deercountry | June catch-all and Return of the Boy (OPEN)

Entry tags:

June catch-all and Return of the Boy (OPEN)

Who: Lance (

azurestar)
What: June catch-all. Return from deer-hood.
When: All June. Boy returns first week.
Where: Forest, around town.

Content Warnings: depression, ptsd, nightmare demon, throat wound, house fire, will add as they appear

( ooc: Lance has spent most of April and May in his deer form, for those unfamiliar: the ability to transform into a deer is something some characters from Deerington obtained via death and a special event. There are consequences to transforming too often: you lose yourself more and more. This is what has happened to Lance over the course of the last 2 months. Pulling Lance out of this state is reserved for Keith alone, but there is a prompt to interact with him in the midst of this predicament. )

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WEEK 1

i. [This is the last time he was human. For a brief few hours at the start of June. The constant retreating into his deer form to escape from the loss of Hunk, of... just, so much, has increasingly caused him to become detached and not all there even when he's human. He's having trouble figuring out what he is, where he is, when he is... sometimes he feels like he's straddling two worlds at once, or drifting between spaces in time. He can be found on the first day of June for a short handful of hours wandering at any random hour of the day or night, looking almost like he's sleepwalking. It'll be difficult to get him to focus on you as he seems to keep staring off placidly at something else in the distance. He may even struggle to remember you. If there's any danger from beast or villain about to harm him, he doesn't seem aware at all no matter how much noise is made, even when you swoop in to save him.

And when those short handful of hours pass, he's slipping back into the form of a deer. If you've interacted with him in this form before, you'd have noted there was a sentient self awareness behind his big eyes. Now they are dull, he looks and acts so much like a real deer that it's likely disturbing and frightening to those who know better. He can be found mostly on the outskirts of the city in Trenchwood, and much like a real deer, he's rather skittish so approach carefully if you come upon him in this form instead of as a human.]

ii. [It's the end of the first week of June, and he's been pulled out of his deer fugue. If you'd happened upon him in his disconnect and/or or as a deer at any point in the last two months, the difference is striking. He's self aware, he's more present, but he's not completely back to himself ether. There's a lot of holes in his memory, things completely missing and slow to return, or in some cases, perhaps never to return. And he still has moments where he stares off at something far away or through someone. But it's momentary and he shakes his head to clear it of his own accord here and there.

To keep himself present and grounded, he's trying to go out to public spaces and engage. So of course, that means he'll be all over Willful Machine and Cellar Door especially. Catch him in the markets either noticing a thief trying to steal or falling into one of his detached moments and a thief taking advantage at that moment. Or find him in Earworm at the bar partaking in a little bit of alcohol and watching people dance, and after a few drinks, he'll get into a breakdancing contest with someone, but he's kind of fumbling a bit like Bambi, which is uncharacteristic, it's almost like he's still trying to figure out how to walk on two legs...]

( ooc: feel free to assume he wanders into any venue if you have an idea for a prompt. You may also assume/handwave that your character ran into Lance while he was in a similar state to prompt 1 at any point in the month of May. Including the Karate Tournament because he was involved in that. )

DREAMS and HOLES

i. [But of course yanking himself out of the deer dream, nightmares return in full. At first, he doesn't think much of it because he has them all the time anyway. But he seems to be more prone to waking nightmares now, they come on when he has his intermittent fugue states that still come along in the wake of nearly losing himself to being a deer. That's… not so usual.

Find Lance around town, sometimes seemingly frozen in the middle of a task and seeming to stare placidly into the middle distance. Maybe he was already talking to you or just saying hi, or in the middle of checking the hooves of the horse he's taken for a ride through town. Try to shake him out of it or perhaps come upon him as he's coming out of it with a strangled gasp on his own and shakily rubs at his face, trying to stay on his feet. His voice is hoarse, tone a weak attempt at dark humor.]

…Remind me why I didn't just stay a deer again…

[Or perhaps he happens upon you in the opposite predicament after he's been rid of his own demon, or is suffering the same. He'll approach with a slight notch in his brows, not looking entirely sure of himself in his own body, but not able to ignore your obvious plight.] …You okay?

ii. [He was a deer at the time when the earth started to shake and standing right where one of the ice cavers opened. He was so terrified on all levels both human and animal, he bolted so far out into the forest that he got lost for a good while. More lost than he already was, anyway. And if anyone tried to enter in the holes in that first week and he was nearby, you would have heard a loud elk screech in protest echoing through the trees. But he wouldn't come anywhere near that hole from where he stood watching you from afar, moving restlessly in fear, like the hole is a rabid bear.

Once he's human again, his reaction is not so frightened, and he doesn't seem to remember the holes at all from when he was a deer. He comes upon one for the first time as a human closer to town. He stops, stares, seems frozen and caught in another fugue. Then he turns on his heel and starts to walk away.]

Nope! no, nah-uh. No way. Not happening. Bye.

[Perhaps you really want him to come down there with you because you've been bitten by the adventure bug, or you agree. Regardless, he has very strong feelings about holes and there is a story there. Whether he will tell it or not probably depends on you. The real challenge is getting him in there if you're looking to try.]

SPIRITS

i. [At first he thought the spirits were his usual hallucinations. He tends to see people he loves and misses and has regrets of all the time in flashes and lingering moments all the time anyway. But just like the nightmares that started to get more harrowing and happen during the day, he does eventually figure out this might not be just his usual crazy.

It's more vivid than usual when he sees Hunk going through the food stalls like any other day in Willfull Machine, picking out the best crops out of what scarce ones there are. He hasn't hallucinated in that much vivid detail or color or in such an ordinary way in… it's hard to say, his memories are still messed up since he nearly lost himself to his deer form. After staring hard for a long moment, he'll reach out without looking to the first person he can, gripping their ar,]

Do you see a big guy with an orange headband over there or am I losing my mind? …Again.

ii. [It's not just Hunk, he also sees pretty much everyone else as well. The hardest is Allura, because of course Allura is there. Of course, she appears as the ghost she was in her last moments caught in a loop. His memories are a patchwork of of holes, and the ones around that time in his life… one of the worst times, are the most shattered. But that image he will never be allowed to forget in full, it seems.

It's when he's out and about when he sees her against a building wall and he has to stumble back into another wall as it knocks the breath out of him. Tunnel vision takes hold and he can barely breath, breaths short and shallow. He looks like a frozen terrified deer caught in headlights just waiting for the oncoming collusion and unable to think enough through the terror to move.]

iii. [If he still had lingering doubts about if the ghosts are a product of his own mind or something else, they certainly dissipate when Chloe's ghost starts wrecking his living room. Bolin's not at home, thankfully, or he's pretty sure his friend would freak out and make it a lot harder to calm her down. He doesn't know how or why he knows what to do, but when she throws a table outside the front window and he trips over himself falling out of the window as well, he gets up, ignoring any glass piece in his skin and just starts talking.

To a passersby, this might look like a domestic dispute and his parter is inside the house throwing all his things out on the lawn after he cheated or something. He dodges an old musty lamp getting tossed out onto the street and people are starting to stare…]

H-hey, Chloe. Remember… remember that time I came over to your house and flew the Red Lion to your window? I offered to show you the world, but you were too cool to get on my magic lion carpet ride… or I think that's how it went.

[His memory is still such a mess, so he's not entirely sure. But maybe that is indeed how it went because there's a pause in the throwing of things. Is that a good thing or bad thing he wonders…]

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[Lance's eyes water when he sees the sign. He isn't unfamiliar, and he actually knows some basics, but not enough to fully grasp what she's saying. It's the most frustrating and awful feeling of the flutter in his chest that she's right there and responding, but he can't fully bust through that barrier.

He looks down and away to try and blink the emotions back.]

It's sign language… deaf people use it to talk. [Perhaps not the most sensitive or delicate way to explain a language used by the disabled, but he's rather distracted to say the least.]

[ The way that Lance looks make something inside Sasuke ache for him. Empathy, maybe? God, he hates this stuff. He finishes healing Lance's wound enough so that it won't get infected or continue to bleed all over the place, before he glances back at the ghost, who is staring down at Lance with some emotion he can't quite place.

Longing, maybe? ]

Can you understand it?

[Lance tends to agree that empathy is gross. He's trying to ignore it right now because his feelings alone are bad enough. At this point, he's pretty sure the only reason he hasn't gone full batshit like Jinx is because of the stabilizing gem he wears.

He lets out a shuddered breath and shrugs. Then shakes his head.]

I know some basics. Not enough, though.

[ Aha. He can see the slight impatience on Chloe's face, though he can't tell if it's with herself being limited in a ghost form, or from Lance not understanding, or both.

He bites his tongue, before apparently deciding to be useful instead of going for the usual That's rough, buddy approach. ]

She said something about... "crying like a little bitch." [ Things he never wanted to say in his life for $500!! But Chloe looks relieved, pointing at Sasuke while looking at Lance, as if to say YEAH THAT!!. ] My eye can translate most languages it can see. I assumed it was only written, but I suppose these signs count as well. If it... helps.

[Lance looks shocked to ay the least when he gets the translation and he looks from Sasuke to Chloe and back to Sasuke because she's pointing at him. Is it fate that of all the people to come by while he's struggling with a volatile Chloe Poltergeist, it's someone who has some wild super eyes? Possibly. He chooses not to think too much about it, but he looks like he's about to cry for a second and looks away with a cros of his arms.]

I dunno how the hell that works when you didn't even know what it was, but… thanks. And I know you're not bullshitting because you take yourself way too seriously to say that… but she would. [He looks to Chloe again as he says that last part, then jabs a thumb as Saskue with a bit of a sly look.] Just like someone we know, right?

[When shit gets too heavy, poke a bit of fun.]

[ He could probably try to explain it, but ~~I'm lazy as fuck and~~ it seems like a pointless thing to get into at the moment. The more important thing is paying attention to the conversation so he doesn't miss any of the girl's hand movements. Although he does give in to rolling his eyes at being told he takes himself too seriously.

Chloe's ghost leans in to give Sasuke some kind of evaluating stare, making it look like this is very important business, before she cracks a smile and nods in agreement. He knows he doesn't have to translate that at least, and she doesn't go so far as to spell a name. ]

... If you're both making fun of me, I'll go.

[Lance rolls his eyes (ignore that they're a little wet) and grins at Sasuke teasingly.]

Relaaax. Making fun is the ultimate expression of friendship. [He turns back to Chloe, because he hasn't forgotten that she broke his window and for all he knows started a small fire in his basement. Time to talk memories more.] Do you remember poking fun of me for flying up to your window on Red?

[ There's a hmph that escapes him, because he's not going to argue otherwise. He's certainly expressed friendship that way enough times, and even if he hadn't, is this really the time or the place?

Chloe stares at Lance for a moment, maybe like she can't quite recall, but it doesn't take long before she spells something out with her hands that makes Sasuke's forehead wrinkle. ]

A...laddin? [ Only he kind of ends up saying it more like A Rad Dean, but he tried okay. ]

[Lance smiles faintly, sadly. And then snort-laughs at Sasuke's attempt to say it. Okay, no, he shouldn't laugh, he's ran into words that were hard for him to say as a bilingual Cuban.]

It's Aladdin. [He says it slightly slowed down. And then puts hand to chin to try and recall more about that. His memory is still borked. But… maybe prompting ghost!Chloe for more details counts to talking about it now that Sasuke is helping.] He's a character in a kid's movie in both our worlds. Had a flying carpet and took a princess on a romantic ride on it, there was music and everything.

[He turns to Chloe.] I never did get to take you on that ride, y'know. You toootally missed your shot.

[ Sasuke thinks the story sounds familiar, even if he hasn't heard it called that. Maybe it's just a common legend, the kind that passes between universes. He's been hearing a lot of those.

So he nods and waits, watching the ghost girl as she gives a sad sort of smile. She wrinkles her nose a little playfully, almost, as her hands move. It's hard to imagine she's the same cause of the destruction of Lance's home at the moment.

Sasuke squints slightly as he tries to figure out if his eye is translating things properly, though, and glances at Lance with confusion. ]

... What's a "body shot"? She said she got her shot with those instead.

[Of course that's what she fucking said. He should have seen it coming. He bends at the waist snickering wildly with slight tears in his eyes that aren't really from the laughter. There's a sorrowful edge because fuck, he misses her.]

Oh man. [Time to answer Sasuke, he supposes. He grins in a way that says he is looking forward to seeing his reaction.] A body shot is when you drink alcohol off someone's abs.

[He lifts his shirt up to show off his own and raps his knuckles above his navel.] A tasty shot of café Cubano.

[ Sasuke pulls a face at the very thought of this. One that apparently makes Chloe silently laugh. He only doesn't regret partaking in all of this because at least it's nice to see her ghost do that instead of burning down Lance's house. ]

Sounds terrible.

[ There's a beat before he decides he may as well break the news while Chloe's calmer. ]

As much as this is working to make her feel better, we should probably figure out how to help her ... rest.

[Lance rolls his eyes at him.]

Don't knock it till you try it!

[Then he heaves a sigh, because Sasuke is at least right about that second part. But he frowns, looking at Chloe sadly.]

Do we have to though? Can't I just learn sign and keep her happy here by talking about the good times?

[He sounds like a child begging to keep the flea-covered puppy he just brought home off of the street. Something he has done as a child, but a dangerous ghost thing of Chloe is a lot more to him than a puppy and the slight tremor in his voice betrays that. After losing so many people recently, he doesn't know if he can… be rational here.]

[ Sasuke gives his own sigh as he watches Lance. He knows full well the desire to latch on to a ghost of the past, but it never has done anyone any good. The pain of losing Itachi the second time had almost been worse than the first, and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

But he goes to reach out and put his hand on Lance's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze to encourage him to look at him rather than Chloe. ]

A spirit that is kept from where it's supposed to be can never be kept happy long term. You'll only make her suffer keeping her here.

[Lance frowns and does as Sasuke wants, looking at him with a heavy weight of loss. A lot of people Lance cared about have left one after the other recently and this ghost of Chloe just feels like rubbing his nose in it all. And he knows what Sasuke says is true, but he'd really wanted to believe for a moment that maybe just for once he can make this into a good thing.

He looks down at the ground and tightly crosses his arms over his middle, hunching his shoulders against how he feels. He is visibly refusing to cry and has to turn his head away just in case he fails.]

I'm… really tired of saying goodbye. [Not that he really got to say goodbye in the first place with anyone he's lost, but still…] Any… [sigh] any idea how to…? [do this.]

[ There's a pang of understanding, one that he's sure Lance can feel himself so he doesn't bother saying the words. He simply nods, using the summoning jutsu he keeps attached to his wrist bands to make a shuriken appear. ]

Sakura said there's a ritual. One where we have to mix our blood. She's probably not going to like it, so we'll have to be quick. Tell me when you're ready.

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June catch-all and Return of the Boy (OPEN)

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i forgot about this thread and now i'm crying again it's fine

you know exactly how to fix that, b ;)

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