn't have much time to weigh his options as he felt life slip away from him, despite the way he scrabbled desperately to hold onto it. He wanted to live. He wanted to live, and this man had offered him a way to keep living. So why did living feel so much like dying?
The fight bled out of his body far more quickly now. His eyes flickered shut and he exhaled, the breath escaping from his lungs.
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