deercountry | july catch-all (open + closed prompts in comments)

That word is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Consider.

[ Still, even as Ange is staying strong in the face of all this, carefully keeping her voice deadpan, she averts her eyes for a moment. If even just a glimpse of what she just saw is enough to make her woozy, then she knows better than to keep looking. She isn't sure she wants to know what would happen to her magic barrier if she were to pass out, and the last thing she wants to have to explain to Falco is why she set this possessed version of him loose upon the city.

She's thinking though. Even as she's looking away, and despite her deadpan answer, she's thinking. It could be a trap, since it's just saying consider. On the other hand, she knows how much more cooperative Paimon usually gets when his needs are being met as well.

It's at least something worth considering on her end as well. ]

How would one feed you?

[ Not what with, mind you, they kind of went over that. But she's not too sure if Falco knows either how said feeding would work, so she's trying to make sure to get all the details straight here first. If it can even feast on negative emotions, then it's not like you can just pull those out of someone's head to feed this entity. ]

[ what the silence responds with first doesn't actually sound like words or even a response at all— but it is deliberate, and it is loud after the shortest of pauses. it is a wet, croaking, dribbling sound, sloshing and popping and crackling like bone being mixed with thick ooze.

it finally puts together something coherent, stringing the slime against the shrouded face it uses against a messy, oozing palm: ]

Cͨoͦnᴛⷮaͣcͨᴛⷮ
ᵒᵘᵗˢⁱᵈᵉ, i̘͎n̢͙͉s̢̞̞i͇͇̝d͉̻e̡̦̠
𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑝

[ Ange definitely makes A Face here.

Not one that's directly aimed at the entity, since she's still trying to make sure to not look too close at something that might make her want to throw up, but the facial expression is definitely there. ]

Please don't say 'slurp'.

[ Please! Let's not make this grosser than it already is.

(And yes. Yes, Ange is totally the type to say this in the face of the eldritch being she's communicating with.) ]

.. but.. fine. I can tell him that.

[ Even though she's pretty sure Falco won't like it. But if it's the only way to get the entity to communicate with him, then.. maybe they ought to try and see if they can find some harmless way to do it. ]

This is a two way street though. Don't do anything bad to that boy in return, or I'll lock you down here forever if I have to. [ .. not that she would, given that Falco's body is still attached to it and all, but..

It's not like the entity has to know that, right. ]

Without anything to feed on.

[ !!! it would cackle once more at getting something out of her. it hisses and grumbles, but with one more (purposeful) slurp-pop from its bubbling slime: ]

yₒᵤᵣ dᵢₛgᵤₛₜ
ᵢₛ ₒᵤᵣ ₚₗₑₐₛᵤᵣₑ

[ they seem to be done here, the silence has both an understanding that there is nothing else to give and take, and there is nothing else to gain bubbling up from this already trembling, fragile container. the slime falls off of falco more, thinning into viscous strings that pile onto the floor and leave his face, his mouth, his nose, and his eyes. the last of its words are high pitched whispers, ]

weͤ s͛hͪaͣll feͤaͣs͛ᴛⷮ oͦn iͥᴛⷮ s͛ᴛⷮiͥll,

[ followed by a hollow, graceful, welcoming and tempting: ]

𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ.

[ Lovely.

This time Ange doesn't bother saying it out loud in her deadpan sort of way, but she sure is thinking it as - of course - the thing has to part with such ominous words. Like this is a scene straight out of a horror movie, and she's the butt of the joke going on here.

Ange tries to shrug the thought off, especially as the slime has now stopped covering the boy. Unsure whether his consciousness is being pushed back to the front by the entity, Ange makes sure to give it a magical kickstart all the same, dragging Falco's mind back to the front, just as she had pushed it back with her magic before. ]

.. Falco.

[ That's better to focus on than the afterthought of the entity, lingering in her mind like the sticky slime it consisted of. ]

Falco, can you hear me?

[ She still has the magical seal activated, still pinning him to the spot, just in case. Ange isn't dumb enough to let the entity catch her off guard now. ]

[ it leaves behind the dazed look of a boy that wasn't all there— until he was chucked at the forefront of commandeering the body. falco gasps when his world begins to spin and when the view of it broadens . . .

way too quickly. his expression contorts into an uneasy scowl. he manages a fumbling, slow set of words as he begins to hold himself up with his arms and resting on top of his folded legs: ]

—I feel really sick.

[ again, but it doesn't look like he's going to hurl immediately?? points for the team! ]

[ .. oh, god. Even if he doesn't look like he's about to hurl at a disastrous rate, Ange still can't help but worry about it, especially with how woozy the boy is looking at the moment. She quickly deactivates the magic circle so he can move around a bit more freely, and then starts to quickly think of how to help his current state.

Except said thinking might be happening with a bit more panic than Ange would ever like to admit to. It doesn't show up a whole ton on her face, but Ange is definitely worried, and doesn't have a lot of ideas.

Until she holds out her hands in front of her. Golden butterflies gather there, before they change into a paper bag.

You know, the kind you may see on airplanes.

She holds it out towards Falco. ]

Here, use this if you need to..! [ A brilliant plan. So smooth. So elegant.

Look, you try conjuring up something to help a friend when you're panicked about the woozy state you forcefully put them in, okay!! ]

Just make sure to keep breathing slowly..! [ PLEASE DON'T DIE, FALCO... A-Ange's concerned!! Facing an eldritch monster? That's nothing. But having a friend in front of you who might be about to hurl is clearly the end of the world. ]

[ oh, no, he's—?! he's never seen ange that way. for a second, falco thinks it's worse than he imagines, touching his face and minding the remaining bits of ooze scattered around him while reaching for the offered bag. she must mean to hurl into it— ]

I-Is everything okay with me, Miss Ange—?!

[ IS HE A MUTATED ELDRITCH FIEND NOW— ]

[ She's just setting off a panic feedback loop here, isn't she..

It's a fact that Ange herself may also slowly be realising as she sees how Falco reacts. It makes her blush a little when she realises she may have been overly fussing here, seeming to slow down and - more importantly - calm down as she shakes her head. ]

No, I.. I just think you're feeling a little sick in the aftermath. [ It's a lot, getting your consciousness thrown back and forth like that.

She reaches out, trying to gently wipe some of the remaining goop off his face. ]

All this stuff is just because of that thing making a mess, don't worry.

[ Says the girl who was being way too worried only a moment ago... ]

I just.. [ She pauses. Being very emotionally honest is hard for Ange, at all times, but she's definitely trying here. Even if she has to force it out, judging by that hesitant pause before she speaks on. ] I was worried I screwed up something, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I did something bad to you.

[ But thankfully Falco seems alright, wooziness aside. ]

O-Oh, [ and she's—! she's taking care of him . . . 🥺 falco keeps still for the wiping, hoping that no rough stomach tumbles would cause him to jerk away. it doesn't happen beyond him needs to breathe steadily and swallow a lot. the taste in his mouth was as gross as the smell the slime still gave off. sulfur. rotten eggs. ] No, everything's . . . Everything's okay. It looks like— It worked, Miss Ange?

[ did it work? was the implication. ]

Yeah.

[ It's a soft answer, and Ange finishes up wiping the last gross parts off his face before moving to lean back again, trying to wipe her own hands on the ground as she speaks to get the grossness off there too. ]

I managed to talk to it. [ Not that everyone might have called that talking, but Ange thinks it was more than she expected. ] Though I'm not sure how far I got. I think it does understand on some level that cooperating with you is better for both of you in the end, but it seems to want you to feed it first.

[ And even then, she's not sure if that means it'll just.. actually cooperate with Falco. But before moving on to that bad news and caution part, Ange pauses, waiting to see the boy's reaction. It's probably already a lot, just hearing this. ]

. . . I see.

[ “feed it”. it was good, on one had, if it really did mean to cooperate and not deceive. paimon may have been a good enough influence, but he’s not sure he could trust those conditions, or how he’d get across them. falco’s eyes are downcast toward his lap. ]

I’m afraid to believe it, Miss Ange. What did you think?

[ She shakes her head. ]

I'm not sure either.

[ Especially since the being seems to be very different from any she's encountered before. At least Paimon immediately showed proper respect before her as a witch. This being doesn't seem to really respect much of anything or anyone.

So the jury is out as to whether it would respect a deal. ]

But I think maybe doing it once can't hurt, just to see what would happen. If it actually has even the faintest intention of cooperating with you.

I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep it contained if it got stronger the way I did now, but if it goes wild, I'll do anything I can do stop it. [ She sounds serious about that, at least. ] I promise.

. . . Thank you, Miss Ange.

[ the last time The Silence went absolutely ham ended in falco's first death in trench. there really wasn't much the others who tried to stop it as hunters would do other than destroy the source. ange, at least, had greater resources up her sleeves. he trusts her. and he'll be sure to give every weakness it has that he knows about to her.

even though he's feeling better, falco still has a knot settle in his stomach. it's one of uncertainty. ]

How can I feed it negative emotions without hurting someone—?

[ now, came the brainstorming . . . ]

[ Another difficult question, huh. ]

When I asked how to feed it, it just said.. 'contact.'

[ Still a bit of a vague answer. But it's not like she was able to drag anything much clearer than that out of the being, and Ange frowns as she thinks. Her gaze still occasionally wanders over Falco, like she keeps checking in to make sure he's still feeling alright after all that. ]

Do you think it'd hurt someone for it to feed on those negative emotions? Have you.. [ Her speaking slows down. She understands this isn't a pleasant question, after all.

But it's a necessary one, so she still asks it, though she tries to be gentle. ]

Have you experienced it before?

. . . Just once. During a possession.

[ falco tries to recall it, thinning his vision through a thoughtful squint. he was far away, as most of the silence's possession causes, but not entirely unconscious. he's aware of what's happening, even if he can't hear anything. ]

It made the titan throw up all of this . . . Slime, and when some people were caught in it— all they could do was sit in it and cry.

[ it might not be painful in a physical sense— but there were more painful things than physical pain. ]

Gross.

[ Sorry, Falco. No offense towards you. All offense towards that gross being, why does it have to be slime, huh?! At least the demons in her world know how to be clean of any weird fluids aside from blood!

Ange definitely pulls a face like she meant that 'gross', but then returns to something more thoughtful, so concentrated that she's grinding her teeth for a moment as she thinks.

There's an option here, after all. But she really hates it. ]

Do you know how long that lasted? Was it temporary?

[ he doesn’t blame her, because it is gross. he knows the feeling of hacking it up. it’s disgusting. ]

As long as they stayed there, I think. I remember someone pulling them out, but . . . I don’t remember focusing on it a lot. It was too busy.

[ fighting away the hunters. ]

—That doesn’t sound safe, does it?

Edited 2022-08-25 01:57 (UTC)

[ Ange sighs. ]

No. [ She'll admit that much. ] But nothing involving these sorts of entities is usually safe.

[ Not in her experience, anyway. Even though the demons she summoned back home had definitely been her friends, it's not like they hadn't tried to kill her all the same once or twice. Paimon is the same. It's just the risk that comes with this sort of stuff, and Ange knows it. ]

I was just thinking that if I'm encouraging this entire thing, then I ought to at least make myself a volunteer. [ AS MUCH AS SHE HATES THE THOUGHT OF THIS.. but Ange likes to be fair, at least in this way. It's not like she's going to tell some random person to do it. ] But we'd need an at least marginally safer way to do it then.

[ Because Ange isn't reckless.

.. well, not totally, anyway. ]

[ this is terrifying. he doesn't want it to be anyone, but a sharp pang seizes his gut and squeezes all the to his chest at the thought of it being ange. at least she's acknowledging they still need a safe way to do it. he'd hate to rush into things, or have her do something alone when she shouldn't. ]

We'll have . . . Time to think it through, right?

[ he doesn't want to hurt anyone. he doesn't want to hurt her. he doesn't want this thing to escape. it has to be something very, thoroughly planned. ]

Of course.

[ She doesn't even need a moment to agree with that. Of course there will be time to think it through. There's no need to jump into this so quickly, especially while they're underprepared. It'd just be a dumb move. ]

I'm just saying it, because.. [ .. for a moment her voice does trail off here. Ange is never good at saying this stuff. It makes her feel kind of stupid and kind of vulnerable at the same time, and she likes neither of those.

But she knows it's important to actually push on right here and say it, rather than keep it in like usually. So Ange braces herself, and does her best to speak. ]

.. because I just want you to know I'm always on your side.

[ This isn't something someone as young and precious as Falco should be dealing with alone. ]

If you find yourself having a hard time because of it, or if there's any trouble.. Please call me, okay? No matter when it is, or what's going on. I'll always do my best to help you.

[ he's going to get completely brain blasted when he wakes up from his turkey coma later in the month and has a lesbian memory with those exact same words.

falco falls silent, his face warm, and his chest just the same. the fear is quelled. he knows the silence is moaning and groaning at how awful this is, but to him it's— it means the world. its importance should be taken with the utmost care. ]

Miss Ange, [ how else to convey? how else can he make two simple words make the exact impact he's feeling right now? ] Can I . . . Step out of the circle?

[ was it safe to? he had to, to do what he was thinking. ]

... oh!

[ Ange's eyes widen a little with surprise at the realisation that she didn't even tell him that it was alright for him to get up and move around. She totally forgot in the middle of all the fussy aftermath, didn't she..

It makes her look surprisingly openly bashful for a moment, before she shakes her head and manages to reign in her facial expression a little more again. ]

You can. Sorry, I already depowered it a few moments ago, I just forgot to say it.

[ She huffs out a breath of air. ]

Nothing should stop you from moving around anymore, so don't worry about that. Feel free to stretch.

[ Yes, any and all possible intentions behind his words are flying about five miles over Ange's head right now. Blame the fact that she's so focused on feeling flustered over forgetting to tell him something that important. ]

[ stepping out of the circle comes with a bit of caution, but only before the first step ia gradually taken. then came the other, and at last he was out.

that, and— he was about to make ange even more flustered. with brief thought as he watched her, falco soon leads himself into a gentle hug around her midsection. ]

Thank you.

[ for the words, and help— and he’d be here, too. with whatever she needed. ]

[ It definitely flusters Ange more. She didn't see it coming, for one, and then there's also the fact that she never really has gotten a whole lot of hugs in her life as a whole. Sure, this place has been starting to correct that at this point, but it's still.. a lot to suddenly be hugged like that.

Not in a bad way. She doesn't dislike it, especially since she feels fondly about Falco - a sweet kid who can use all the help he can get with everything he has to deal with.

So she lets him hug her, even though she's definitely looking even more flustered, her heart beating so hard that it's like it might just beat its way straight out of her chest. After a moment she slowly wraps her arms around him too, though it's awkward and gentle at the same time, like Ange is worried about breaking him with the gesture. ]

Y-You don't have to thank me. [ She mumbles, stammering. ] I'm just doing what I should do here.

looks like a good place to start skadooing!

grice - 2022-09-05 19:07 (UTC) - Expand

july catch-all (open + closed prompts in comments)

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cw: talk of emeto

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looks like a good place to start skadooing!