deercountry | inconvenient timing

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inconvenient timing | open log

Who: Oz & OPEN
What: Boardwalk Festivities, Shopping, Event Prompts
When: Throughout May
Where: Boardwalk, Shopping District, General Trench

Content Warnings: Monster Transformation for Prompt III

(I. Festivities) ( time : arrivals period )

[A festival is a very hard thing to pass up! Oz has been cautiously optimistic for the past few weeks. This whole 'afterlife' thing had been a shock, but it isn't so bad when he can spend it with those that he loves. And what better way to celebrate that revelation than with a festival?

He's all dressed up for the occasion. Oz may not jump for the dancing or the singing, but he seems content enough to observe it. And for once, he isn't spending the night searching the shores for Gilbert. Instead, when Oz sees a face that he recognizes he greets them with undistracted joy:]

(I-a : Closed to Echo)

[Or, if you're Echo, Oz invited you out specifically to wander together!

He's waiting at the edge of the boardwalk for her, shifting his weight nervously. Things with Echo feel a bit different from the way that they feel with the others. Before, he was very happy to reunite with those he had grown close to... But with Echo, he never got to be as close as he'd have liked when they were alive. It's different now and he's actually nervous about making her dislike him.

When he spots her, he nearly stumbles into his first step.]

(II. Shopping) ( time : mid-May , pre Bunny )

[Oz is popping in and out of stores more often than usual. He's taken up a few jobs to help him barter for goods, which includes some luxury treats and decorative items. All to spoil the people in his life, of course. Oz isn't sure what to do with himself other than make others happy.

Of course, being interested in treating others doesn't mean that Oz has good taste. He finds himself in front of a furniture shop, puzzling over the wardrobes and tables on display. Admittedly, he's rather useless when it comes to judging the practicality of items. Even worse when it comes to judging their aesthetic value. So he flags down a person passing by and points to the display.]

[a wardrobe,]

(III. Bloody Black Rabbit) ( time : mid-May )

[After Alice's network post, Oz has thrown himself fully into her care. He does have a habit of doing that, even without prompting. It makes him happy. But it has reminded him lately that he was, first and foremost, born from a desire to comfort people. The Bloody part of his name wasn't part of his origin, but an unfortunate page in his story.

So he's less alarmed than he imagined when he looks in a mirror and doesn't see Oz Vessalius. There's a giant monsterous rabbit doll looking back at him instead. It's been a while since he saw those bright red eyes and knew they were his. Oz has come to accept that this creature is his true self and he tells himself that he's 'over it.' None of his loved ones hate it about him, so why should he?]

[He grumbles at his reflection. Try as he might, he can't change back. Granted, he hasn't actually taken this form while in the Trench... But no, that's not something to worry about! More importantly, he needs to figure out what is causing this! And before he's needed by someone.]

(A) Do Not Perceive The Giant Death Bunny

[Step one is to make it to the archives. Oz hasn't told very many people about what he really is and he's not about to start now... Though, if he met someone and had to use his voice then they would figure him out pretty quickly. So he's trying to be stealthy as he makes him way to the archives. He's too scared to touch the little lamp friends with his claws.

Unfortunately, it is hard to be stealthy when you are a giant black rabbit with bloody red clothes. Oz is trying to use backstreets and alleyways to avoid others. A grand plan, until he meets someone who is also trying to use those streets... and realizes that he's too big for them to pass by.

He makes a nervous noise when realizing that he's in the way. Then begins trying to back up. As much as he goal is to stay quiet (so no one recognizes his voice,) his manners compel him to speak up anyway:]

(B) Death Bunny Reading Books

[Even once he's reached the archives, Oz has a problem: His bunny paws are too big and clumsy to read books! He's trying to research how to reverse his transformation and it isn't going well. The giant rabbit is trying to huddle in a corner, but he can't pick up books properly. When he does pick one up, a page is torn.

He lets out an aggravated groan and curls in on himself. An amusing sight, given how he is a giant monster acting like a child.

This is fine! It's totally tine! Being the B-Rabbit doesn't bother him at all! But also... He can't do anything useful and it's testing his patience.]

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[ she was definitely spooked at first . . . but that voice sounds eerily familiar. ]

Oz . . . ? Is that you?

[Beyond the expressionless monster, Oz is mortified to recognize Ahiru. He likes her! She's cute! And she seems so nice. There is, perhaps, some irony in how Oz doesn't want Ahiru to know that he's really a rabbit. How would she understand??

The giant bunny stumbles back on oversized paws. His claws scrap against the wall when he catches his balance. There's a vain attempt to disguise his voice, but Oz is unfortunate in sounding similar to his usual self:]

Uh, Oz- Who's that?

[ had she made a mistake? no, but it sounded so much like him! . . . still she's not the sharpest crayon and she knows it. ]

Is it . . . not you?

[... How can he tell Ahiru she's wrong when she sounds like that? He might be afraid of her reaction, but he can't bear to be mean to her either.

The bunny's sigh rattles out of him.]

No, you're right. It's me.

I, uh. I think I'm having a bad day.

[ that's putting it mildly. she drifts closer tentatively, worried she might spook him. ]

Are you in pain?

[He shouldn't be so surprised by that question. Maybe it was cruel of him to underestimate how much his friends cared about him.]

I think I'm alright. More claws than I'm used to, though.

And I seem to be in your way. Sorry about that.

[ she shakes her head vigorously. ]

No, you're not in my way! I'm just worried.

Is this one of those . . . blood corruptions?

[And now he has to choose between worrying her further or being honest. There's only one option for Oz, even if it's not one he'd take under other circumstances.]

I feel right of mind, if that's what you mean.

And... [uuugh,] It may be normal, but ill-timed? You don't need to worry about it.

[He'll worry on his own, though.]

[ hmm. ]

Okay. Do you want some company? It must be a bit hard being a big black rabbit. We can go sit outside somewhere nice.

Company?

[Oz looks down at his clawed paws. They're not the cutesy stubs on a stuffed animal. This form isn't very cute or cuddly; Very poor for being helpful, actually.]

I'm not opposed... But I'm quite scary right now, am I not? You're allowed to say it. I can get out of your way until I'm normal again..?

Just because you look a little scary doesn't mean you have to stay alone.

And it doesn't change who you are inside.

[ she wonders if oz caught her broadcast last month . . . but she doesn't want to bring it up herself. that she's just a duck. ]

[Hope, he's hopeless with technology. But he does catch on. If it was him faced with the Bloody Black Rabbit, he'd say the same. He would have said the same to Alice, back when they were mixed up.

Maybe he is silly to worry so much? Well. If he's going to test the waters with anyone, Ahiru does seem like the safest bet.]

What if it were the opposite, though? Maybe 'Oz' is just a rabbit on the inside?

But you'd still be Oz, right? It's just the way you look that's different.

[Echo, by contrast, doesn't feel particularly nervous about meeting Oz there. Or at least she doesn't even consider she could be feeling that. Maybe it's not the exact same festival, but they've done this before and it was actually a very special experience for her. She isn't naive enough to expect this to be exactly the same, but at worst it should be interesting and that's never bad in her book.

And she also likes the idea of spending more time with Oz. She didn't know if she could ever fully express her gratitude for everything he'd given her before. If she'd had to leave it at that as she'd expected, it was perfectly fine. But this surprise extra time felt like it would also be a good thing even she didn't know what would happen, especially in a place like Trench.

This being a festival, she did get a very simple outfit in her style to suit what seemed to be expected. If not for the lack of blue and giant sleeves, it may be hard to notice she's done anything different for it otherwise. As she approaches, she also seems to be her usual, almost-blank self. Until she hears that name which she knows deep down is very special to her.]

It is Echo!

[Composure quickly regained after that outburst. She nods.]

Yes. Hello, Oz-sama.

... Right again.

You make it sound so simple. I wonder why it scares me to phrase it that way?

[The last bit being more of an idle wondering to himself. He's afraid that thinking about it too deeply will rattle his nerves further, so he ignores his own emotions.]

Is there somewhere you were planning to go? I was on my way to the archives, but, [He lifts his claws,] I probably can't handle books like this.

Hello, hello! Oh, you dressed up too!

[Oz is, likewise, wearing as much white as he can for the festival. He hadn't dressed up for St Bridget's day, but today he wants to blend in more.

He walks partway to greet her, eagerness clear on his expression.]

I hope that I wasn't too hard to find. I didn't expect for things to be so lively here!

[Ada had been told about this place and honestly she had wanted to come as soon as she could. For the most part she had been skimming what was available and just picking up what seemed interesting and soon she had quite a number piled up and was currently carrying about with her, finding a place to read them.

But as she started to look she instead found herself pausing for a moment. Well a giant rabbit certainly stood out didn't it? It seemed like they were trying to do something to, but never the less and as much as people told her to be very careful she walked over, still carrying the massive piles of books with her.]

You look like you could use some help.

[ ahiru gets the scariness of it. she also found it scary. but she suspects it'll take time for him to figure it out. ]

That's okay! I can help.

[ shouldn't be too hard to fetch books and whatnot. ]

[Of all the people that he hoped to see in this form, Ada actually made the bottom of the list. Their relationship is already something that Oz fears could be fragile. He never got to say good-bye to her, never got to apologize for his origins, or the angst he'd brought into her life...

He wanted to mend that with gifts. Not like this!

The rabbit tries to hide his voice in a growl. It is a very pathetic attempt at voice disguise.]

... I'm alright. Rabbits can't read anyway.

Really?

[He lowers his hands,] It won't bore you, will it? I suspect there may be books pertaining to this predicament, but I can't guarantee that I'll find them quickly... It may take a while.

[He doesn't want to bore Ahiru and spoil her goodwill.]

That's okay. I need to do some research myself. We can help each other out.

[She tilted her head slightly. The voice was familiar and honestly she couldn't exactly mistake it either. She was used to the voice and who it belonged to even in such a form and with them trying to disguise it.

But it also dawned on her that she was here.... when she hadn't told anyone where she was going or why she would even come here in the first place.

... well this is awkward.]

I can always help with that. I mean I might not exactly understand what is within right away, but I can still help.

You'd understand. You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for.

[Ah. His big brother need to praise his little sister has ruined his charade. Oz didn't even bother hiding his voice that time.

He's gotten so bad at hiding himself, hasn't he? Is that necessarily a bad thing?]

... I'm trying to figure out if the patron of the month turns people into monsters.

["Or their true selves," is his silent fear.]

[He may be a huge monstrous rabbit right now, but Oz feels ridiculous rather than scary. Maybe he was overreacting?]

Then I'd be flattered to help. What are you looking into, Ms Ahiru?

Ah, thank you Onii-chan.

[Honestly that just comes out of her naturally without all that much thought to it as she soon went to put the books she had down.]

Do you know the name of the patron this month? I haven't gotten around to figuring them all out, yet. So I might have a book about them in the pile I have.

[She was already starting to look, picking up the first one and flipping through it. She made a note of the areas of interest in her mind and to remember for later before putting it back down.]

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inconvenient timing | open log

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I-a ...obviously...

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iii b

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