deercountry | june catch-all

Entry tags:

june catch-all

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts in comments
What: june catch-all, some tdm prompts
When: june
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers

misc lab stuff and various fruits.

[viktor's lab in the willful machine is usually left unlocked when he's working inside. friends or acquaintances have likely been told they're welcome to stop by if they like, either to say hello or to get help with whatever a vaguely sketchy lab could handle. of course someone he doesn't know can just walk in too or knock. maybe there's a sudden downpour and that ajar door is tempting? go for it.

the lab has been slowly filling with all sorts of nonsense on the various tables- lasers! tasers! some weird machine hooked up to a blood gem? it is not unlikely to be walking by and hear some minor booming noise and either a curse in czech or a satisfied 'a-ha!' feel free to investigate.

this month there's something else too, a bowl full of fruit. all the fruits mentioned in the tdm in fact, there to be tested on though it looks more like they're just for guests if people are unaware there's some weird shit going on.]

Just a moment, make yourself at home. [he might say to guest. that would include eating some fruit, right? enjoy. probably not the raw lemon though, that's weird.]

[ooc; if you want to memshare i am game, my only hard limit on memories is no suicide stuff please. self sacrifice is fine! feel free to ask to make sure one is okay. if you'd like a viktor memory let me know any hard limits and what sort of memory you might prefer!]

gaze and time loops.

[having lungs mostly working for the moment is pretty great, in viktor's humble opinion. it means walking around the trench doesn't come with the risk of coughing up blood and attracting beasts and generally having a bad time, along with added perks like not getting so easily winded and going for longer. it also means he finds himself out longer than he usually would, which maybe isn't the best, as it turns out.

for example, making his way home through gaze and hearing the chilling cry of a beast, sighing and trying to make his way around what turns out to be the wrong corner. maybe that's where he sees your character before the snarling of a too close beast starts in earnest.

and then snap! they're both back about an hour, where they passed on the street. the look viktor gives is somewhere between resigned and 'fuck this, actually.'] There is a term for this. 'One of those days,' I think.

[ooc; if you'd like to wildcard or do something else you can pm me here or find me at

dichotomy]

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Ehhhhhh?!?!

[ sputtering ]

What?!?!? He never told me that was something he could do!!!

[ BETRAYER ]

[allen.exe is loading. viktor regards this actually pretty reasonable reaction with amusement, leaning his hip against the counter as he pats excess flour off his hands.]

To be fair Allen, did you not tell him you can exorcise beasts as well?

[yeah the uh. exasperated amusement is pretty thick. these two are oddly similar in certain ways.

though if allen did tell him and megumi still didn't mention it that's just as hilarious.]

[ Don't deny him this! That jerk! And here he's been thinking since his announcement that he's entirely alone in the whole of Trench as far as people who can truly exorcise are concerned!! ]

I told the whole of Trench!! On the network!! Also he's seen my sword too, we fought together!!

[ Did he... spell out the nature of his exorcism exactly to Megumi directly though? He doesn't remember!!! Still not the point!! Betrayal!!! ]

[ok, at this viktor can't help a snort of a laugh, plucking one of the cut strawberries up as he decides they're both a little ridiculous.]

So collectively it took you both... eight months is it? To share this information with each other, and by share I mean through a mutual acquaintence.

[he pops the strawberry in his mouth. exorcists. when it's chewed and swallowed he offers,] I directed him here, obviously. He is a very good man, I think.

[ Well when you put it like that they both sound like idiots! Ugghhh...

Audible groans aside, he's a little mollified by Viktor's point and merely looks sulky. ]

You did? [ Hhh... he'll shelve his annoyance for now. ]

What happened exactly? [ time loops? ]

[viktor plucks up another strawberry and offers it- here you go bud, enjoy the paleblood fruit craze and being a bit of a double act comedy with megumi unintentionally. viktor, for one, is having a great time.]

We ran into each other in Gaze and a loop began when a beast got involved. You know how Gaze is with its changing paths, it took a time to make sure we could approach the beast without being ambushed or the situation getting dire.

[a pause and he says,] Despite knowing we would loop with failure he made a pointed effort to help me at risk to himself. As I said, a good man. I owe him.

[ "A pointed effort to help me at risk to himself..." Allen's expression smooths at that, an awe-touched sort of sober, gentle surprise. He did something like that for Viktor, who he presumably either didn't know before or at least didn't know well...?

He takes the strawberry, popping it into his mouth automatically, but he doesn't need to be mollified. Instead, he's recalling the last time he'd seen Megumi in person, the horror as they both struggled to survive. 'Don't be selfish and die all alone...']

Mm, he is. I haven't seen him since the catacombs... [ Where he'd met Viktor, too. ]

I'll have to go see him again one of these days. I had no idea anyone out there could do something like I could too.

Where we met. [it's on viktor's mind as well, and after a moment he can't help a small smile, a little more sincere than he usually allows himself.] The beast was a child, and he saved the boy. It reminded me of Abigail's daughter.

[it had been a lot, all of it. nearly dying, the cursed energy, the beast. in the end though it's a memory he's ended up holding close, fueling some inner drive that they can do better. they have the tools, they have the will. they just need to press forward.

he turns back to the dough, a touch embarrassed for the sudden sentimentality. he spends to much time with the shounens, truly.] I plan on calling him over to the lab later this week, I think. He has some excellent theories I would like to hear more about. Really he should be brought here, I can't imagine he wouldn't be interested in your efforts.

[ The beast was a child? Though he says that of Abigail's daughter too, who isn't really a child compared to Allen, and the thought makes him laugh quietly to himself. Viktor you sound older than you are when you say things like that. (Though... how old is he? Good question...) ]

I hope I might get to meet him one day then. [ Might he come by Sanctuary someday at hearing of people who save beasts? It'd be a nice thought and, yes-- makes him feel more warmly towards Megumi, who puts on such a standoffish front but has very deep feelings as well. ]

Theories? [ That gets a curious look from Allen, and renewed interest. He resumes coring the strawberries as well, though he has already gotten through most of them. Which means that a third of the pile has been cut and are ready and the others that should have been are in his stomach. ]

What kind of theories are those?

[nebulous early thirties, which now make him feel very old surrounded by so many teens. he and rose the horror protag mom sigh about it sometimes. that said viktor nods, hoping the same.] It is a traumatic thing to live through, I hope we can encourage those saved to return if only to check their corruption levels and perhaps discuss the matter with sympathetic people.

[beasthood counseling? boy. the trench is something. viktor starts shaping the dough into little balls with a dip in the middle, puffs of flour as he works. he hums and says,] About the pthumerians, the purpose of this place, our role in the larger body of it. I can't say I gave any of it the thought it deserved, and now I admit I want to learn anything I can about the pthumerians.

Like that tapestry, what it means, what this building was used for. I am starting to think some of what we learn here could come of use in understanding how everything fits together.

[ Allen hopes it can be something like that too. It's why he's been so happy to see so many people like Tara and Ezra here, who help provide emotional support for people either struggling with their corruption, or trying to re-integrate after their beasthood. ]

The pthumerians? [ His head tilts slightly to the left at that, curious. Thoughtful. ]

I... don't think about them a whole lot either. Not much, at least. [ He glances down at his gloved left hand, where the crystal on the back would be. He wonders, sometimes, before ultimately deciding it doesn't matter, much like he decided god no longer mattered to him or his actions back in his world before. He does have some beliefs and opinions after all this time, but...

He looks back up at the other man, shaking his thoughts from it. ]

What do you think it might mean, Viktor? I know you and Palamedes and some of the others have been looking into that more.

[viktor is quiet for a few moments as he shapes the dough, places it to the side to rise, shapes another. nice, repetitive motions as he frowns and considers just how much there is that could be said on it all.

what does he think? he himself, without any filter, a matter allen is one of the few people he'd feel comfortable being completely honest with. after a moment he says,] I think to assign them good or evil intentions is assuming they have human morality. Making them an enemy or an ally... it is an assumption I do not believe is right to make, not without a better line of communication.

But I do believe regardless of all that they are a key player in whatever grander motions are at play here, and ultimately we are brought here to be tools or players in those motions. For that reason alone I believe we need to be careful with them, but not to the point of condemnation.

Not yet, at least.

[ He watches how he seems to lose himself in the motions of kneading and shaping the dough, though he doesn't comment on it. Link would be like that sometimes; he found a solace and comfort in the process of baking like it helped him even out his thoughts. Maybe there was something to it. ]

Mm... I can understand that, I think. But... [ He trails off a little, examining a strawberry. He hasn't even stopped to eat anymore since they started talking about this. He's normally quite filtered about topics like this. Steers clear of them if there isn't adamant agreement, and instead asks people more what they think -- unless they're being dangerous or offensive, in which case he'll go after them. But with Viktor...

Viktor is someone he's always been straight with, and who's always seemed straight with him. ]

...I think I think of them a bit more like people. Just because there's a vast difference of power, to the point where we might look at something and think it's immortal or a god... it doesn't mean they aren't still like us to some extent. They can be good and bad both, have their failings and faults... even they might look at the world in an entirely different way than we do.

That one responsible for the catacombs, or whose followers were responsible for it, the Moss King... and the Tower, whose shrine was in the Sleeper Farm... those places were undeniably evil. But some like Argonaut-- they seem to only want to help people. I saw him a lot a couple months ago, when there was no daylight, and every time he was trying to reach out to someone and comfort them. He came to me several times too, even if I didn't quite know why or what he wanted. And every time someone talks about the Moon Presence, I feel a sense of calm. In a way where I wish I could meet her. [ He pauses, trying to parse out his thoughts coherently for perhaps the first time. ]

I don't even know that I believe we're any more "brought" here by them than any living creature is... I think that gives them too much credit. [ it's decided, his tone, like this is something he has very personal experience with ] They aren't deities, to me. They're just very powerful, and often followed by also powerful, often insane people. Maybe they're as bound up by the magic of this world as we are even. Something at the center of the universe populated by so many people reborn from so many different places.

"God" might just be the perception of the relative power difference between two individuals, after all.

[ Like the Noah. Terrible, powerful, seemingly evil demigods who were actually just... human. Very powerful humans. And Innocence like his own, a crystal "fragment of God", well... ]

But it's dangerous, not knowing anything about something like that... [ God, if there was one lesson he learned in the last of his memories from "before".

But he turns and looks at Viktor directly then, eyes clear and steady. ]

So I think we should learn more about them, too.

Edited 2022-06-14 02:10 (UTC)

[viktor pauses to listen, thoughtful as he takes in allen's ideas. after a moment of consideration his lips quirk, meeting allen's eyes.]

Ultimately then we are in agreement on the important matter. It isn't simply dissecting them or unravelling their mystery, if we are to have any hope in understanding them it should be through mutual communication.

Whether they are more alien like I imagine or more like people as you do. Too often I have seen people get violent or hateful to what they view as 'other.' In truth it is the trap I most fear sleepers falling into with the pthumerians. [he goes back to the dough, making the last few and letting them sit.

another pause and,] Remina, her loops may have saved that child's life when I was trapped with Fushiguro. I cannot say I am her biggest fan but... it is something I will not ignore.

[ "Too often I have seen people get violent or hateful to what they view as 'other...'" Allen stills slightly at that, looking over at Viktor, before giving a reluctant sort of nod. Thoughtful. ]

Mm... [ It's soft, and there's a gentleness to it and a faintly bittersweet sort of smile he has. ]

People are all too often afraid of what they can't understand, after all.

[ Anyway. ]

Ah, here-- [ He wipes off his knife and scoops the "good" berries to the side away from all the stems. They're... not pretty, but he did passably nip the green tops off them all. He's not Shouto, after all. He did work in a kitchen part time. ]

I'm done. ♥

[ His smile bright, he's quickly brushed over that briefly heavy sort of mood like it wasn't even there, just like that. ]

Eh, not bad. Thank you, Allen. [congrats on managine 'not shouto' levels of cooking. viktor nods in approval before picking up the tray of doughnuts.]

Could you put these in the oven? It is already preheating. [he says, since allen is near it, though he keeps an eye for any strain. with that done he can focus on what was said, with,]

That is why we strive to make them understand. [a shrug then a quirk of a smile.] That is part of our joint legacy now, is it not? Making people understand there is a better way.

[ Joint... legacy? Even if that's always been implied and isn't a surprise, not with how their friendship started, with Viktor's lab, beast and purification research, everything they've done together, and yet... Allen stops from where he had been cracking the oven open a touch to peak inside, looking up at the older man in a stunned matter like that had, yes, struck him so entirely offguard. ]

I... yes! [ He's flushed, standing up straighter like trying to do Viktor proud just by really good posture or somesuch. ]

Yes, it is. [ It's such a happy, overwhelmed sort of flush. To actually leave a legacy to inspire people to a better way...

Blinking rapidly for a moment, he quickly covers up his overwhelmed state with a bright smile. Collects himself. ]

Um.. right! Pre-heating, oven... I can do that-- [ Probably. It isn't a strain on him exactly, but moving over to collect the tray and leaning down to slide it carefully into the oven -- he does wobble unsteadily, especially in trying to lean down. Not to the point of staggering, but... he's annoyed at how much concentration it takes to not topple. ]

Edited 2022-06-14 03:13 (UTC)

[viktor watches him, fond and thinking terribly sentimental things he no longer shies away from so much. things like that chance meeting in the catacombs was one he would not change for anything, and how he hopes to see allen grow into an adult proper and all the good he'll do in that time.

ridiculous. he has to glance away, smile still small as he moves to start the jam.]

Your movement is much better, I am glad. In truth I have expected you to strain yourself. [he says as he starts putting some of the strawberries in a pot.]

[ Don't worry, Viktor. Your moment of sentimentality and thoughts over the man your adoptive teenager might one day grow into are safe for now, as Allen is distracted by the donuts and watching them for a moment through the window of the oven. He straightens, keeping his hands on the counter and oven handle for balance, and smiles a touch sheepishly at that comment. Expected him to... ]

I haven't much-- [ Much. Mostly because of several people watching him like hawks for the slightest sign that he was pushing himself. Check back in with him after sweeping off after Chizuru and Shouto later.

Coming close, he does notice that faint lingering smile though, so perhaps your sentimentality didn't go entirely unnoticed. Allen smiles gently and leans over to see what he's doing with the strawberries. ]

What are you making now? The jam?

Edited 2022-06-14 03:26 (UTC)

Much. [he points out with a shake of the head. ah, his son he doesn't even realize he thinks of as kind of a son or little brother or something. what a life. the strawberries in the pot are getting mashed a little with a spoon before he's adding some sugar.]

Yes, it will be for the filling. One of my neighbors would make these on festive days, though we usually used cavernberries for the filling. [he explains as he puts the pot on the stovetop to heat.]

I would have tried the raspberries but... yes. Those are too dangerous these days.

[ They could be a festive sort of dish of sorts then? It piques his interest and he pays a bit more attention then, though honestly any kind of baked good already gets a good deal of his interest by default.

He watches Viktor's steps with great interest, and takes the time to snag one of the high stools in the kitchen to pull up and sit on. Perching on it so he can watch Viktor while he continues to cook and seeming to find a great deal of happiness in that. ]

Dangerous...? [ No. Not fruit...? ]

[viktor finds he enjoys it too, surprisingly cooking with company is more interesting than alone? what a shock. who would have thought.

it also reminds him of very, very old memories, too faded but tinted in fond nostalgia. it is nice, this. all of it.

raspberries aren't.] They make you aggressive, pick fights despite all sense. So certainly try to avoid any, it isn't a compulsion you can suppress I'm afraid.

[ Raspberries make you an aggressive jerk? That's awful, and he wrinkles his nose accordingly at the thought. That's honestly just rude, as are most things that have to do with toying with food. Come to think of it, Sansa had said something similar about lemons effecting her strangely... and he'd given her a whole bunch of them along with some lemon cakes. That's just unfortunate... also he feels a touch bad about inadvertently contributing. ]

Sometimes I greatly dislike how food isn't always just 'food' here.

[ He lets them lapse into a bit of a silence though, leaning his elbows on the counter and propping his chin up on his hands to just he watch as he stirs and the mashed strawberries begin to slowly bubble. It's a comfortable silence, and the smell of the fruit reduction and the not-donuts in the oven beginning to puff and bake is... quite honestly heaven, but ultimately extremely disarming. And his eyes hood slightly, thoughtfully; like his thoughts have drifted somewhere else. Lulled into a more peaceable, disarmed manner than he often is. ]

Ne, Viktor... Could I ask you something?

Edited 2022-06-14 04:17 (UTC)

It's incredibly irritating. [viktor sighs. made him punch god but that guy deserved it, probably. either way he'll be glad when they get a month without this nonsense, if possible.

he stirs the pot, taking a moment himself to simply enjoy the peace of the place, scratching the weird baking itch the trench gave him. when allen asks he glances over.]

Of course. [he offers, turning his attention back to the stirring, the sweet smell starting to fill the air in earnest.]

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