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

a [vi can be found in a few locations for facepainting with both harmless paint and paint that's more like than not to merge a sleeper with its mask. if she knows you well, she might be doing that very painting from the rookery kitchen, or perhaps from ursula's if you're a casual acquaintance...]

b [...two days during the week (a perfectly respectable every other day tues & thurs situation) vi can reliably be found at ursula's ink. she's in and out at other times when the mood suits, or if she has an appointment: she's extra early because oh no what if she's late??

this month, one will find her in her corner station next to a large window, fiddling with her inks, setting and re-setting down her tools to make room for paints, of which there is an assortment! there's glittery paint, glowy paint, and she's unusually overwhelmed by the choices here. her (still growing) portfolio is not at it's usual place on the other end of that table - it's in various stages of re-arranging depending on the day. (it's full of mostly blackwork, a growing number of color pieces here and there, some similar to what's on her skin, as well as geometric shapes, and an assortment of creatures both of trench and not. fancy a nightmare steed? she's got several of those in various stages of completion, and a few pieces of portraiture that are not compiled in the book scattered about. or not. she can't seem to decide if they should be in the book or out of the book, and yes, they're all d. except for the one that's jinx.)

it's possible she's meditating - or trying to, and if that's the case it's a crapshoot here: she might have just recharged her chill and forced that vileblood anxiety down and away for a time, or she could have been so startled that she's even more anxious and maybe has to start all over.

vi will busy herself until she sees a face, familiar or strange. don't worry, if you're afraid of needles, she's got that covered, too: she's a vileblood, and she doesn't charge extra if you need a bit of numbing up. she's got a small sign that says as much, but it also comes with a warning. best not to lie about broken skin, etc. - because you could die. and she will not be held responsible for that. there is a form to sign. it is very professional.

no, wait, there needs to be another form after the paint has had ....incidents.]

c [she's also made a couple stops for private painting - perhaps someone is too sleepy (manabu) or doesn't wish to make the trek anywhere further than their own sofa or kitchen table - vi has got you. or, at least she thinks she has you. maybe she doesn't. so many choices. so many colors. she should really just pause to check on her sister - hold on. wait, which brush did she pick up? sorry about that, she'll switch to the other one.

not all of the paint is cursed - there seems to be a mix up between batches.]

Edited 2022-10-08 17:45 (UTC)

[vi is wearing a either a cat (early october) or a unicorn mask (later in the month), nodding to the music as a float or a kite passes - a bottle of cider in her hand and a look of relief on her face as her anxiety ebbs for a moment, singing along to lyrics she's only just picking up, getting them wrong sometimes (it's fine) and pausing here and there to take a deep breath, to use the music as a mantra - breathe out. just feel the fucking nonsense float away. breathe in strength, breathe out bullshit. she's good, mostly. are you?]

[turns out that being a batcat is not all bad.

it had been frightening at first - the shrinking, the moving of things - but vi has been mercifully spared the finer memories of it - and it had been more like transforming into a squid again, though as familiar as that had felt ...this was the opposite.

the pros? she can fly. sort of. this batcat is a bit of a fail at first, tumbling over herself and dropping without meaning to - opening her mouth to speak and only getting a shouty meow that sounds decidedly less questioning than she'd meant it. her what the fuck had sounded like anything but.

another pro? catnapping is a meditation of sorts, and after the initial kerfluffle, which tires her out she curls into a little sleepy ball of cat and when she wakes: it's not so bad? she will zoom with other batcats and learn quickly to do loop de loops whilst engaging in friendly tussling with murderpaws. she will mew at vhagar and knight and the wolves, and perhaps she has perched on your shoulder ...whoever you are?

if you are jinx she will be extra cuddly, and she will bring you food. this batcat? definitely seen carrying a sandwich here, a small container of noodles there, flitting from foodstall to foodstall, and at one point definitely pilfering a candy apple for her sister.

she also sits sulkily on a bar-top, sniffing the air and trying to get your attention if she'd planned to meet you here for drinks.

batcat shows up for work, too. batcat shows up for all her appointments as long as she gets those naps in.]

[the nightmare that approaches seems more cautious (anxious?) than the others - definitely more curious and willing to make eye contact than the rest of the herd - and if one keeps track of this sort of thing it'll be a noticeable +1 to the outpost herd ...maybe also if one doesn't keep track because it's wearing neither sash nor sigil, and if she comes close enough her markings look a bit more like gears than swirls.

wojciech, the stallion she'd recently befriended after an extended period of misunderstandings, isn't sure what to make of her. she smells like one of them but also poison (??) and there's the stink of anxiety that hovers over her like a cloud. she smells like his (sigh) human and though he tries his best - he had led her to the freshest beast carcass of the lot and she had poked at it with her horn, side eyeing his peace offering and finding that while she does find this appetizing on some level, a remaining part of her is completely put off by it and...

...would possibly prefer some tea. (???)

so she goes in search of that, venturing near the outpost walls, tossing her head like a nod. using her horn to point. pawing at the ground.

does she keep trying to catch your eye? yes. are there a few threads of pink in her mane and tail? also yes.]

Edited 2022-10-08 17:50 (UTC)

[vi isn't sure how the lamp understood her when she requested the entertainment feed - perhaps it had been another speaking at the same time (had someone helped her out?), but all the same she's ...well.

she's there.

this is a small space, and she hadn't thought this through when she'd voiced it (more a scream than anything else) - but now there's a panicked nightmare in a familiar space - the anxiety causing her to rear up and then ground herself, huffing, backing up, turning, and turning again.

fuck. she's bumped into something. which she suddenly tries to bite. vi finds that horsing is much more difficult than catting. for one: the meditation is just ...inexplicably harder. small bonus: she doesn't even need to close her eyes.

let the horseshit (ugh) of the external world fade from your awareness. if you find your mind wandering to other thoughts...

...don't let it concern you. just acknowledge that all that shit is fucking bullshit. you’re here now, in this place, with your inner still---

fuck. her tail has flicked - something's fallen. sorry about that. the nightmare sheepishly smiles - or attempts to. to anyone looking on it might seem a threat. what had she thought she could accompish here? in retrospect it seems like a bad idea - and she winces as someone approaches.]

[ Beatrice is laughing as she mingles with the crowd along the route of the parade. She's dressed for it as well, a stark black dress, glittering with dark gems that catch the light, while her face is covered by a half-mask in the guise of a death's head. A bottle of something in her hand--wine, probably, she sways along up to Vi with a brilliant smile, wips of blonde hair falling about her face. ]

Oh, this is wonderful. I think this is my favorite month so far!

Hey, where'd you come from?

[ Battler is a little surprised to find a batcat perched on his shoulder but he's not that upset by the idea. He sways a little with the weight and then reaches up to offer his hand. As far as he knows, she's just an animal! Which might not be the best assumption, but hey. ]

What makes you like my shoulder so much?

[she doesn't know this sleeper, but that's never stopped her before - and it's not about to stop her now as she settles in, getting the hang of retracting her claws just enough so that she can balance and grip. she sees why visenya does this. it's comfortable, and it's a nice way to get a headbutt in just against a waiting chin. oh! that's a hand. which she sniffs - making a surprised face (perhaps too surprised for a batcat, it's a very ...personlike expression) - she is continuously shocked by how different and overwhelming things smell. she's only been a cat for a day, and it not yet tired of it.

forgetting for a moment that she can't speak as she's used to, she attempts to answer his question, but it all comes out in a series of punctuated and very purposeful meows.]

[squints. oh. that's ...the pretty witch she'd gotten bristly about. she's seen her around the sanctuary, but they've never really spoken aside from that ridiculous network misunderstanding. hadn't it been a misunderstanding? probably. she'd been prickly. it shouldn't still bother her. why is it suddenly all she can think about?]

I don't hate it! [she has to raise her voice a little over the music, but this whole thing is a good break from her new hobby of worrying. that seems to have resurfaced now that beatrice has appeared. it's a good costume, and vi can't help but look her over. which she will also later worry about. but right now she will redirect with a compliment, as she gestures to the mask.] That's a sick outfit! I like your mask.

[ Awww, that's adorable. So far Battler still doesn't think that this batcat is anything more than a particularly friendly and intelligent animal! He gives her a little grin and leans his head back a little to try and get a look at her as he scratches under her chin. ]

Oh, I see, I see. You just want somewhere to perch, don't you?

[ Which is probably mostly correct but not because he's understood anything. ]

[ Why would you ever be worried about talking to the Witch you offended, Vi? That's just crazy! She would never do anything to you, right? Beatrice laughs as she's complimented, though. Apparently she's easy to placate with a bit of flattery.

Or seems to be. ]

Kihihi! It's a good mask, isn't it? Though I don't know what exactly is 'sick' about a black dress, I'm sure someone somewhere must find it not to their liking...

[there's nothing to give her away - a faint pinkish tinge to her fur in the right light (probably not even weird or noticeable considering) - darker splotches on her front legs and back - one under her left eye, but she's an ordinary grey tabby with notably blue eyes. that close under the power of chin scratches, which she loves. a thing she did not have to learn: how to purr. the sound comes out immediately. and she can understand his words! so she pries herself away from the petting for just a moment to try and make eye contact, and to very firmly nod up and down. with meow for emphasis. ]

Aw, well, you can hang out with me for a bit if you want. I don't much mind the company!

[ He gives her another happy little scratch. ]

You're a strange little thing, though. Like... bat and a cat put together, but I guess I can't complain about that. You're still a cutey!

[ When Chizuru heard about the face painting, she didn't just want to ignore it - not when ignoring anything can come with a risk in a place like Trench.

.. but on the other hand, she also had no idea how to go about this. She's never done anything like it, after all. And no matter how hard it is for her to reach out for help, people in this place have told her over and over to just do that if she needs it.

It still means she waffles for about half an hour while holding her Omni, but in the end she manages to send a message over to Vi to ask for help with painting her face - and after arranging to meet in person for it, Chizuru makes her way over to the Rookery. ]

.. Miss Vi? [ Chizuru slowly speaks up as she arrives. ] I'm here.

[Scorpia's dragged herself over to a bar in hopes that a drink will wake her up. But once she gets there, she quickly sees something else that makes her feel alert. Her eyes widen with joy as she beholds the creature on the counter!]

Kitty!! [She reached her arms over with a gentle attempt to scoop the batcat into her arms, while registering the details as she goes along.] ...With wings!

(jinx isn't sure what is up with this creature. she's been noticing whenever she wakes up from sleeping for the billionth time, it's sitting outside of her window sill with food. but luckily for the batcat, jinx has a soft spot for animals. so despite how she feels, she always lets it in.

this particular time is no different than the last time the batcat shows up. jinx stands up, bitches and moans, then drags her feet to the window. she lifts it up and then instantly turns her back to the animal.)

I'm gonna just leave it open from now on. So you can just... do whatever, I don't care.

(she grumbles while forcing her body to move to the couch; immediate flop with her eyes shut. )

Edited 2022-10-11 04:19 (UTC)

[oh no. where she might normally shrug it off and explain, vi blinks - slight panic rising.]

I meant sick in the good way. I know, I know, sometimes words don't make sense, but it's a compliment, like 'cool' or 'badass'. Sick can be both of those.

I like your outfit.

[is she staring too much? she'll look out at the crowd just in case. can't be awkward if you're not making eye contact, right?]

[ The moon is hard on the Vilebloods this month. Even with the Crescent Moon Pendant that she'd received for her Blessed Day in July, she's been anxious and irritable. But she can't let it interrupt her life. The threats that Hunters protect against don't stop, and neither can she. And sometimes that rhythm of life is something that seems perfectly innocuous. Like this masked costume parade.

She wears a leopard mask, standing back a little ways from the crowd as she takes in the sights and sounds of a grim city in celebration. She nods at Vi as she takes a swig from a bottle of beer. ]

This is more like it. Didn't know this town could throw a party that didn't involve people dying and shit.

Edited 2022-10-12 02:30 (UTC)

[hi. hello. vi is already at the door, because ...what if she's supposed to meet someone? and good thing she'd been there, because she was supposed to, and if she hadn't been here ...just now she would have missed them, and that is unacceptable.

she'd been so busy worrying about the paint that she'd forgotten about the appointment even though that's what the paint was for - but she's ended up in the right place at the right time so everything is absolutely fine, right?]

Chizuru! Hi. I'm here, too.

[she waves off her own awkwardness, gestures for the sleeper to come inside, and will seem perfectly composed until they reach said kitchen, at which point vi will puzzle for a moment before asking:]

Do you want to have a seat? Or we can do this with you standing if that's...

...more comfortable?

[she will cover her sudden worry over seating with a huge grin. it's fine. this is normal. here is the smile of a confident person.]

[she knows this is futile, but she tries anyway to make the sounds - to vocalize a 'hey scorpia!' and then 'it's me, vi', and finally just a simple 'hi' - it's all a series of meows and trills, and she frowns at the end of it, lets out a little kitty sigh and instead lets herself be scooped.

the scooping is nice, and there's lots of room for her to settle against those claws, her wings giving a little flap as she does so. it's nice to be somewhere her human self would choose - even though she's not quite tired of flying around the city just yet - but she's beginning to wonder just how long this is going to be. so far no one's been able to read her thoughts. or guess at the truth beneath this tiny form. if she thinks on it too much she'll have to nap again, and she just did that. she reaches up a paw to hang in the air - if scorpia leans in she will hold the pose a moment longer before she closes in to gently boop the woman's nose.]

[if a cat could smile, well, that's what's happening, a little grin to reveal her fangs but friendly all the same, and a little proud at being called cute. of course she is cute, it's practically a requirement - it's batcat 101, and she is happy to make your acquaintance battler, even if she doesn't know your name and can't give hers.

or can she?

she gently lifts herself into the air to flutter in front of him, nose scrunching up in concentration before nodding and holding up a paw, tapping her own chest with it and then reaching toward him in turn. she's trying to point, but she can't quite.]

[this cat comes bearing a whole basket. it's heavy, but vi is an uncommonly strong batcat, and she manages to heft the thing all the way to the rookery and now into the room (it's practically routine now) - taking a look around to make sure everything is okay, sniffing the air because cat senses, before beginning to unpack it in a way that's somewhere between human and cat. grabbing a container with both paws she manages open it after a time - gently picking up the stick end of 'meat on a stick' in her teeth and fluttering up and over to hold it in front of jinx's nose.

sleepy or not, you gotta eat, jinx.]

(despite how wonderful that meat-on-a-stick smells, jinx wrinkles her nose and groans as she nudges her head away from the food.)

Come off it, will ya? I ate like... yesterday. I won't die if I skip a day. 'Sides, you can live between eight to twenty-one days without food. As long as I keep up with the liquids.

(she sits up though because if not, this batcat will just be all in her face and she needs some breathing room. another hand goes through her bangs then a gaze to the animal.)

Don't you like... have a family? I'm sure they're probably worried about you. You should be doing this to them and me.

Edited 2022-10-12 04:17 (UTC)

[Good, good, this is very good!! Not all cats are very receptive to being held like this, so Scorpia's so delighted by the reactions of this little winged cat! Listen to all those adorable little meows.]

Aw, aren't you a cute one! Hey there Kitty, I'm Scorpia! I'm your new friend, yes I am! [Her eyes widen as the little paw is raised up.] What's that? Got something to say?

[She leans forward slightly - and is booped. Scorpia rumbles with delighted laughter.]

You got me!! You are a total sweetheart!

[ Huh. Battler blinks, as if he's trying to interpret the little signals she's making. She's a very intelligent cat, apparently. ]

Uh-

[ He frowns. ]

I'm... Battler?

yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

anxious tattoos/facepainting [open and closed all month]

black parade [open all month]

unmask [open early october]

unmask but it's a murder horse [closedish to duty : later october]

unmask : steed in the feed [closed to eden : later october]

early october;

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a

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Early October

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