deercountry | [Open] 🚬 October Flames

Prompt One ... SECOND DEATH

[what'd he forget? can't be that important. where he placed something at first had been nothing more than a simple misgiving, a mistake despite his normal attention to his stores. but it's only after he returned to the bar and learned he'd forgotten a meeting with a potential trade that the wariness began to settle in. forgetting things. there plenty of things in dabi's life he'd be more than happy never to remember, but so many other things, the majority of things, that he would be furious if he ever lost hold of. it's that risk alone that sends him off to inquire and skulk about, searching for details in the Archives or interrogating a Trench local (level of aggression in doing so varies) to find out what was going on. he isn't going to continue losing the things that created him to some damn creature thinking he's a pleasant meal, and that involves learning as much as he can about the issue, and more importantly how to stop the process and rid himself of it.]

[another creature. of course it'd be another damn monster. on the one hand, why the hell does this place continually crap out creatures that plague them over and over?! on the other hand, at least it's something physical, something mortal, that can be killed, rather than left to the whims of some natural event no one can handle. but draugr's aren't easily dispatched from the sounds of it. locating the one hunting you isn't as simple as shining a light around and striking it on the face. dabi's left with the two routes:
to let the creature continue to feed on his memories until it's visible and corporeal enough to finally lash out and attack the draugr.
... or ...
to join up with a group of hunters and sleepers alike and hunt down the draugrs feeding off others, ultimately taking out their own stalkers.
either option is going to see him getting into a fight with the creature, whether he's hunting them down with others, the intense heat and ferocity of his blue flames making a far greater asset to battling the draugrs, or getting into a personal scuffle with his memory-stealing fiend.]

Edited 2022-10-11 20:54 (UTC)

Prompt Two ... UNMASKED

[the black parade. doesn't sound so bad in most places, but in trench, it's something any logical person would want to stay away from. if most of their experience came from being a sleeper in trench. dabi listened in on the conversations about the black parade on the network, figuring it's best not to get too involved with the celebrations and festivities. he's taken instead to skulking around in the back, keeping to the shadows and lingering under the eaves of houses along the way. because curiosity is still a thing. while he could've easily gotten a perch atop a roof and waited out the entire thing from that vantage point, that would've prevented him from occasionally pilfering from the parade stalls parked on the streets. no one's going to miss an apple pinched here, or a fried skewer there. and no one's going to see him doing that, or calling him out on his ill-gotten gains, right? but he'll be there, watching the parade from the shadows and munching on the occasional treat. hey, it's something that only happens once a year, so might as well see what the fuss was about.]

[it's several minutes after the main parade has finished and faded into the distance that the first raucous starts. someone shouts and something breaks, there's a bark of alarm and a yell of anger. leaving others around to think it's nothing more than an accident or a drunken brawl ready to start. but that's not what follows. those snarling sounds, the ripping of cloth and crashing of wood. startled yelps evolve into screeches and screams and an unearthly call rings throughout the streets. one here. and suddenly one there. dabi shrinks back in the shadows, watching from the dip in the alley as people go running past, trailing party clothes and costumes. the hell's going on out the-

whoosh!

... okay that was not human. or humanoid at least. whatever flashed by the entrance to the alley had wings, scales, and a long tail. nope! not sticking around for this. damn place doesn't have much in the way of fire escape ladders, so dabi takes the quick way up. a sharp jet of flame from his feet to propel him onto the rooftop. alighting, he heads to the edge, one foot on the rim and arms folded over his tented knee to better survey the panic below.

monsters rampaging through the remains of the parade. ain't that fucking expected...]

[Maul's been a Carnotaurus for almost three days now. While the first two were mostly amusing, no one is going to be laughing right now. Maul's mind has succumbed to the dinosaur instincts. When he looks around, all he sees are these insignificant little creatures invading his territory. They're small and weak, the perfect sort of prey for the predator to hunt. While he's been on the perimeter of the festivities and hard to miss, now he steps right into the midst of the black parade.

Everyone goes silent as the giant beast stands there, sniffing out what is before him. Even if they don't know what is about to happen, the instincts of people will tell them that something very bad is about to happen. His head is moving from side to side as his yellow eyes take in the crowd, noting where the weak and slow ones are at. He scrapes his clawed feet against the ground, preparing to charge. Then he lowers his head a little and lets out an ear-splitting roar before he charges into the crowd, snapping at anyone who comes within his sight, trying to rip them apart.]

[that's... a monster. not a monster, per say, but dabi's from earth; of course he'd recognize a fucking dinosaur! it's that reality alone that tells him this is likely a corrupted sleeper rather than something trench local in nature. he narrows his eyes at the creature below him. something familiar about it... the black and red is definitely born from its original (dinosaurs highly likely didn't have that coloration) and his mind quickly puts together black+red+horns+yellow+eyes = that person from the archives: maul.

darth, but they're not on first name basis yet. hissing, he claps his hand over his ears as a wince squirms across his face. bastard's gonna wake the dead with that kind of roaring. people are already running away from the rampaging beast, doing their damnest to cram into alleys or run around obstacles to make it more difficult to reach them. though the lion's share are simply tearing down the street like idiots, directly in the path of a creature much larger and much faster than them. with a larger appetite too...]

Tch- [he's no fucking hero, and it's not for the people that he's bothering to do this for. but rather out of a sense of irritated pride that someone like maul would be corrupted into a beast. he knows little about the man, but could tell from their single encounter the warrior had both pride and suffering in his past. some resonate between them.

dabi lifts his hand and blue fire spews forward, crashing into the ground in front of the creature. catches a few people in the flames, but they're easily-dismissed collateral as the wall of searing azure flares up between the shops on either side of the street. maul's free to charge into them, but those flames are hotter than 2,000°C...]

Oy, oy... Ya looked better smaller.

[One person is slower than the rest, Maul grabs him by the leg and pulls him back. He screams in terror until Maul lets go and grabs him around the middle instead. With a few quick bites, he snaps his spine and tosses him to the side. He'll come back to eat him later, for right now, he wants all these little creatures out of his new territory.

He charges after them until there's suddenly a blue wall of flames blocking his way.

When the fire starts up right in front of him, Maul stops dead in his tracks. He looks from side to side trying to find a way around them, scraping his clawed feet when he discovers they stretch from one side of the street to the other. Then he lets out a roar of frustration. Maul's an enraged beast right now but he's not stupid. He still has enough intelligence to realize heading straight into the fire will roast him alive.

He furiously looks around for someone he can take out his frustrations on. Considering where his head height is currently at, he's practically able to look Dabi right in the eye. His yellow eyes narrow as he spots the man and a deep growl comes from his throat.]

[gross. didn't even have the decency to eat the man. first the leg, then the middle. does that mean the beast isn't hungry and rather simply playing with his prey? or is this some other intent... dabi narrows his eyes at the scaled hide below him; it's not his problem, but here he is, putting a wall of flames between the rest of the street and the overgrown rampaging lizard.

what to do. immolate him and then hang around the farther shores until maul washes up? or try to figure out a way to get him to change back? is this a corruption-related thing, or something pertaining to the ongoing parade? the former would indicate getting maul to the sanctuary or a similar place, but dabi's never been one to bother saving another person. the latter would suggest a way to change the man back, though does he want to waste the time trying to figure out what that is... good question.

good to know maul's got enough sense to avoid trying to go through the flames. dabi regards him with a stoic gaze. he's got him where he wants him, but isn't entirely sure what to do with him. that massive head swings around and suddenly the villain finds himself eye(s) to eye with the saurian behemoth. so he noticed.]

Don't suppose ya can tell me what's goin on... [and ignites a ball of flame on his hand.] Guess we'll do it this way.

[and pitches it down towards maul's feet, seeing if that'll get him to back up.]

[When Maul has a fireball tossed his way, he does a strange hop-skip that backs him up away so that he doesn't get his clawed toes singed off. He roars out in rage, now fully enraged that someone is preventing him from chasing all the rest of the people out of his territory.

He stops for a moment, caught with indecision on his face as he tries to figure out what to do. For a moment, he starts to back away down towards the street as if he's considering going elsewhere. Then he turns and charges the building Dabi is on, turning his head at the last moment so the brunt of his thick, heavily-muscled body rams into the building, causing it to wobble dangerously for a moment. He's trying to knock the superpowered man off-balance. Then he backs up and stares Dabi in the eyes again, glaring at him.]

[they're already all running away from him, ergo, out of his territory. stupid overgrown lizard. dabi notes the creature's retreat. so he's acting more on animal instinct now, avoiding fire rather than trying to charge through it. cool. forcing maul to back up and drive him out of the city would lessen the damage... how this place manages to keep buildings standing with all this shit happening is sometimes beyond him.

dabi's attention laxes for a moment when the dinosaur ends up backing off towards the street, opting to head elsewhere. he's not about to play blockade with maul, so if he's going t-

SHIT!

the entire building rams with a quaking tremor as maul slams his entire body into the side, causing glass to shatter, beams to snap, and plaster-like material to crack and rain down. dabi wobbles immediately, staggering on the rooftop. hell if he's going down with this thing! blue flames jet out below, blasting from his legs to keep him airborne as the building rocks and slowly settles. leaves him floating on the fire for a few seconds before landing again. of course maul's gonna redo that crap...]

Ya really wanna get killed, huh...

[dabi trails off as another sound rises up from elsewhere, some higher-pitched squeal. another monster? perhaps. turquoise eyes flick towards it before he looks back at maul and points in the direction of the noise.]

Sic 'em.

[hey, it's worth a shot. otherwise, he's gonna chase (or lead) the horned dinosaur in attempt to crash him into the newly-arrived (assumed) monster.]

[Maul's preparing up for a second charge at knocking the building down when Dabi suddenly isn't there anymore. He whirls around at pretty fast speeds for something so big. Apparently, he's light on his feet despite his size. He glares at Dabi, tilting forward and ready to take care of this problem with a few good-sized chomps.

But his little dinosaur brain can only focus on one enemy at a time. His attention gets turned away off to the side as he realizes there's another creature in his territory. This enrages Maul and he lets out another loud roar. Dabi may be able to produce fire, but he is also human-sized and therefore able to be taken care of in two bites. A monster the same size as him is going to take more effort to get rid of.

Maul turns his attention towards the monster and then back toward Dabi, torn between which one he should take care of first.]

[shit, this guy's fast even when it's a giant lizard. dabi narrows his eyes at the creature below. he didn't intend to get close to him before, but now he's even less inclined to move into maul's range. that includes lunging and jumping range as well. if he's this fast as a lumbering beast, wonder how fast he is normally... something he might find out later.

good to know that maul's brain is stereotypically small. the roar of the other monster gets his attention and dabi snarls as he claps his hands over his ears. bastard's gonna burst his drums at this rate. dream on, idiot. he's not gonna let maul eat him. if the unthinkable happened, he'd be more than ready to torch his damn head to cinders before bled out.

but that's not gonna happen and dabi pushes forward, flying overhead and leading the dinosaur's attention towards the sound of the other monster.]

I'll make that decision for ya. C'mon.

[follow the blue comet. it's heading back down the way maul came.]

[Just wait until Dabi meets him again in his normal Zabrak form. Maul's whole fighting style is based around agility and acrobatics in the martial arts style he learned to fight with. Though he lost part of his power long ago when he was sliced in half, he's still a formidable fighter as any Force-user in the town would be quick to tell Dabi.

It doesn't take long for Maul to follow Dabi as he streaks off towards the other monster. With that same agility he's shown, he chases after the human until he comes across the monster. It looks a bit like a giant gorilla with horns and sharp claws.

He gives a huff towards Dabi almost like a sound of thanks for leading him to this creature. Then Maul backs up a few steps, paws at the ground, and roars as he charges the creature, letting everyone know he is there to kick ass. He slams into the gorilla monster hard, shoving it back about ten feet as it scrambles to get its footing while Maul stabs out using the horns on his head.]

[he's already pegged the guy as a fighter, from the way he stood and how he looked in the library. not someone dabi wants to tangle with physically. then again, he doesn't like tangling with anyone physically; fisticuffs is not his forte when it comes to battle. that raging blue glow behind them? that's his forte in battle. the terror or brute force incineration.

dabi's brilliant blue flames in the sky make him pretty easy to track, considering trench is cloudy or dark more often than not. but he pulls up short upon seeing the other monster and then drops down to a nearby rooftop to cool off. can't keep using his flames too long without hurting himself. fucking bitch...

but hey, a gorilla and a dinosaur. he's seeing shades of king gong versus godzilla down there.]

Maul 'im. [look, he had to say it at some point. that's your fault for having a verb as a name. looks like the ape isn't about to go down without a fight either and quickly hurls ... hurl, right towards the charging set of horns coming in for another blow.

gross.]

[Maul is fully invested in the battle now, using his size and strength against the gorilla monster. He impales him several times, though the wounds aren't large to be fatal. Eventually, the beast grows wise to the stabbing movements Maul is making with his large head, and grabs him by the neck. Maul is stuck, unable to go forward or back.

He digs his claws in, leaving deep grooves along the street as he tries to pull away from the monster. Its sharp claws dig into his neck and it's only by virtue of the fact he keeps moving around that it hasn't sliced open a major artery to let Maul bleed out. Finally, he bites down on the creature's arm as it tries to shift its grip, and it flings Maul to the ground.

Those watching like Dabi may think it's going to take him a while to get back up given how small his arms are but the tiny dinosaur arm joke is just that. Evolution wouldn't create a creature that couldn't get back up when it fell. Maul lashes out with his back legs and takes a few deep gouges out of the creature's hind limbs, then sweeps them around in one smooth movement to get him back on his feet.

Round one is done, it's time for round two!]

[dabi watches the two beasts collide from his safe vantage point. as they rage, his mind wanders with what to do. on the one hand, there's the option of luring maul to the sanctuary and letting those idiots try and save him. on the other hand, simply killing him outright now would let him respawn in the ocean and wash back up ashore in a few days. considering what he knows of maul in their single meeting, dabi has the feeling the man would try for the "save" option.

back to the battle. the ape isn't looking too good from those lacerations on its legs, but maul's got those claw marks on his neck that suggest he'd be bleeding out if the creature gets another good swipe at his throat. tsk... now what? if he immolates the monkey beast, that'll prevent maul from getting potentially killed, but the man's still a mindless monster rampaging around. it's not like he'd come to his senses just cause someone took out his opponent.

dabi glances down, noticing the people around them watching. idiots. they're gonna get kicked up by debris and eaten.

the monkey's back on its feet as well, snorting and huffing as it faces off against the scaled titan. fuck it. might as well see what kind of brain's left inside maul's skull. blue flames charge up from the side and dabi abruptly slams a flamethrower of azure heat across the battlefield. fire splashes across the ape's shoulder and arm, immediately catching blood and fur alight and racing across its skin.

there. have at it while it's distracted. dabi's keeping a close eye to see if there's any sort of recognition in maul's behavior or actions.]

[Maul is ready to go all-out against his attacker again when suddenly he sees the blue flames light up part of the shoulder and arm of the creature. It is distracted as it tries to put out this new source of pain. Maul doesn't waste the opportunity. He quickly moves forward and bites down on the gorilla's throat with his large jaws. There's a satisfying Crunch! as he tears the creature's throat out.

The creature staggers forward a few steps and then falls forward right onto its face, stone-cold dead. Maul places a clawed foot on top of his kill. He roars out in triumph of his victory over the ape-monster. This is his territory and no one else's!

His yellow eyes fall on Dabi and watch him closely. If nothing else, he seems aware that the man was the one who had been conjuring the flames.]

[atta boy. dabi lowers his hand, watching maul take advantage of the distraction to end the creature with a gory fatality. throat rip and everything. perhaps this is a way to vent the man's beastial change? kill enough things, spill enough blood, that's usually how shit happens in trench. then again, people began to change around the festival. the parade... maybe it has something to do with that. though what happened in the parade to trigger something like this? he didn't see anything screaming copious amounts of corruption waiting to happen...

and then maul has to go bellow out an ear-splitting caterwauling. dabi quickly claps his hands over his ears, grimacing at the noise pouring through the area. great. we get it, asshole. you killed a monkey.

once it stops, dabi lowers his hand and frowns at the creature. well.. no change. so that didn't get him to transform back. he glances down at some of the people still gawking at the dinosaur.

maybe if maul eats some people...

back up to the reptilian beast.] Ya ain't gettin mine. What about theirs?

[Maul eyes the fire-producing man, the dinosaur brain considering his options. Point One: The man can produce fire and therefore is a threat. Point Two: A threat like that needs to be eaten but-- Point Three: A threat like that is also very powerful which means-- Point Four: The other people running around in fear are much easier to take care of.

Conclusion: Eat the other people on the street first and save Dabi for dessert.

Maul turns on his feet towards the number of people all trying to get away from the sight of the battle. This is one time being a gawker and looky-loo definitely is going to be a disadvantage. Maul goes after the nearest group, jaws closing in around an unfortunate man's torso and biting him nearly in two. Maul tears off part of his lower half and swallows it down in a few quick gulps. Then he turns to look for his next victim.]

[dabi can't say he's following those scaly brains in that horned head, but when maul turns his head away from him and opts to go for more of the people nearby, the choice is pretty obvious. he's gonna eat some people. tsk, this place is ridiculous. there's no pity from him for those being crunched on; they opted to stay here and gawk like idiots.

but it bothers him that he's lingering to watch maul. and silently entertaining the idea of doing something to possibly put an end to this thing.

or more along the line that he's hesitating on burning him to a crisp and instead is searching for a way to bring him back to normal. the only solution he can come up with is blood. whether that's maul consuming more or a specific person's is the unknown. he got plenty from that ape and hasn't transformed bac-

the ape.

dabi heads over to the edge of the building and looks down at the simian creature. but unfortunately, unknown to him, since the mask curse lasts 72 hours, the ape is still an ape. dammit. no answers there.

time to play babysitter to a dinosaur.

maybe he can corral him towards the woods to go attack other beasts and vent his rage/sate some hunger.]

[Dino!Maul is now a wholly terror as he charges up and down the street, crushing people beneath his scaly feet and biting them with his powerful jaws. There's bodies strewn all over the place. Some people are sustaining injuries just from the crowds panicking and running over one another as they try to get away.

He's devoured a few people already when he sees a spark of blue flame out of the corner of his eye. He turns on his heel, eyeing Dabi intently. The little dinosaur brain does remember he led him to a competitor for his territory last time. Is that what he's doing again? Maul becomes intrigued.

He takes a few steps forward, loud ones that rattle the windows in their panes and any puddles of water along the street. Dino!Maul watches him carefully, jaws partially open while some bloody drool drips out onto the pavement, waiting to see what the burned man will do next.]

[it's like watching one of those cheap movies with godzilla or one of the other monsters. but it's only a matter of time before the entire thing ends up being boring and a little disgusting. gore's never been a big thing for him, though that's likely due to his allies disintegrating people outright or just sucking their blood through a syringe.

with most everyone running away or hiding, dabi's left with the dinosaur staring at him, likely caught via attention to his flames. right. so that's how it's gonna be. a quick jump and the man's fires blasts downward, sending him arching over maul's head and dropping onto a building opposite the way. checking to see that maul's following, dabi heads forward.

one building, then the next, leading him down the road towards the woods nearby. he doesn't hear any other monsters crashing around out there or back in the city by the parade, but that's not saying there aren't. a little forest fire never failed to bring something out of the woods, but that'll be saved for later. right now, he just wants to get maul out of the city.]

[Fortunately for everyone involved, Maul's easily distracted in this form from one goal to another. He's quick to follow Dabi down the street and away from the cityscape proper. He's fast, almost catching up to the man several times, and growing a little frustrated that he keeps managing to stay one step ahead of the Carnotaurus.

Soon, they reach the woods, and Maul stops as he reaches the treeline. There's loud sniffing at he figures out where he's been led, his sense of smell better than his eyesight for figuring this out. This also looks like it would make fine territory and he can smell the scents of many creatures within the woods. Monsters and many animals within, even deer, though even with his current instincts he knows better than to go after the near-sacred creatures.

He looks at Dabi with a deep growl coming out of his throat. Why have you led him here, strange fire man?]

[leading him on works out well. it can't be the corruption. that kind of crap doesn't turn people into "neat looking" monsters like this. it must've been something else, likely related to the parade. maul's beyond speech, so there's no asking him about it either, dammit. and shit, he's fast. then again, so was gigantomachia and he was larger than buildings.

dabi has to put out more flames to both stay ahead of maul and to, ironically, not burn him.

arriving at the woods, he drops down onto a tree some ways away, making a small annoyed sound at the landing. ugh, branches sticking in his face and shirt. much easier to land on a building or cliff side, but that's not here or there. (oh, are the deer sacred? whoops. he's been the cause behind some forest fires so...) dabi adjusts his position as the dinosaur peers at him with that questioning gaze.]

Ya want blood, there's plenty out here. See if more of it won't turn you back to normal.

[as if on cue (but lucky for him) the sound of another wailing call in the forest echoes into the night. dabi can't tell if it's a beast or another transformed person, but hell if he cares. he's gonna try to keep maul in the forest till he comes back to his senses.]

[Maul’s tail lashes back and forth slowly as he listens to Dabi. He doesn’t look like he’s going to attack him. Instead, there’s an intense look of concentration as he tries to figure out with his little dino brain what the man is saying. He led him here, so there must be a purpose….

Then his head perks up and he gazes off into the forest as he hears something roar out. His nostrils quiver as he scents another monster among the trees. Oh, there’s something out there and it’s a threat to his territory. Well, there’s only one way to deal with anything in his territory. He turns to dash off into the woods to do something about it.

Just before he does, he turns towards Dabi and nods to him. Thank, fire man, for helping him to take care of threats. Then his jaws open up wide and it’s clear that the dinosaur is making the (rather creepy given all the sharp teeth) equivalent of a smile.

[this has been the strangest rendition of babysitting he's ever found himself not actually roped into. why the hell should he care what maul gets up to as a transformed dinosaur? it's not like dabi gives a shit about the people or destruction the other man would bring about during his rampage. and yet.. here he is, making sure the horned oddity is out of the city and into the woods.

perhaps it's a roundabout way of selfishly going or whatever reason he can find to avoid throwing some of his own blood into the sharp-toothed maw. doesn't know if that'll work or not, but blood seems to be the answer/reason for many problems in trench.

when maul suddenly takes note of the creature nearby and locks onto it, dabi gives a mental sigh of relief and resignation. whatever reason he's out here for, it's successful. tiny lizard brain thinking whatever territory maul's standing in is suddenly "his" or something. ah well. let him rampage out there and rip up some monsters.]

Sic 'em for the rest of us. [better he fight them than others, since maul's willing. dabi steps over to another branch and glances down at the dinosaur as it turns back towards him. the nod earns a quirked ebony brow. just how "good" is that lizard brain of his right now? ... the villain scoffs quietly and brushes maul off.] Try not to die too soon.

[the "grin" attempt earns a wry grossed look.]

Ya look like fuckin Spinner...

[now scram.]

Prompt three ... LOST IN THE WOODS

[scratch... scratch. scratch- the fuck? his eyes snap open, jerked awake by the continuous dragging against his face. in a bleary second, dabi's aware of... grass. grass in his bed. wait- he pushes up against the surface below. that's not his bed. that's solid ground. a rustling breeze carries the scent of pine and the sounds of needles and leaves drifting against each other. he's woken up in strange places before, but can't ever say he's gone to sleep in his bed and woken up in the damn woods. with his pants scuffing against the ground, dabi climbs to his feet, brushing at the grass on his knees and legs before dusting off his arms. doesn't feel like he's covered in dirt, but definitely has grass clinging to him. frowning, he looks around the place, noting the lack of birds chirping or crickets making noise. only the breeze occasionally whispering past him as he-

hm?

something's sticking him in the hand. glancing down, dabi notices the point of something gold jutting from one pocket of his pants. he tugs it out, realize that definitely had not been there before he went to sleep. round, pointed, a needle? clock face perhaps? he turns the piece over in his hand, noticing immediately it's not the entire thing. a broken part... did he land on it or something? a few minutes of standing and waiting prompts nothing so he finally starts walking. something feels strange, almost as if a lure calls him forward. trench is a tricky area, and one time you're encouraged to follow something, you find yourself lured to your doom. but other times, the only safe way out is to follow the pull.

right now, he'll bank on the latter, keeping his eyes and ears open for anyone or anything else in the woods.]

Edited 2022-10-12 03:41 (UTC)

[ If only Nico could say that this was the first time he's woken up in these very woods. At least he's fairly certain these are the same woods. He hadn't left any marks out here, but they're the same kind of trees from before. Time to make his way to see who his partner is this time.

It doesn't take him long to find a figure under the canopy of leaves, moving towards it while idly searching his own coat pockets for his completed compass. Nico had taken to keeping it on him, but now it's suspiciously absent. Here's hoping the other person has one.

And there he is, he shakes his head and moves towards Dabi. ]

Did you wake up with some kind of broken device on you? [ Just getting right to business. ]

[hm? something at the nape of his neck stands up, instincts nudging those little warning parts of his brain that there's someone nearby. could be an animal, or a monster, but no, those steps on the grass are definitely the makings of a person. he turns his head, turquoise eyes almost glowing over his shoulder. for once dabi's not actually in the robe or coat he usually wears, just a plain white t-shirt and black jeans.

he arches a brow at the young man who appears through the gloom. nico? some of the defensive anticipation eases ebbs, but dabi's not about to trust him just yet. waking up in a forest, a strange thing in his pocket, who the hell knows if this kid's the same one he met way back when? or if he's even real...]

Ya mean this? [and lifts up the broken golden item, middle finger giving the needle a slight spin.] The hell ya doin here?

[ He takes notice of the guy's lack of outer clothing, idly wondering if Dabi was taken straight from bed. After his own adventures into the forest, Nico started wearing his to bed. Even keeping his shoes on. Nothing says "about to have a bad day" like stepping on the sharpest rock in the forest his bare foot can find.

Also sorry, but he isn't giving his own coat if the other guy seems cold. ~~Okay, maybe he would if they traded off to keep from freezing to death.~~ Not trusting him doesn't bother the teen, either. ]

It's a compass. It can lead us out of here. [ That definitely looks like the device he had last time, missing pieces and all. ] Same thing you are. Trying to find my out of this forest and wondering if can slap a kidnapping charge on it.

[he'd be right in his assumption. after all, waking up in the forest would assume you were sleeping first. so dabi's indeed at the risk of stepping on a rock with zero foot protection going on. but what's he gonna do, steal some off a tree somewhere? at least he's not the only weird one who occasionally sleeps in his clothes. boots and coat exceptions.

fun fact, dabi doesn't seem cold in the chill of the forest nor worried that he's walking around without boots. still focused more on eyeing nico to make sure he's the same kid he met before. randomly showing up after being dropped somewhere...]

You've been here before? [a white brow arches and he frowns a little. oh yeah, that's another thing. dabi's got white hair this time. pure snow and spiky. complete opposite of his black pincushion last time.] Don't think ya can charge a forest.

[but you can burn it...]

[ Nico doesn't want to talk about his terrible sleeping habits, how he can fall asleep just about anywhere if he expends enough energy. Just drop into a several hour coma no matter the situation and fully clothed. He hasn't done it here yet, but it's only his fourth month or so.

Eventually, he might ask Dabi if the guy is cold after they've been stuck out here long enough. Some people can be stubborn about asking for things, and well... it's Dabi. ]

Yeah, must be one of this month's weird events. That's not a normal compass, but it'll get us out of here once we find the pieces. [ The white hair is new, and he wonders what happened to make it that. Some kind of lunar thing? ] I'll sure try. Besides, there's something in here besides us.

[ As a warning to not his defenses down entirely. Though he doubts Dabi is the sort who would. ]

[it's not a terrible thing. seems more like a practiced habit. many people would kill to be able to sleep so easily wherever they wanted. but unfortunately, not everyone has that skill. dabi could probably take a snooze while propped against a wall, but would ultimately opt for at least sitting down and leaning rather than risking falling over standing.

trench at least gives him many places to crash comfortably. and safely. well, as much as trench is "safe" anywhere.

gonna get an interesting answer if/when he does ask. stepping through the carpet of pine needles, dabi comes alongside the younger man, still determined to follow the course of the compass piece in his hand.]

Makes as much sense as anythin else in this shithole. [already gathered it wasn't normal, but the last part, about something in here, earns a sharper look from the villain, suspicious of the information.] "Something" in here?

[his mind immediately jumps back to the bugge from last month. would prefer not to mess with that kind of thing all alone...]

[ Some might disagree with that opinion, even Nico himself on occasion. Never a good idea to fall asleep when he could be walking himself into a dangerous situation. He does at least get the opportunity to either sit or lay down before these uncontrollable swells of sleepiness overtakes him.

It's always good to have a few "safe" place to crash, Nico has collected a few of them since his arrival.

Looking forward to the answer. The light on the compass is dim, but still bright enough for him to read. ]

Who doesn't like an impromptu stroll in the middle of the woods? [ So much sarcasm. Nico nods at the question. ] It wasn't all of the time, only when we wandered off the trail the compass showed us. Felt like we were being hunted.

[he might argue there's a difference between being able to sleep anywhere and full on narcolepsy. the latter would certainly not be considered a boon by most people. well, the ones watching might have a laugh or snigger at the expense of the sleeper. dabi's unfortunately more the type to merely note it and go about his day.

he may say something if he finds nico face down in his food though...

least they agree on the lack of a permanent single abode. it's more advantageous to have a few to bounce between.]

Right. It was on my list of things to do tonight. [sarcasm for sarcasm. he notes the response, glancing down at the compass again.] Another path to stay on... This place likes keepin ya in line.

[the path in the parade. the glowing path to the sunken ships. the cavern paths. there's a lot of leading on in trench.]

How are you in a fight?

[dabi starts walking, keeping to the compass' lean and feel.]

[ As he'd be right to, someone should argue him on that matter. Nico's been doing pretty well not overextending his abilities while here, but he doesn't count on that holding true forever. He just hopes it's with someone he trusts to watch his back.

Okay, it's never been that bad, but he has slept through people being in his personal space bubble. Sleeping through treatment and days on end.

He spent a few years with no real place to tether on to, instead going wherever he wanted. While Nico's been a little more stationary for the past year, there are still places across the world that he has marked as safe houses. ]

Nothing says fun like the brisk fall air. [ Thanks for getting him and his sarcasm. Nico also glances at the compass, mostly out of curiosity. ] Not like there's huge concrete barriers keeping us in.

[ Just "here be danger" signs for each of those paths. An eyebrow raises at the question, and summons his black sword out of thin air - relying more on his new blood powers than his demigod ones. ]

I've survived three wars against others like me and plenty of strong beings.

[ Skills that Nico has not let go soft in this place with how much he trains. ]

[oh it's like that is it. fight long enough and he's gonna have a sleeping teenage demigod flopped over in the battle. great. that'll be fun the first time it happens. "fun." dabi might not be the best person to trust your back to, but he has no ill issues with nico... so he might actually give a shit enough to carry him off.

provided it doesn't risk his own ass to do so.

guess the both of them are more used to bouncing between locations rather than settling on a fixed spot. dabi finds it more advantageous and comfortable despite the different treks.]

Some people think it's a fire hazard. [he steps over a small stream and looks around as the compass, or whatever that feeling is, suggest left is NOT the way he wants to go. so veering off towards the northeast then.] Last time it was glowing paths in the ocean leadin off to sunken ships.

[the sudden appearance of that ebony sword out of nowhere arrests his attention and dabi watches nico over his shoulder. that's an interesting power. though flashing a sword doesn't mean he knows how to use it.

... okay so maybe he does.]

Then I won't worry about ya it we run into trouble.

[not that he'd worry about him anyways. maybe a little. "worry" not being the word for it. more like deciding it's annoying to lose an ally to something stupid, so keeping an eye on nico's well-being would be advantageous.]

[ At least Nico would give a warning if he feels he's about to overextend his powers and pass out. Maybe his last act would be to drag them both through shadows to somewhere safer. He is curious if he could just shadow-travel right out of this forest, after all.

But truthfully, he doesn't trust Dabi that much yet. Their encounters have been intriguing, but doesn't bring them to the point of trust. ]

Some people would think that. [ Nico thinks of the dryads and satyrs back home, not that he's seen any around here. He goes along with Dabi's choice. ] You go off of that path to see what was out there? Underwater fighting is not really my thing, so I didn't risk it then.

[ Knowing where his limits are is important, lest he get himself in over his head again. Summoning his sword is his least impressive ability, but maybe Dabi will see a few out here.

A side glance at the man. ]

Do I need to worry about you if there's trouble?

[ Agreeing with that thought on the type of "worry" he's used. ]

[considering the place is wanting them to stay on a specific path, according to nico's comment about something hunting them dabi wouldn't think it would be as easy as teleporting out of there. but hey, nico's welcome to try. might get lucky.

good. dabi doesn't trust people either and wouldn't hold it against nico to not do so for him. they haven't interacted all that much yet, though there's been some sharing between them at least.]

Nah. Didn't feel like drowning or getting attacked. [plus he's not the greatest swimmer, contrary to one of his partners during the underwater exploration. he's a pretty focused individual and wandering off set paths doesn't happen without some real good prompting and rewards.]

If I get knocked out or mortally wounded, ya got my permission to get my ass outta here.

[ That was sort of his thought about the whole thing, unknowing if trying will just end up with some serious consequences. If he does try it, Nico would want it to be with someone who can take care of themselves.

Sharing is all well and good, they'd still have a long way to go before he actually trusted Dabi with his life. He does have other people that he trusts, so at least Nico isn't completely on his lonesome when the shit really hits the fan. ]

Me either. I wouldn't have minded the attacks, but I'm no fish. [ Where is the son of the sea god for that sort of thing? Nico also accompanied a few people who weren't strong swimmers. ]

Sure. Just don't freak out if you wake up somewhere dark, cold, and potentially scary. [ Just in case Dabi wakes up in the midst of shadow travel. ]

[dabi glances at the compass piece in his hand and back up to the woods around him. he can't entirely rely on the piece in his hand, so focuses on that instinctive feeling of where to go. luckily, the two wind up agreeing most of the time and he heads off in that direction.

it's not a matter of trusting someone with their lives in trench; it's that trench can so easily put the sleepers in instances where they have no choice but to 'trust' someone else out of necessity. dabi's not fond of it, but he's adaptable at worst. even if begrudgingly.]

Rather just collect shit without a monster fight. [he's not fond of the water. not out of fear, but just generally doesn't like slogging or swimming through it. plus it really fucks his quirk up. least he knows how to swim.]

Can't even remember the last time I freaked out. [that's a lie straight to his own face. he remembers with crystal clarity several moments of freaking out in his life. scared, desperate, determined, crazed... not something to talk about.] Should be fine.

[Open] 🚬 October Flames

the other way to battle memory loss

you're missing one hell of a parade

2

this works great! man, i love that carnotaurus art; it's perfect for maul~

cw: gore

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cw: Dinosaur killing and eating people

Jurassic Park: the Star Wars Chapter

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the things you'll do for a direction

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