deercountry | and my heart went 'boom!'

and my heart went 'boom!'

FEBRUARY 2023 EVENT

Due to the cyclical nature of Trench, prompts from the PREVIOUS FEBRUARY are available for use again. Please note when you are using this years prompts vs last years prompts when plotting or writing top-levels to avoid confusion.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: A broken mirror with a woman looking into it, pressing her fingers against the glass. ]
[Image Two: A rose lit up like embers. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Neon hearts glowing on a wall. ]
[Image Two: A pocket watch on top of a book page. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A young woman with dark hair standing in the snow with red flowers. ]
[Image Two: Footprints in the snow. ]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

BAD LUCK OF THE EARLY WORM

WHEN: February
WHERE: All around the city
CONTENT WARNINGS: Curses, violence, danger, misfortune

Everyone has their own streak of bad times. There are some days or weeks whre it feels like nothing is going right. Most people would try and tell say that it's just the tendency to focus on the negative. That it can be relieved by writing down all the good things that happen in our lives, because we have a tendency to only ever focus on the bad. And maybe most of the time, people are right! Maybe the idea of luck really is just perspective.

But not in Trench. Not this month.

No matter what way it's looked at, bad luck seems to be clinging to some people. It might start out small, with simple things like knocking over a favorite drink or snack, or ruining a project that had hours invested into it. Then it might become bigger. A person might start to trip over things and injuring themselves, they might get lost in a blizzard and nearly freeze before finding their way home or to someone they know. Eventually, it could even become undeniably dangerous. The person impacted by bad luck could start to notice corruption levels rising quickly, they could start to turn into a beast at random, they could start to attract violent beasts to them and put themselves or others at risk with heavy battles. The possibilities seem to be endless and none of them are good. Did someone break a mirror? Or twenty?

It will be easy to see that this isn't just impacting one person. Sleepers and Trenchies alike seem to be being plagued by streaks of bad luck across the board. Luckily, the locals seem to know what to do about it. Bad luck pops up from time to time, and of course there would be a ritual to help cleanse it.

Small vendors will start to pop up through the city selling wooden carvings that they promise will absorb all the bad luck that's been going around and dispell it with a simple ritual. A drop of blood from the person impacted and a drop of blood from someone they are close should be placed upon the carving. The blood types of the persons involved should not match (i.e. Coldblood/Coldblood would not work, but Coldblood/Warmblood would). It must be left to soak into the wood overnight, leaving behind deep red stains. The carving must then be placed with a fully bloomed rose and burned in the entrance doorway to the home of the inflicted. The ashes should then be placed into a container and kept somewhere in the home for the duration of February, to make sure that the bad luck stays away.

It seems like it really works! The tricky part is making sure that the bad luck following doesn't get in the way of the ritual while the blood is soaking over night. It may be best for both parties involved to hunker down together until morning, just in case. Time to break out the small talk. Or the deep, meaningful conversations that can sometimes happen in the middle of the night.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU

WHEN: February
WHERE: A magic room in the city.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Reference to mild shocks. Forced honesty. Embarrassment. Lots and lots of embarrassment.

Honestly, after being in Trench for so long, people should be used to not ending up in the destination they initially intended for. This month, it seems like the city is trying to encourage people to social, to form new bonds, whether they're romantic, platonic, familial, or any other option one could think of. The bright idea this month for that sort of thing?

Speed dating.

It's not traditional speed dating, necessarily. No one is here to exclusively seek romantic partners, although there are certainly options for it. And it's not something people are signing up for out of their own free will. Instead, people seem to simply show up at the event, with no real recollection of how they got there. Maybe they just woke up on one of the comfy couches and found a "Hi, my name is..." sticker slapped on them. Or maybe they were wandering in the snow and got lost, ending up finding shelter in this strange place, and are now forced to participate until the blizzard passes. All in all, it's harmless fun, isn't it? Who doesn't need a few new friends.

Each person will have a small information blurb given about them that can't be seen by the naked eye, but will appear as soon as someone looks at the other party through their omni. What the blurb says is unique to each person, but it might become clear pretty quickly that they didn't write it themselves... Deerington survivors may find themselves having flashbacks to the days of DeerlyBeloved.

Pairings are completely random. People will be given a series of random questions they can ask one another or they can always feel free to make up their own. Anyone who tries to lie or avoid answering a question might feel a small shock from the chair they're sitting in, one that gets stronger with every lie they tell. The after effects of the shock seem to encourage the need to answer the question with full transparency. It's important to tell the truth when getting to know someone, after all.

After five minutes, both parties can either press a button beside their chair to continue talking to the person they're paired with, or they can move on to the next pairing. Both parties have to press the button in order to stay where they are.

Have fun and remember to always be honest!

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

LONELY HEARTS CLUB

WHEN: February
WHERE: Trenchwood and throughout the city.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, abuse of power, jealousy, possession, supernatural events, possible death from elemental exposure

There's a tale that comes up around this time of year, one that seems to be an old favorite in Trench. Long ago, in the heart of a blizzard, a young woman was found wandering in Trenchwood. She wore only thin fabrics to keep herself warm and had no shoes. Her skin felt cold as ice. The Hunters who found her quickly brought her into town, giving her shelter in a local in to try and get her warm. She stayed for many nights and it didn't take long for the inn keeper to fall in love with her. But she did not seem to return to his feelings and so he was heartbroken and jealous of all the other men who gave her attention. He demanded she offer him something in trade for her stay and when she could offer nothing, he threw her back out into the snow. The woman went back to the woods and some could hear her howling in anguish, carried through on the strong winds of the blizzard. The Hunters tried to find her, following her cries, but they were unable to, and had to return home before they too might freeze to death. The innkeeper was shunned from the town and forced to leave the city for his cruelty, but nothing stopped the howls of the snow woman.

Throughout the month of February, people will start to hear that the sound of the wind blowing strongly through the streets is starting to sound a little more human-like. The woman's cries will be heard in empty alleys, will be loudest near the edge of the woods, and can even penetrate into dreams. The cries might sometimes sound like cries for help, begging for someone to help save her from the cold. There will be a compulsion that sets deep into the bones of some and many will find it hard to resist her call. Eventually, they may even go looking for her in the woods, trying to brave the winter storms to help the lost snow woman.

Those who give in to that temptation will eventually find the snow woman, but she will not be friendly when found. Her skin has turned a pale white, her lips blue, her eyes glowing a bright red, her long hair blowing every which way in the wind. She will rush at whoever she sees, but instead of giving a physical blow to guard against, she will go through any solid objects and latch on to the soul of her target, possessing their bodies. Male or female, it doesn't seem to matter, she simply wants a chance at life again.

Those who are possessed by the snow woman will not realize they are possessed. They will forget why it was they came out into the woods looking for and will return to the city in a daze. As time passes, they will find that they become irritated by any signs of affection, will become physically aggressive towards couples they see around them, and will attack those who care about them most. The spirit does not necessarily hate love: instead, they see affection as a possible risk for all those who love others. Jealousy kills and she wants to save everyone around her from it, as well as keeping herself safe from losing this new chance at life.

Signs of possession outside of the aggression can be noticed by others. The possessed person will have: ice cold skin, blue-tinged lips, they might shiver even when inside where it's warm, and an aversion to fire or warm/hot water.

Information on how to banish the snow woman from another's body can be found in a book of local legends. This book is sold in stores or can be found in the Archives. To save someone from the snow woman, people must tell the possessed person the things they love most about them. It will cause the possessed person to react violently, so it is suggested that they be restrained during the process. The longer they are forced to hear the positive messages about love, the feelings that they can stir up in another (whether platonic or romantic), and the safety that can be found in that love, the more weakened the hold from the snow woman will be. When the possessed person eventually stops struggling, a cut must be made on the back of their neck, before a cloth soaked in warm rose water must be placed on top of the wound. Their skin will begin to steam before a large gust of snow will pour from their mouth, swirling around the room, and smash through the window. It's suggested to leave it open if you'd like to save the glass.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he is absolutely thinking something a little more storybook than luna's deal but not too far off, including if witches flew on brooms and had cats. admittedly the latter anyone can have but still, a witch's cat is probably magical.]

Does she have the hat? [time to try to gesture a pointed witch hat. potions and a want though, truly this was a proper witch. he wonders if this is part of why peter's interested in supernatural stuff too, since you know. dating a witch makes it seem pretty relevant.]

I'd like that. Master says when people sold occult stuff back home it was probably a scam, so I don't think I've ever seen a real shop for it. [time to go to luna's shop and politely chat with any ghosts haunting the cool witch stuff.]

( Peter gives a laugh — soft as always, but genuine. ) She does have this little hat but it's not the kind I was thinking.... it's more like a cap kind of thing? Pointed, though. ( A lot of his initial assumptions of "witch" were definitely very storybook too... )

Yeah, totally! It originally belonged to an exorcist, so you might like looking around. Well— he wasn't exactly your kind of exorcist, I think, but one that handled like... demons and stuff.

( There's a slight wince when he says it, but Peter's at least not a total nervous wreck the way he might usually be. Mob's such a calming presence to be around (that whole 'explosive personality' thing on his blurb must be some sarcastic kind of dig, right? Right?) In any case, he's thinking his young spooky friend here might enjoy the shop. Even if it gives Peter the heebies. And a lot of the items in there make Paimon get kind of freaked out. )

Master? Is that the person who taught you about all that stuff?

[she deserves a cool storybook witch hat honestly. exorcist stuff though?]

I see. I wonder if demons are the same as evil spirits who weren't people. [so many types of heebie jeebies to choose from, truly. either way count on him coming to see this cool shop one day. with an actual witch and everything.]

Mm, Master Reigen. He started taking me on exorcisms when I was younger. [imagine a guy in a cheap suit and a ten year old coming to deal with your possessed family member. normal stuff.] He runs a consultation business for spiritual stuff.

( Peter hesitates, something nervous flicking across his expression again. The mere subject of "demons" always has that effect on him (...well... so do many other things....) but he's not running away from it either, teeth worrying a thumb nail. )

I uh... think there are different kinds? Of demons. Some are like evil, some are just kind of.... there. Like the Pthumerians, I think. At least, that's what I've learned.

( He sometimes still can't help thinking of Paimon as something "evil", but.. he knows it's more complicated than that. )

That sounds like a lot for a kid to handle, though. Did you like doing it?

[if peter wasn't always pretty nervous about supernatural stuff mob might have noticed that more. thank god because peter is spared (for the moment) from an unintentionally personal question asked innocently.]

That sounds like spirits. [this does make him think of something he'll ask,] What do you think of the pthumerians?

[people have pretty different opinions there, huh?

that question gets a moment of thought.] I don't know... I didn't dislike it. I like that it helps people, but I don't think I enjoy it much otherwise. I like working with Master Reigen though, so it's worth it for that too, I think.

( Peter takes a few moments to really think about the question; like a lot of people, it's something that's certainly been on his mind, more and more as of late. )

They uh.... creep me out, mostly. ( Big surprise there.... ) ....but I get that they're how this world... functions. So I'm trying to learn more about them. I definitely don't trust them, though. And I don't really... interact with mine, to be honest. He's the Tower.

( He's giving a soft, thoughtful frown at that. There are.... questions that bubble up in him, but he doesn't want to risk upsetting the younger, or asking something too personal. So he's watching carefully to gauge Mob's reaction to see if he needs to back away from the subject. )

Was he your... guardian? Or did you live with your parents?

[frankly mob finds this a more thoughtful answer than most he's seen. a lot of people just seem to want someone to blame, which is probably fair.]

I see. You try to learn about things that creep you out instead of just being scared of them. I admire that about you, Peter.

[said simply and sincerely. it's not something he thinks people easily do.

no landmines luckily, mob just nods.] I lived with my parents and my little brother Ritsu. My parents aren't psychics though, we don't really talk much about all that.

So one day I went looking for someone I could ask about it and I met Master Reigen. [time for a little smile as he recites,] Master told me that I was human just like everyone else, and just because I had powers didn't mean I was better than other people. It's just a trait, like being book smart or good at running.

Oh, and that the best thing a person can be is kind. Also not to use my powers on other people because it's like pointing a knife at someone. Stuff like that. He's really good at advice.

( Peter blinks, a little taken aback to hear that. It's not really often that he hears someone else say they admire him, and even less that he thinks he'd deserve such a term at all. He knows he's not... strong, or brave, or the other kinds of things that most people around here either are or became. Even the process of trying to learn more about the supernatural is such a slow, cautious thing, and there's so much more he could be doing with that. He could be... offering for Paimon to help people, utilising the demon the way he's meant to be utilised.

But... Mob doesn't know that, about all the shortcomings. He's only met Peter recently, and seen the ways he's been trying to learn since then. And... really, Peter has done things that have surprised himself, as of late. Going ghost "hunting", asking questions, even talking to a ghost himself.... A year ago, Peter never would've been able to do those things. Hearing Mob say something like that..... it feels really nice?? He's smiling, slowly, shyly. )

Thanks. Really, I uh— that means a lot. I have to admit, for a long time now I've kind of been hiding from all this stuff. But... it's not going to go away, right? The... scary stuff. Maybe if I learn how to live with it better, I can.... I don't know. Do some good? Help people.

( It's a relief that the topic doesn't seem to be touchy for the younger, so Peter's listening with interest as Mob speaks. )

Dang, he sounds like a really wise guy.... It's good you had someone you could talk to about your powers. It'd probably be lonely to just have to handle all that on your own.

( His powers being like a knife pointed at someone, though... Peter's only seen Mob use them for things like spirit communication. He knows about the exorcism stuff too, but this sounds like something else, maybe some other kind of psychic-type things. Peter doesn't sound afraid as he asks, just curious. )

Your powers... you can do stuff that could be dangerous?

[there's a small beat when peter says all that and mob admits,] I think I know how that feels. For a long time I went with things because it was easier.

[that feels like hiding in a way. he did what reigen said because it was easier, he didn't try new things or think about how he felt because it was easier. it's definitely been harder lately, a lot harder, but better too. so hey, peter just keeps getting unrelenting admiration, since he thinks he gets it just a little bit. that and doing good? helping people?

sorry peter, this fourteen year old now further cements you're a good guy. not only that but a brave one. enjoy.] I'll help, if I ever can. I liked going to talk to ghosts with you.

[and that gets a nod. it was a little lonely, frankly it's weird to be in a place where so many people have powers. nice, but definitely very new.

ah, this is more the minefield. not that it really shows on his face as he answers.] Yeah, I could.

[tiny zap time. he blinks, unsure for a moment before realizing maybe that was sort of a half answer, he glances to the side when he says,] Um, I'm pretty strong, I guess. My powers are. Sometimes I can't control them. It doesn't happen very often, but... I destroyed a school once.

I fixed it after, with my powers, just... I can do a lot worse than that I think. It's kind of scary to think about how dangerous they can be.

[just going to stare at his hands now. congrats peter, this is probably the most honest about that he's been with anyone.]

( Peter's shy little smile hitches for a moment — not in upset, just... taken aback again, a little. It's only for a second or two though, because he's smiling more again, in a way that reaches his eyes this time. )

Yeah, it was fun....! Definitely not as scary as I thought it might be. I uh, I'd be down to do it again sometime, if you want.

( He's very Affected by a young person thinking so highly of him... and having had a good time hanging out with him....! And of course, Mob's offer to help is something he deeply appreciates when it's easy to feel so lost with the weird spooky hellhole he's fallen into and never can seem to claw his way out of. Even if some part of him still insists it feels bad about leaning on a young kid about these kinds of things.

There's a shift, though, one Peter can feel even if Mob remains placid as ever on the surface. Maybe it's there in the way he looks off to the side, but it's also just... the words themselves. Words like that... are heavy, and Peter's watching, listening, feeling an odd twist up under his sternum (and a flinch when the zap comes for Mob, a wince). He's leaning forwards worriedly, arms folded across the table. Destroyed a school...? That is telling, and it's hard to imagine Mob, who always seems so composed, being capable of a thing, but — aren't people always thinking Peter's not so much of a threat, because of how he is on the surface? Trembling and frightened, no one would expect to be afraid of him the way they should be.

His eyes are wider, teeth worrying his lower lip. Oh. Fuck, so much of this is.... oh. )

Shit.... I'm sorry. That's.... that's so much to have on your shoulders. That kind of... worry. ( It's voiced soft and sad, empathy digging in deep at the way Mob's staring down at his hands. He's aware, somewhere, that honesty is... kind of forced here, and for a moment Peter's hating himself for asking such a thing — it just came up naturally, flowed, but.... this might not be something Mob would otherwise share.

It leads to another question, and Peter feels a weird lump in his throat as he asks, gently. )

Do you... tell people about it? Or is it something you kind of.... hide.

I'm really glad. I think Antony liked you. [poor sad, frostbitten and dead teen. assuming he did stick around the dojo he probably uses the bonsai leaves fluttering to wave at peter to say hello. either way-] I'd like to do it again.

[helping a ghost was nice, and hanging out with peter was also nice. a complete win-win.

mob doesn't look up immediately, but... well, it's kind of a relief to hear someone say that. a lot of people didn't really get it, that it was a lot. power is something people crave and get very weird about, he's found. people don't really get the constant worry about it, the ticking timebomb. what it's like to be afraid of yourself.

he glances up though, when peter asks that.] I... Sort of. I've tried to, in a way, but it's hard to explain to people. I'm not very good at explaining things to begin with too. Supernatural stuff is already weird, and powers are weird, and spirits. [a beat then,] It's hard to say what it's like to feel kind of powerless about being really powerful.

I guess... I'm afraid too. [he doesn't need the zap at least, and maybe it's kind of nice to talk about it. peter seems to understand what he's saying too, and that makes it easier to admit-] I don't want people be scared of me. I don't want to lose anyone.

( Who would have ever imagined that Peter Graham could someday look forward to going "ghost hunting"....? Yet here he is thinking that it really would be nice, again. Maybe find some other lost souls out there, help them out. Seeing Antony shivering and alone... there could be others like that, a thought that hasn't left Peter. (Don't worry Daniel, hopefully not too many ghosts will end up in your dojo....)

But now he's listening to Mob elaborate further, brow knit as he does. It all continues to feel... so familiar. So much of these are words that Peter could've said himself. And it's a sinking feeling in his chest, an odd ache, to hear someone else say those kinds of things. Especially someone so young. God, fourteen... that wasn't so long ago for Peter, and even now he still feels so small in all of this. It's overwhelming at times but in a way that he can often hide, this odd pressure creeping inwards, closer and closer. Sometimes he feels like he needs to scream. He never lets himself.

And it's those last lines that have him giving a soft exhale, mouth parted. He's... thought about opening up to Mob about his own situation, more than he already has from the surface facts about some cult being involved in his life back home. Really, he probably should have by now; of all people, Mob would... be someone to talk to about it, right?

But it's that fact. I'm afraid, I don't want people to be scared of me. It's... hard, and weird. He hates telling people. He hates making all of it a reality. But.... here's someone who sounds like they can really relate to some of those things, and maybe feels really alone about it, and Peter knows what that's like. )

I um... I actually know how you feel. About..... man, all of that? I— ( He's nervous, the words don't come easily, and his throat's a little tight. ) There's something— There's something inside of me? Something with a mind of its own. I can't control it, and sometimes it can be really dangerous, um... it's hurt people.

....I don't know how to tell people about it. I don't want to scare them, but.... then I think, they should be scared, right? They should know what could happen if they get close to me.

( He shakes his head slowly, managing a hint of a smile, but mostly he just looks sad. )

I've even been kind of scared to tell you. Which is... pretty ironic, right.

[the answer is a little surprising, even if mob's already registered peter seems to really be understanding him here in a way he's not used to. peter's asked questions a lot of people never thought to ask, and didn't say anything about the upsides of this power, unable to see past the use to the struggle of being scared of yourself.

it's just no one's ever related to him before in a way that wasn't kind of bad. maybe serizawa, that's true, serizawa who reminded him so much of peter sometimes. the man who hid in his room and cut himself off from living his life that he missed so much of it, always anxious and jittery but so kind, friendly. not like mogami, who mob doesn't really want to think a lot about right now. no, like serizawa... that made a lot of sense.

he can't help but extend his aura a little to try and sense what peter's talking about. he's never done that before because he's never really thought about it, and sleepers were kind of strange with their energy in general.

what he finds probably isn't as important as reflecting on the words though. peter looks sad (70%, 71%) and mob understands that. he understands all of this so well.]

That... that's it, yes. [they should be scared, they should know, but who would want to isolate themselves that way? it was difficult to know how easy it would be for people to realize they should keep a distance.] People... they can get strange about it too, if they know. Power makes people do weird things. They want it, or they want to test it, and-

And it's scary. [he glances down again. (74%) ] Maybe that's selfish, to be more afraid of that and being alone.

[he does glance up again to say,] I understand why you were. I guess I've been scared to tell you too, since the supernatural seemed like it made you really nervous. I guess I understand why now.

[and a beat, before he really does need to give in and ask peter,] What's inside you?

( Given everything about Mob — the powers, his experience with the supernatural, his knowledge about cults and ghosts and possessions, and most of all what the boy just admitted to him — it shouldn't come as much surprise that he doesn't react negatively to Peter's own confession. And yet he finds himself a little surprised anyway, just because... he always expects people will look at him differently.

But Mob isn't looking at him like that. It's some safe place where the both of them are admitting things the other already knows, feels, and it's mutual nods and soft notes of surprise (Peter probably wearing them a little more openly than Mob, with the way his eyes widen up). Because once again, the younger boy says things that could have come straight from Peter's own heart. Worries, concerns, fears. He thinks about how Darth Maul used to try to open up the demon's power for some kind of use. How if the wrong person gets ahold of this entity and what it can do.....

'And it's scary.' Peter gives another soft exhale, eyes heavy and wet. (Don't cry, Peter.... but he always looks on the verge of it....) )

Right...? I keep thinking I should tell everyone. Just come out with it. That it's.... selfish, not to. Even if I've tried to tell more people over time, it's....not enough. I know it's not enough. And like you said, there's... risks. If the wrong people know about it.

I— I don't ever know what to do. What's the right decision.

( He shakes his head slowly, looking down at the table for a moment. But as difficult and weird as all of this is to admit out loud, it's also oddly.... refreshing, too. Getting to talk to somebody who really gets it. Maybe it a huge reason why he doesn't flinch from the question. No, Peter doesn't try to run from it at all, just sits there for a moment. Maybe he knew it would come. Maybe he wanted it to. So he could tell the younger boy, get it properly out. )

It's.... a demon. Um. This like.... king of Hell, thing? Which sounds.... crazy. ( He hears himself laugh a little, humourless. Saying it aloud still sounds so crazy. But his face is falling again, voice going quiet. Saying it aloud sounds crazy, yeah, and it also hurts, because it's making it all real. He hates makes it real. )

That... cult I told you about, they... did it. Back home. They worshipped him, wanted to... use his powers. Needed a vessel to put him in.

It um, sometimes it feels like even when you tell them they don't really get it. How dangerous it actually is. [a problem he's had a lot, he feels. he can tell someone his powers are dangerous, they can go out of control and hurt people, but those are only words. it isn't until things go wrong that they really see and understand.] Not until they see it.

[he can only hope that never happens, for either of them. they're both trying so hard, aren't they? peter near tears makes his chest ache with empathy. (77%)

he nods though.] It doesn't. People only think it sounds crazy because they can't see it. [he assures. yeah, he doesn't know much about demons really, unless they're like spirits, but it doesn't seem odd to him. there's a lot the world doesn't notice or see all around them.

but all of this makes him go quiet, the faintest of frowns as he hears 'vessel.'] So... they put him in you? [that's terrible to do to someone. the cult he's dealt with were weird but didn't do anything like that. just dimple being a lot, really.

if this demon was in peter though...] Um, I could try to exorcise him? If he's possessing you. If that's what you wanted.

Right? ( God, it's so true. Peter's felt it, time and time again. How many people does he know that see Paimon almost as some sort of... friend? They get close to him, talk to him, and no matter how Peter tries to explain how dangerous this thing can be, it... often feels like it's not taken so seriously because of the demon's strange, lost nature. Or they think the demon's powers are interesting; someone once used the word "cool"....... It's a horrible fear, a worry that constantly lives within him. He's known what the demon can do. He's terrified for it to do more. ) And then when they do see it..... it's going to be too late.

( But for a moment, he doesn't feel so alone in that, anymore. It's such a rarity to talk to someone who has some immense power and hear that they don't exactly happily embrace it, too. In this place.... powers are revered, nurtured, and here Peter is terrified of his own skin. It's nice not to be alone. It's nice that Mob doesn't think it sounds crazy (and even if Peter used it light-heartedly, the truth is, that word terrifies him more than anything else.) )

Yeah. There's a lot about it I still don't really... understand? I think it was happening for a long time, and I never knew. The... process of everything. ( He can't quite voice the word "sacrifice." Of all the terms that make up his identity now, that one is still.... too hard to swallow.

But then comes Mob's question, offer, and Peter's looking up at the younger with a lift of brows, a quiet surprise. He doesn't have time to truly process the idea, but the kneejerk thought is a weird dash of hope. He can't help it, even if he's long-since given up the idea that this thing can ever be removed from him. For all of three, four, long seconds — before the reaction shifts abruptly.

There's a loud, shuddering gasp, and a sharp flinch that snatches his head backwards. It might seem like he's been shocked, with the sudden convulsive behaviour, the way his throat ripples with an odd gagging sound.

But then the sound becomes something else, bleeds into a growl, and Peter's head is slowly lifting again so that its eyes can stare straight at Mob. It's as if someone's spilled ink into them, the way the pupils blow and expand, turning the warm browns too big, too black. He's so tense that it looks painful, mouth twitching oddly at one corner. And then a voice sounds, says only one simple word, but it's with a swelling intensity; overhead, the lights flicker a couple of times, and the energy of the air itself seems to buzz. )

NO

( ....Paimon's just going to answer this one, thanks!! )

[mob's shoulders ease a little- it really was something to talk to someone who understood. he was so bad at explaining things, people told him he was too blunt or didn't explain in the right order, didn't explain enough. to be just understood on so complicated an topic is a balm, he finds.] I'm really glad I met you, Peter.

[just easy sincerity there, something he was thinking put to words. someone who got how even telling people about the danger didn't feel like actually telling them when they'd rarely get it. when it was so easy to be dismissed on good intentions.

he'd have more to say, about then something abruptly changes. he's seen possession before, been possessed himself, but this feels... a little different, maybe. a little more binding. at the very least he doesn't immediately worry peter is having a seizure, though he does worry in general.

the last time he dealt with a bad possession the spirit broke the girl's fingers just to get closer to gauging a man's eyes out. asagiri's body suffered quite a bit that time. and this spirit, this demon? he feels stronger than mogami was. (82%, 83%)

that association isn't a good one, but he isn't particularly scared or unnerved otherwise. he just blinks, and thinks this does seem similar enough to spirits he's seen to work if he exorcised it. then again he couldn't exorcise mogami without going inside asagiri's head and that-

he refocuses. better not to think of all that right now.]

It's Peter's body. I'm sorry if you need it too, but he deserves to make the choice.

( It isn't something Peter expects to hear. That someone's glad to have met him — it catches him off-guard again, but only for a moment or two. Because the sincerity's easy to respond to, and honestly. His smile is shy and genuine, and he feels it brightening up around the edges. There's a lot that's sad to everything that's been said. A lot that's weird and sad and weighty.

But it feels a lot less heavy when you talk to someone who understands. And despite having more experience with all of this than Peter does, there's the fact Mob's just a kid. There's something to Peter that wants to... help him. Be there for him. Step up closer to a place he often seems to avoid when it comes to people around Mob's age, because getting close to people like that.... hurts. He'll always think of Charlie. )

I'm glad I met you too, dude.

( But everything changes then, so fast that Peter couldn't attempt to prepare for it, or warn the other boy. Peter's gone, and something else stares with its rippling throat and black eyes. Stares, and listens, not terribly outright aggressive, but certainly on-guard. It isn't the first time Paimon's been lowkey (highkey) threatened by an exorcist's presence, but the demon's so recently dealt with some fresh exorcism trauma, thanks to the lost ghost of a woman who found her way into Peter and had to be forced out. The experience was.... upsetting to the demon. )

THERE IS NO CHOICE
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE CANNOT BE UNDONE IN THIS PLACE

( The ritual to "unlock" him is specific and intensive and requires mutilating and permanently killing his current host. In this place where death can't be sustained... it's impossible, so far as he knows. And he doesn't like the thought of someone trying, eyeing the boy sharply. )

IT MUST NOT BE ATTEMPTED

[sadly this sweet moment is put very much on hold by paimon kicking the door open to get his say in. there's the briefest moment mob considers trying to exorcise him now, but it didn't seem like a very good idea. other people were around and he didn't really know how this would work anyway, or how peter actually felt about it.

or if it was okay to essentially kill paimon, who seems to have his own wants and wishes. so he reigns his aura in a little, considering paimon with a long, kind of blank look. he really did seem very very strong. maybe that's what being a demon was?

honestly he was kind of expecting horns and a little tail or something when he heard demon. maybe that's what paimon looked like when he wasn't peter? okay, focus mob, there's more important things right now.]

I see, being here probably does make things weird. I mean, are you a sleeper too now? [is paimon also a squid?? squid with tiny demon horns and tail- mob, focus.] I don't really want to hurt you, just it isn't very fair to Peter not to have a choice.

( The demon continues to regard the boy carefully, although that sharpness eases a bit at the inquiries. He's quiet for a few long moments, as though giving it much thought. )

I DO NOT BELIEVE I AM KNOWN AS A SLEEPER. I DO NOT HAVE A SEPARATE PHYSICAL FORM.

( He came here as a part of Peter's body itself, and when it was reshaped into something human-looking again, the demon's spirit remained. It's tethered to that body, as much as any other part of Peter.

But there's a pause as the boy says it isn't fair. Some time ago, such a thing would have infuriated the demon, but now, after some years have passed and he has realised how wrong things are with their existence.... No, it was not fair. A human is not meant to be sacrificed to something like him. What the cult did was damning to them both, and Paimon fully understands that he has been caged. )

THE CHOICE WAS MADE FOR US BOTH. IT IS UNFORTUNATE, YET IT SHALL NOT BE UNDONE.

....IT WOULD BE WISE NOT TO ATTEMPT IT, YOUNG EXORCIST. THIS BODY IS OF MY OWNERSHIP NOW.

Edited 2023-04-04 02:03 (UTC)

[that's a lot to consider. he mulls over it for a moment, hand to his chin, thinking about how hard it must actually be for both of them. it may be peter's body but the demon didn't seem to target him for this. not like some spirits- not like mogami. that meant something.

well, he's not sure about the 'body ownership' part but he's getting the feeling peter's demon is kind of dramatic like that.]

I'm sorry someone made that choice for you. [simple as that. demon or not, that's terrible.] It's just... would you want a form of your own then? There's a lot of weird stuff here, maybe it'd be worth trying.

( The demon doesn't display much emotion, sitting there with an odd, wide-open blankness to Peter's features (which would usually be so tense and uncomfortable with anxiety....)

But the question stuns him. He stares, still without blinking, until he feels this body's eyes start to water a little and remembers what Robby Keene taught him about proper blinking methods..... So Paimon blinks one eye and then the other. Nailed it.

But he's intensely fixed onto Mob and his words, what he's proposing... Admittedly, it's an intriguing thought, and he certainly has wondered similar things before, once ago. However, time has passed, and he's realised some things. )

THE RULES OF THIS WORLD DIFFER FROM MY OWN AND FROM WHAT HAS BOUND ME TO THIS VESSEL. THERE IS MUCH RISK TO TAMPERING WITH THEM.

( A pause, before he adds on— )

MY WITCH ALSO ENJOYS THIS BODY. SO I SHALL STRIVE TO REMAIN WITHIN IT FOR ETERNITY.

( Is this about a girl.... )

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and my heart went 'boom!'

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cw: just a minor demon flare-up / epilepsy associations

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