deercountry | yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

Shit, sorry!

[a nervous laugh at the bump, and she covers it with a little lean - as a cat might do. they bump up against stuff all the time no fucks at all, so she can just be a cat, right? no fucks, no anxiety]

Okay...

[she'll just adjust those ears, undecided between perfect placement and slightly crooked, before settling on the former. the mask, the smile, they're creepy-cool, but what's a bit of danger in a place like trench? the cat ears make it ...cuter, or maybe more predatory, it's hard to say.]

There you go, Death's head with bit of cat? Got that covered.

[cider makes her bold, and she'll give the newly crowned cat a playful boop on the nose.]

[vi has made the grey parts grey. after a long look, she decides it's fine. she can do the white now, although she stops to mix the tiniest amount of grey in it. there. now it's better. she talks as she paints, sometimes pausing overlong, or selecting a different brush, or a sponge to fade the edge.]

Nah. It's not me. It's cause they're special wolves. Lady's a direwolf, so she's bigger, but she's um ...bonded to Sansa in a way that's kind of like---

---no, it is family. [she thinks she got that right.] And S'mores is a [headtilt] ...clinic dog. For mental wellness and stuff. So they're better behaved than some Sleepers I know.

[she smiles at that until she realizes it might be taken wrongly. she would hate to imply chizuru of all people is badly behaved.]

Not you, though! O-other Sleepers. Me included!

[vi is nodding grimly as he speaks, and she's full of answers - has to think carefully about the ones she gives.]

A fucking crazy shithole. I've been calling it Wrong Trench. I dunno if there's a word for it, but it's ...well you know, because you saw it. It's not supposed to be part of ...this. Something about it being connected to the place before Trench, but I'm not an Oldtimer---

[pinching the bridge of her nose, exhaling. word choice change.]

---a Veteran, whatever. They took me, too.

[a hard swallow, the memory of it just a blur of trying to get fang out - an order of protect my sister that was more thought than speech - she hadn't had time for speech. she can't remember how long she wandered around that place before finding the burned out remnants of the rookery.]

It's a cult of crazy people. Riteoir was part of it, but it was all---

---"The True World" this and crown of dead leaves on my head that. I met up with a friend from the Outpost, and someone else I knew. She'd gotten some people into shelter underground, but it was just...

[he knows what it was like. if he's here, that means he'd know about the ritual, would have completed it.]

Both of them knew more than me, but I think those freaks wanted to make their Trench the real Trench. And yeah, a little blood sacrifice along the way didn't seem to be out of the question, and they weren't the kind of people you could reason with. It's like they could smell dissent.

[why. vi would like to know why. she wishes she had a better answer for that part other than fragments.

we couldn't get everyone out and i couldn't find a way to get back. maybe she hadn't tried hard enough. that's what's on her face now: guilt.]

Murderbot is not sure who exactly last used this building before it found the place, but it's starting to question the wisdom in all their choices. In the few months it has been here, this is the second equine form Sleeper. At least HorrorHorse isn't a centaur, when it comes to navigating spaces. Unfortunately, that comes with a large cost on communication.

How well can horses enjoy media? Murderbot never thought it would ask itself that question. This isn't a HorseBot. It's a horse. Those are HorseEyes and HorseEars designed for horse purposes. Media is usually designed for humans. Horses cannot hold books open. Horses lack opposable thumbs (they lack unopposable thumbs too). Gaming is also out. That leaves listen to something and/or watch something. If those HorseEyes on more of the side of the face can appreciate a movie or serial the same way.

"Would you like to experience some music? Audiobook? Movie?" Murderbot asks. Even if it cannot get the full experience out of it, Murderbot isn't going to turn away the horse that clearly used to be a person (because no one brought HorrorHorse with them, and one must have been to a location to use a lamp to it, and Murderbot would have noticed if there had ever been a horse in the Feed before). Some kind of curse thing, right? That's what Waver had called it.

"Neigh... once for music, twice for audiobook, or three times for movie," it suggests.

Nightmares are a magical creature, more intelligent than the average horse. They also exist in Trench, unlike (so far as Duty knows) gryphons. For that reason or another, he could still communicate in that form earlier in the month. Vi cannot. It cannot be harder than a Resurrection Beast.

Yes and no questions might be slow and limited, but they're simpler and direct. "One, can you understand the nightmares?" Duty asks, "Two, can they understand you?"

There's more than idle curiosity to his questions, but he's as calm as ever. Concerned but not worried.

I think a little bit of color shall be good.

[Maul usually just goes for red and black as a general rule but right now he's feeling a little festive. Might as well give into the spirit of the holiday!]

[ Kainé's brow furrows, her interest caught. She really should be more conscientious as a hunter, rather than doing it all so ad hoc. It's a good thing she hunts with people that have those sorts of connections. ]

Huh. You'll have to tell me about that.

[ But those serious thoughts are interrupted by the massive shadowy canine returning to them with the requested alcohol. Kainé raises an eyebrow, but it isn't much trouble for her. She just tucks a couple of them into the deep pockets of her long, dark, coat. She pops the last one open and takes a gulp. ]

My, aren't you exuberant? I suppose I'd best keep you from wreaking to much havoc, hound.

[ The omen may say that, but a low, rumbling purr sounds from his chest, and his tail flicks back and forth. ]

Have fun, you two. Use protection if you fuck, we don't need more of you.

[ She waves him off before he can be indignant. ]

Yeah? What's the plan?

[ Hopefully Vi isn't touching Chizuru's face with the paint at the exact moment she says that last part, because it sure makes the girl - involuntarily, even, she can't help it! - burst out into laughter.

It's not laughter that seems to make fun of Vi though. No, the laughter is very bright and genuine. It's innocent. ]

I don't think you're included in that!

[ She manages to say that as she slowly gets her laughter back under control, now just a fond smile on her face. ]

I mean, I suppose I can't speak for other people.. but you have been very kind to me every single time we've spoken so far. You're helping me out this time as well!

[ So there's no way she could think of Vi as being someone who doesn't behave. ]

[ It's the madness of it all that's the problem, an absence of logic. Try to search for it, and it'll just slip from your fingers; or so it does for Robby. Because how can a place like that exist? How can it pull people in, and what does it mean? If he thinks too hard about it, his head just hurts. ]

So it was one of those...dream spaces? You said, that other place -- that was the dream one of those Pthumerians made.

[ It's the only part he can hold onto, right now. Neither of them know anything, the bare details, and it isn't as if either of them can do anything about that place now, what's done.

Robby doesn't even know what satisfaction an answer to that question will bring, but it's also a question that isn't as upsetting as everything else. His sinuses already ache, his lungs, the rest. He already knows the end result to any of this, called it before:

Shit happened, people died, and there's nothing that can change that.

What would be the best outcome, then? To not care. To draw in that weakness, and to shut it away, just like Kreese had taught him. ]

Oh, finally. Someone who can give her instructions without her trying to communicate that she is trying to communicate. Eden, she knew she could count on you. A look of relief even just at the suggestion might pass the horse's face, and the tail flicking is there, but not as fast.

Maybe just listening to a movie might work like the meditation? If roof-jumping works (or flying, that had worked for the batcat body), and dancing works, who's to say that a movie can't be an audiobook stand-in? No one, that's who.

So she'll neigh three times, being very careful about it - and somehow surprised every time the noise comes out. It's a fearsome sound, even as timidly as she's trying to make it. Her own neighs are giving her anxiety.

HorrorHorse wants a movie. See, big scary things aren't always that big and scary. Okay, the horse is still big, but Murderbot isn't scared. "Sounds good," Murderbot says. "Follow me."

The horse may know where the movie theater is, but most people won't expect a horse—especially of the big and scary and nervous variety—coming through. Partially to decide what to play, partially because it wants to figure out who the horse is, Murderbot keeps up the same kind of questioning. It's a little like working with a BotPilot, a nervous BotPilot of a big ship.

"Neigh once for something you've seen before, twice for something new," Murderbot asks.

Vi follows, a bit slow, and there's little rhythm to her pace because she's trying to stay controlled, easy, steady. Breathe in strength, breathe in slow, breathe out bullshit, breathe out anxiety. One hoof, and the next, and well, this was easier when she wasn't boxed in ...or full of caffeine. But she's able to awkwardly make the short trek without catastrophe. (Horsetastrophe?)

One neigh, and a very slow exhale after. Breathe out bullshit.

Something HorrorHorse has seen before. It's had two main series of movie events, one of which has a horror horse in it. HeadlessHorseman feels a bit too... on the nose you could say.

The view from drones let it know no one is in the little cinema right now, so Murderbot leads HorrorHorse in. The sign above the door switches to indicate it is in use. "How about Fast & Furious?" Murderbot asks, "I'm thinking Tokyo Drift since it's not as connected to the others." Nor was it the most popular movie in the series, so far as audience attendance went.

It would offer the horse a seat, but Murderbot doesn't think it would fit. Instead, Murderbot takes an aisle seat and invites the horse to stand or lie down near it.

She can lie down! There's enough room here to lie down. As much as she knows this body can sleep whilst standing, there's too much human (and not enough horse) remaining behind to really lean into that. Anything she can do to lessen the load of stress is a welcome blessing, and while she's mused this anxiety in this body might be good in a fight, it's useless in any other capacity.

She lumbers down with none of the grace she should have - mostly because she's so slow, so hesitant about it, but she gets there, and that's relieving, too. She lets out a little nicker.

And one neigh for yes. And then looks up at Eden, shaking her head up and down in a slow nod. She will punctuate that with a smile that she puts every ounce of "not a threat" into. It looks more like she's showing her teeth for inspection. I mean, isn't that kind of what a toothy smile is?

Bots can look like anything, so long as its useful. Even this horse form isn't out of the question. Sometimes people want their fantasy with all the tech of today. Such as HorseBots. It's easy enough then to relax a little. The neigh, again, a form of communication. As simple in its way as images.

Murderbot starts the film and looks over at the... smiling HorrorHorse. It's then that the symbol on her (yes, alas, it can tell that's a female horseform) side makes Murderbot stare at it longer. It looks between the pattern and the weird horse smile and back again.

"Vi?" Murderbot asks, as epic sounds start coming over the system.

"Yes! Yes, it's me! You got it in one shot!" but she doesn't say any of that, it's just a series of enthusiastic Horse Sounds. Though that doesn't matter now, because Eden knows who she is, and that she's not really a Nightmare. (Well, not in that sense.)

She nods again for emphasis, and she's so excited at the breakthrough that she starts to get up again, and has to stop, to concentrate on settling back down. Familiar room, familiar face, familiar sounds, familiar music.

Now that Eden's recognized her she closes her lips and gives a little huff, takes another deep breath.

Those sure are positive responses. HorrorHorseVi goes through all the horsey motions, and Murderbot watches for potential property damage. It wouldn't know how to handle being a horse, and Vi's had some trouble, trouble HorseHorses wouldn't have.

"All right, all right," Murderbot says, smiling a little. "You're still welcome here as a horse. The elevator's even working." In case it's true horses cannot walk down stairs. It's happy enough hanging out together, being there for Vi in this new form, even with the communication difficulties.

Perhaps for the first time, Vi has been the one with the most awkward (truly, horribly, uncannily) smile count, but that's fine. There will be a time when she'll look back on this fondly. Maybe a time that she can say "Hey, Eden, remember that time we watched Tokyo Drift and I was a horse?".

There are better memories of the Feed, but this one will still be listed as a pro rather than a con - that part's a no brainer.

Partway through the film, the horse that is Vi begins to snore a little, having finally calmed down enough to sleep. It's a little owed to exhaustion, but it's more the familiar comforts, and even the loudest of noises, and most importantly: crew.

[pulling the brush back just in time but now she's checking to make sure she didn't make a mistake - which is hard to do when chizuru's laughing.]

No, I'm definitely included. Ask ...a lot of people. Ask my Omen, even. She's a wolf, too, kinda.

[there's a smile now, and she's relieved that there's no mistake, and that chizuru's smiling. a spill of smoke slips out of vi's chest and settles into a regular sized wolfdog with golden eyes. they sparkle with mischief as she speaks.]

ᴠɪᴏʟᴇᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇᴅ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ.

[vi doesn't quite know what face to make. she knows she's being trolled, but it's not like she can argue. she can, but it won't be in her interests.]

Thanks, Fang. Thanks. Fang, this is Chizuru. Chizuru, this is Fang.

[the omen will give a polite little bending bow, and return to her seated, smiling position while vi switches to the black paint.]

[she's got the paint for that! or, rather, the skill as well. she follows the red areas and makes them grey, black, white, and suddenly with a small addition of a new color, they become more chrome than anything else, but also shadowed, shaded. she adds in a bit of a scaled effect at the outermost edges, fading them into black. that part's surprisingly easy, though he might hear mutters of breathe in strength breathe out bullshit as she works, and she steps back to assess at least thrice.]

Pick a color, violet or green.

[he's going to be a dragon, but she's using a bit of her homeworld inspiration here. and his horns will also get paint, she just hasn't decided what kind yet.]

[Maul sits there patiently, letting his face be painted. Even now, having someone this close to him means fighting the instincts that are bone deep. They tell him anyone this close is a threat, that he needs to hurt them, to kill before they get the chance to do the same thing to him. He pushes them down and buries them away in the back of his mind, telling them to be quiet.

He lets Vi do her work and deliberately doesn't look in any of the mirrors in the shop because he wants this to be a surprise. When she asks, he answers:]

Green.

Simple, direct questions are good. They're especially good in this situatio, but her answers are a little more complicated. Duty's almost always direct, but not so much because he's simple. It's more the opposite, she suspects. Still waters and all that. So maybe her answers won't be a total bust - he's proven really good at reading people, and gauging what they're capable of.

And that's probably why he's in charge, here.

Okay. So first question: can she understand them? Kind of? Their expressions are less frightening to her, but she hasn't picked up on nuance. So she pauses - there's the start of a nod, but then it's a bit of a shrug as she tries to raise her horse shoulders and tilt her head to one side. What's horse for "I'm not sure?"

Second question? The same answer, only slightly less of a shrug. Wojciech had seemed to understand something. He'd sniffed at her, made a noise that was only mildly horrifying, and then he'd offered her a carcass. He stared for a long time when she refused it, and then directed his sounds at the herd. So ...he understood something.

She tries a bit of speech, inwardly rolling her eyes at herself, "Am I making any sense, here? Or is this sounding like angry horse noises?"

[vi laughs at kainé's remark about the omens, and her gaze turns fond as fang enthusiastically and largely lopes off.]

Thank whoever it doesn't work like that. I think? [do omens fuck? they probably don't have to, but they don't have to eat either and ...thanks kainé, that will be keeping her up at night now.] Nope, don't need more of those.

I dunno. Tonight was kind of a fuck plans sort of night. Except for this. [a nod to the parade as it passes. it's loud, bright and seems neverending.]

The Outpost thing's like a failsafe in case Trench shits the bed. It's a bit of a mess out there, still, but there's a fortress, and it's becoming livable. I don't live there, but sometimes I feel like I do. Lots of beasts, like steady waves and they just keep coming. I don't hate that, though.

[a laugh.]

Sometimes staying out of trouble is boring.

He watches carefully in return. As she wants tea, Vi has not gone full nightmare. Neither can she communicate the ways she is used to. Human body language mapped onto a horse body, that's what he expects. That makes for one odd looking odd looking horse.

Duty nods. He tilts one raised hand back and forth a couple times. "More or less," Duty declares. More or less, Vi understands something of the other nightmares. More or less, the others understood her. More or less, Duty understands the vibe Vi gives off, if not the specifics.

"Would you like Snow's help?" Duty asks. He doesn't feel the need, but he's not the one transformed in the moment. Even if Vi doesn't need it this moment, she may want the help later on. This will last three days after all.

Nice to meet you. [ Chizuru says to the Omen - even bowing her head a little in return, wanting to be respectful. It helps that Vi is busy grabbing the black paint, so Chizuru can move her head this much without messing everything up..

Though she does look back at the other right after, just so Vi can continue without Chizuru still staring at the other's Omen. It's kind of excited though-- it's the first time she's seeing Fang, after all! ]

See, though? She agrees with me!

[ Thanks for proving Chizuru's point, Fang, it helps. It also makes it very hard for Chizuru to not smile as she's sitting there and allowing her face to get painted further. ]

You're such a nice person, and you're helping other people out.. What isn't well-behaved about that?

yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

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