deercountry | [Open] 🚬 June Flames

[that... almost took a chunk of his bangs off. his eyes linger on the blade in front of his face, momentary surprise passing as his blue orbs go from wide to narrowed. so the guy's not as much an idiot as he thought. there's a thought to torch the spear to ashes as paybacks for the almost miss... but one, he figures the guy missed him on purpose, and two, he did just push him over the edge of a sinkhole. besides, knowing his luck, the spear's probably 'magical' and wouldn't burn anyways.

tch- he's come across too many instances of that shit in this place already.]

Yeah, yeah. So grateful or somethin.

[dabi doesn't sound impressed or grateful, more of the same bored calm as usual. the weapon tugs free of the stone wall and the villain steps forward, using the light of his omen to move towards the river (lake?) bank. close enough to look out into the water.]

Makin sure we're not gonna get attacked in this room and then goin forward to see what's further in.

[with that, dabi holds his hand out and blasts a stream of blue fire straight into the air over the water, illuminating the entire cavern with the blinding azure flames. not to mention it's hot. very hot. enough to raise the temperature in the whole cave by a noticeable degree.]

[Looks like it'll take more than that to truly impress the guy, but that wasn't Dito's aim-- he was merely trying to make a point, so to speak, and it's apparently worked. He watches the man move, eyebrows raising as a tongue of blue-hot fire erupts from Dabi's hand to brighten the cave considerably. Apart from the two of them and their Omens, there doesn't appear to be any sign of life down here-- at least not in this particular cavern.

Eventually the fire dies down, and Dito attempts to blink away the spots that have taken over his vision.]

Pretty impressive trick you've got there. You wouldn't happen to be part-dragon or something, would you?

[he's not one to easily impress, certainly not with "almost killed you" taunts. the rare times he is impressed, he won't actually say it, so moot point regardless. with this guy behind him, it's easier to light up the place, eyes scanning around the now-lit cavern for any signs of movement. noises might be harder to notice, since his flames are certainly not the silent kind, rushing out with a roar of hot wind and burning crackles.

once dabi kills the flames a short moment later, the roof of the cavern is left blackened, with a few pieces of the stone already starting to glow on their way to molten. no sign of life. good. they can head towards the hole in the wall then.]

No. Ya part somethin? [he ducks his head down to peer into the cave hall and then nods, sending wolf forward to go ahead of him and light the way inside.]

Me? Nah. Just your garden-variety human. Unless you count the enhanced speed, strength, durability and the ability to summon giant celestial beings. Not to mention whatever the hell else this weird-ass hovel decided to give me when I showed up here.

[He rattles off his list of skills with no apparent pride, as if he considered these enhancements as normal as being born with ten fingers and ten toes. Dito takes a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow-- the other man's trick definitely turned this cramped cavern into a temporary sauna.]

Sooo... am I gonna learn the name of my fellow spelunker or am I supposed to just come up with somethin' to call you on my own? Little piece of advice-- you don't want me to be the one to saddle you with a nickname. Trust me.

Ya just made yourself out to be not average human at all.

[dabi's tone is extremely dry, but he already expected this guy to not be a normal human. some kind of enhanced one with strange abilities. you don't throw spears at people with that kind of accuracy if you're a normal bastard.

but he'll agree on the strange powers this place gives them. mostly he's ignored his, since he'd rather not go wandering in people's heads and certainly isn't fond of dreams being interrupted or weird. ticks him off that others have far better powers. plus he had to share his blood with... anyways. they're heading out of the sauna into the cooler part of the caves.]

Dabi.

[no, he's aware of some people and their idiotic method of nicknaming other people. he's actually one of them, already dubbed this guy "wild boy" cause of his looks, but will probably stick with "idiot" for short.]

Hm. Says the man who can create fire from his skin like an ifrit in some long-forgotten folklore. How am I supposed to know what counts for average in this place?

[They're a good ways away from the heat before the other man speaks again, and for a few seconds Dito doesn't realize that he's actually given him his name. Dito inclines his head towards him, struggling to make out his features in the dim light so he can put a face to the name. But the man is infuriatingly determined to keep himself shrouded, and after a while Dito gives up.]

Dabi. [He speaks the name slowly, as if it has a flavor he's sampling.] Concise. Not too many syllables. I like it. I was never one for those family names-- always seemed kind of redundant.

[Not even mentioning the fact that he never really had a family, of course-- or at least, he doesn't remember if he had.]

You can call me Dito, by the way. It's the only name I got. The stick-in-the-mud at my side's called Bakari.

[The hyena utters a soft rumble of warning.]

Watch it, runt.

Edited 2022-08-09 00:48 (UTC)

Never said I was average, did I. [dabi arches and ducks like a cat to avoid getting a stalactite across his face or down his back.] Pretty sure there's nothin average about this place.

[well he's also a bit a head of dito and the cave isn't lit up, so it won't be easy to make him out in the tunnel right now. dabi's following his omen through the otherwise gloom, listening for sounds that herald an attack or something living escaping away from their approach.]

Wasn't askin for a review.

[interesting to note this guy immediately picked up on the family name thing. maybe he was also from some variant of earth's japan? that seems to be a somewhat recurrence among the sleepers... or he could be referring to a lack of family to have a family name. lame thought.]

Ya give it that name or was it already attached?

[dabi steps out of the tunnel and into another chamber. his omen moves to his side, the glowing blue flames down its back lighting up the area around him.] Text

Oh, I could already tell you weren't anything even approaching average. Even before you started throwing fireballs around.

[This guy likes to keep his cards close to the vest, it seems. It's easy to assume just from the fact that he keeps choosing to hide his facial expressions, but the curt way he speaks only reinforces that idea.

Zero was like that too, and Dito isn't sure whether it's that or the mysterious nature of the man that has him so intrigued. Probably a bit of both-- like a book Dito hasn't had the pleasure of opening yet.]

As for my furry compatriot here--

[Bakari suddenly cuts in with an affronted sniff.]

"It" has a gender, you know. I'd been calling out my name for some time, hoping this useless male would finally listen and summon his Omen as any self-respecting Sleeper would have done ages ago.

It's not my fault he keeps his meager brain attic stuffed to the rafters with thoughts of sex and murder.

[Dito throws up his arms in a helpless shrug.] This is what she does for fun, she kinkshames. Be lucky that yours isn't nearly so opinionated.

Flattery ain't gonna get ya places, kid. Build me up too much and I might disappoint ya.

[there's something sarcastic about his words, self-depreciating in a way that's as dismissive as it is wry. with himself out of the cave hallway, that gives dito enough room to pull himself out and get into the larger chamber beyond it.

he glances to the other pair starts speaking, first the guy, then the hyena huffing and growling.]

My bad. [see: "don't care". a brow arches at the mentions of stuffed attics and sex + murder combo. someone just outed its master.] Not all Sleepers can get it right immediately. [a bored dismissive defense of dito's stupidity and/or lack of skills. the male's personal defense doesn't help either.]

Rethinkin that extra part if murder's the end of a fuck with you...

[not that he wouldn't incinerate this asshole if he tried.]

Wolf's free to make its own opinions.

[even said, the lupine omen doesn't care to interject. likely because dabi mostly still sees his omen as a weapon or a tool rather than engaging it like a pet or a friend as most sleepers do.]

Well, seein' as it's been several minutes and you haven't blown any smoke up my ass once, you've already got a leg up on my former mistress. Take it easy on the "kid" stuff, though. I'm 22.

[This correction's becoming rote at this point, honestly. Dito squeezes out of the cramped cavern and takes a moment to look around. There's a light but pungent damp smell in the room, as if it had taken on water damage over the years. The sound of crumbling rocks fills the air, but fortunately the foundations look relatively sturdy for now. Moldering books sit inside bookshelves that seem to have been untouched for centuries.

In a corner of the room, overturned and broken pottery litters the floor, their contents long since crumbled to dust-- or maybe they held the ashes of some forgotten people. Approaching one of the broken vases, Dito bends down and sifts some of the dust between his fingers.]

Seems like it's just a bunch of old junk in here. Think we're gonna find anything of value?

Ya look like ya 16.

[depends on the kind of smoke. but then again, dabi hasn't exactly lied to him, cause nothing dito's asked has been anything nearly sensitive enough for it. the idea of this guy having a mistress is rather amusing, especially since he's so casual about. just how carnal was this guy's previous life?

or maybe he's a whore.

dabi's mildly distracted by the things in the room, moving forward after nonchalantly making sure dito made it out of the tunnel. wolf stays by his side, lighting up the area around him with that same haunting blue glow. crumbling rocks is not a good sound when underground and he waits for that to die away before continuing his look about the room. books... heh, those are gonna fall apart if you touch them, if not just melt all over your fingers. might be time to get some gloves out.

pulling said gloves on, he gives his fingers a few flexes before quietly moving books to the side, unable to read what's on the rotten spines. not putting much faith in them, he focuses on inspecting the bookcase and anything that might be sitting around on it of interest. like... this thing. probably a book end, but the spiky ball of metal and rock is at least an eye-catching trinket. might actually be gold outlines once the grime's cleaned away...]

Depends on ya sense of value. Some people would be very interested in the books. I think they'll fall apart if ya try to open them. [not even sure what's left inside is legible.] Probably not in this room, but deeper in, maybe.

Wolf. [the canine beside him glances up with its burning blue eyes. yeah, dabi's real original with names.] See if there's any other exits. [at which point his omen dips its head and moves off to start inspecting the perimeter of the room. one small drop of flame slips off its tail, leaving a floating ball of blue fire beside dabi for light.]

[Dito rolls his eyes at that, shaking his thick hair out of his face. He really ought to see a barber one of these days-- this mane's getting rather uncontrollable.]

Yeah, yeah. I've heard that before. My mistress liked me that way. Young. Cute. Virginal. Especially virginal.

[His face twists; his voice speaks the words as if they leave a disgusting taste in his mouth, and perhaps they do. Other than that his tone is casual, almost bored, and he idly peruses the bookshelves as he talks.]

I wasn't, obviously-- haven't been for a long time-- but when someone as powerful as her wants you to be a certain way, you don't really get a say in the matter, y'know? I wouldn't be surprised if she worked some magic to deliberately make me look like this. Wouldn't put it past her, honestly.

[don't look at him. dabi cuts his own hair and this spiky mop is the result. technically that's just how it grew, but it's got some more ragged ends than other spike-headed people around. liable to end up straight whacking dito's bangs right off.]

Ya only got that trait once. Then ya all used up.

[another glowing example of not giving a crap about other people. he listens to the insinuating telltale and pockets the metal spike burst he found a few seconds ago. recognizing the emotion in dito's voice, he doesn't have to see it on his face. not sure why people like to talk about things they don't like to talk about. especially to strangers.]

Yeah. I know.

[dabi abandons the bookshelf and goes off to kick around a few of the pots dito had looked through, scanning the dust and slime inside. nothing of interest here.]

Didja kill her?

[Dabi might have meant that as an insult, or even just a dismissive offhanded comment, but he's gotten closer to Dito's own frame of mind than he probably realizes. Purity and virginity weren't things that appealed to Dito-- in fact, he hated it in others as much as he hated putting on his own pretense. Anyone who claimed to be virtuous or righteous were only fooling themselves. Everyone was damaged goods, in one way or another. People like Dito were the only ones brave enough to admit it.

At Dabi's query a sudden change comes over the smaller man. His posture grows more loose and fluid-- the meager amount of light in the room shows a flush suffusing his face.]

Yes. [The word is a dreamy sigh, as if he were just now thinking of a romantic, passionate encounter and not a violent and fatal one.] Yes, I killed her. I killed the hell out of her. No asking for details now, or I'm sure to embarrass myself.

[He flashes a cheeky grin, the impish and coy sort of grin of someone who's never been embarrassed about anything in his entire life.]

Let's save the dirty talk for someplace a little more comfortable, yeah?

[wow. dito really would've hated the heroes in his world if he doesn't like people claiming virtuous or righteous in themselves. granted, a lot of the heroes aren't going around claiming to be saints and perfect people, but there's certainly a general sense of heroes being "better" than others they fight against. refusing to admit the mistakes they've made or the weakness that show up if you opt to scratch the surface. not that there's much talk about virginity and such going on though...

finishing with the inspection, dabi leaves the pots and remaining furniture alone as he heads for the far wall, where wolf has found another pathway leading out of the room and further into the cave system.]

Good. [no asking for details from this one. considering the reaction dito has to that simple revelation, dabi's not about to invite the man to orgasm all over the floor while they're walking. weirdo... already embarrassed himself.]

Ain't the kind to carry on a conversation while fuckin. [bit of a heads up for later. he's had the random chatterbox for a partner and it's annoying. dirty talk, real dirty talk, is fine. regaling you with how i murdered my master, is not.]

How long ya been in Trench? [with that, dabi slips through the hole and starts following wolf through the passageway.]

I'll try my best to temper my crushing disappointment. [Sarcasm, of course-- it's not like Dito cares what sort of vocalizations people let out in bed. As long as they weren't the ear-piercing shrieks his former mistress used to burst out with mid-coitus. But Dabi didn't seem like a shrieker. He didn't seem anything at all-- Dito still can't quite see the man in all this darkness, and he's starting to suspect it was entirely deliberate on Dabi's part.

He follows the taller man at a short distance, ducking his head to avoid the opening to the tunnel (which wasn't necessary-- short as he was he would've cleared the entrance standing on tiptoe).]

I dunno. Five months, maybe? Six? Time just kinda blurs together in this place after a while. How 'bout you?

Think you'll manage. [it's entirely deliberate on dabi's part, sticking to skulking around in the shadows and staying on the periphery of the flame-lit glow produced by his omen's fire. while he's certainly not some silent prick in bed, he's not really one for chattering through the pleasure. dirty talk being an exception, since that's usually broken up pretty well.

carrying through the tunnel after his omen, he stays turned to his side, sidling between the rocks and narrow openings. tsk, as long as he doesn't get stuck in this place. so far they haven't reached any area they have to squeeze through, so that's a plus. finally exiting into another chamber, dabi lights up the place with another burst of flames. a few things actually scurry off in the distance across the river, but nothing else bothers them on this side.]

Four or five. Not long. [dito's right about this place blurring everything together after a bit.]

[It's almost disappointing, really, how whatever's lurking in the caverns is so spooked by this man's literal firepower. Not that it isn't impressive, of course, but Dito was kind of hoping for a bit more action than just hoofing it through this dark and dank area. Ah, well. He knew all about the old adage of wishing in one hand and shitting in the other.

Allowing the light from the torch to guide him away from accidentally submerging his boots in water, Dito follows Dabi as he deftly makes his way across the broken and uneven terrain of the tunnel. The walls are slick with moisture and seem to be adorned with some sort of graffiti in an unfamiliar language-- something Dito would have been intrigued by if he weren't so focused on not tripping.]

That long, huh? Must not have been paying attention. Too much on my mind, or something. I definitely would've remembered seein' a tall drink of water like you.

[Hunger might be the best gravy, but Dito's obviously not adverse to indulging in a little flirting as an appetizer.]

[if dito's interested in meeting any of those things lurking in the darkness, then please go ahead and tell dabi to hold off on the firepower and he'll gladly let the smaller man scout ahead to face whatever dangers await them. get all the action you like, weirdo. but without any kind of notice, dabi's pushing forward with the occasional flare of light to burn his existence into the caves.

he casts a fleeting eye towards the markings on the wall when he notices them, but quickly finding out he can't read them, abandons the effort and focuses on trekking the rest of the way through without getting himself too smeared with damp cave whatever. would kind of prefer not to emerge from the darkness looking like he got dragged through some weird-colored mud.

this tunnel takes a while and he's starting to grow impatient before they finally end up breaking out into another large room, this one with what looks to be a larger river wandering nearby.]

Depends on how often ya go outside and where ya frequent. This ain't a little village.

[people can spend their entire lives in a city and never see a certain person who also lives in the same city. dabi flicks a piece of cave scum off his shoulder.]

You can remember me now. Probably from better memories later.

[Was that an honest attempt at flirtation? It's hard to tell, what with the monotone voice and all. Dito, in a rare form of optimism, decides to interpret it as the taller man finally returning his serve. He moves a little bit ahead of Dabi, pausing a few seconds to flash a grin over his shoulder. His Omen pads on, seemingly bored of his perverted antics, yet still affording them a little bit of light from her glowing white eyes.]

Dunno about that. [Dito's voice once again has that throaty, coquettish drawl to it.] Might want you to do the opposite. Might want you to make me forget my own name. But again, let's save that until we're somewhere more comfortable, yeah?

[So saying, he begins to peruse the contents of the room. This one appeared to have been some sort of alchemist's study at one point. Broken bottles and test tubes litter the ground, along with some assorted notes too waterlogged to read. Dito picks up a bottle that has miraculously escaped the fate of its brothers, staring dubiously at its contents. Whatever liquid it had held before seems to have spoiled beyond identification.]

No chance of finding any buried treasures here, it looks like. Makes me feel like I'm back in that cavern at the Land of Snows. Fucking Cent.

[He doesn't elaborate, but the emphasis he puts on "Cent" should indicate that it's the name of a person.]

[Open] 🚬 June Flames

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(cw: past sexual abuse)

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