deercountry | Few Regrets (Open)

Entry tags:

Few Regrets (Open)

Who: Reaper (

no_reload) & Open
What: Post-death recovery & November catch-all
When: Month of November
Where: In & Around Disaster House

Content Warnings: Will add as they come up.

I. Squid Games

The remains of his body had fully inked and become crystallized. Then the smoke filled crystals cracked, shattered and broke apart to reveal a palm-sized squid that shook off bits of crystal and remaining ink. The black bloody ink did begin to resorb into the squid which seemed momentarily disoriented.

Then it lifted four tentacles and gave a soft hissing squeak to whomever happened to be close by. Another squeak and wiggling tentacles that clearly meant to be indication for picking up.

While he couldn’t communicate with words, Reaper was small enough and determined enough to be close to anyone. He would attempt to cling to feet or legs, and sometimes that meant the risk of getting under foot.

At other times, he would somehow clamber onto raised parts of furniture whether it was a table leg, couch arm or even a shoe and lift two tentacles to the air and wait for someone to pass by before trying to attach himself for a free ride to leg or hand.

II. Bedrest

Since leaving the squid state, Reaper had had a hell of a time adjusting back to his body. He had mostly confined himself to his bedroom, a place he hardly used as anything other than storage previously. Now he was there most of the time, sequestered to the bed as he didn’t have the available energy yet to perform his usual household activities.

After all, breathing was a laboured effort; that’s probably what was supposed to happen when one’s lungs had been vaporized. He could be found in his bedroom, sitting up to make breathing easier and clad in black track pants and a oversized black hoodie where the hood was constantly pulled up over his head, obscuring his bare and scarred face with shadow. The white of his goatee was the most obvious aspect of him to be seen.

"…death has always provided a reset, but you haven’t invested time to knowing how blood effects your abilities either. That was stupid of you…"

Reaper grunted softly as if replying to the scolding and exasperated Irish female voice that happened to be coming from a small laptop-sized device next to him on his bed. His bare hand with its blackened dead looking fingers reached out and patted the device as if he were trying to pat the Irish voice on the shoulder.

"I have this pain again." His voice was strained, nearly breathless.

"Expected. You died, Reyes. You will cope as you did before," the voice said with a touch of exasperation.

"Analysis on point, as always," he remarked with a soft nearly whimsical sigh that turned to a wheeze.

The voice was quiet, a reminder that the person behind it wasn’t actually here in Trench. That old friend had returned to their world and had never returned. He turned the medical device off with press of a button and leaned his head back against the headboard, shifting his weight as if unable to find a comfortable spot to sit in.

Then his chin tipped his head down again. "I know you’re out there."

III. Slow and Steady

Thankfully, the month so far had seemed calm and with little to no effects. He was slow to move around the house, less willing to take up some of his normal activities. He technically was the only adult in the house and that came with certain responsibilities he hadn’t been able to get back into. For one, he tired far too easily, like he was far older than he actually was. Or maybe this was how those of the SEP went out… tired, alone and shuffling around.

He spent much of his time in the house, but sometimes he wanted a chance of scenery. He was ease his way out of the house and seat himself on the ground or on a step. If he was having a particularly good day, he could get himself up to one of the edges of roof and seat himself there, legs dangling.

As soon as he went outside, his Omen, Wraith, would immediately appear. The black peacock would make a show of preening and walking around, shuffling long detailed tail feathers and issuing a low mournful swan song that was not normal for peacocks. Always, the Omen would be on high alert, never staying particularly close to him but clearly on guard to anyone who might know what to look for.

"Careful, his bite is as pathetic as his bark," he rumbled softly to anyone that might stop by to have a look or even appear from the house.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Vira-Lorr was already in the vicinity of the beaches as is. Why? Because she still had that desperate desire to see certain people show up. Perhaps that would fade in time, or maybe it would become a tradition for a few days every month to make sure that someone was there for the newcomers. Regardless? It was coming in handy today.

Why? Because she was leaning down to look at this little squid, giving it a poke and grinning. "Well, aren't you cute little squid? I wonder what your name is," she said before reaching down to take a small bowl with some water for the squid to rest in. "Well, if you're going to take your dear sweet time turning back into yourself, we can at least make you comfortable, mmmm?"

Did she know it was him? Now that was a question wasn't it? Because Lance and Maul had certainly made QUITE the scene hadn't they?

Reaper-squid goggled at Vira-Lorr, tentacles reaching still even as he squeaked adorably. He willingly nestled into the water, needing to rest when on land for so long. Thankfully memories weren't stolen like in Deerington, so Reaper-squid knew that she was trustworthy.

He swam to the edge of the bowl, little tentacles reaching over the edge. One reached further to curl around a finger that was holding the bowl and Reaper-squid issued another growling squeak. A curl a smoke lifted and reached towards Vira, but the wind caught it and forced it to drift away.

The curl of smoke and the barest graze were enough to tell her who this was and she lifted the little bucket up so she could look the squidling in the eyes and raise one eyebrow while speaking. "Oh, is that you old man? Tut tut. You beat me to it. You really are going to have to be more careful you know. Well, no worries. At least I don't have to put you into a jug this time around, yes?"

Reaper-squid squeaked adorably, curling a tentacle tighter around Vira's finger as if to confirm his own identity. He was in safe enough hands and well... he wouldn't be too happy about being stuck in a jug given he had substance currently. He unfortunately couldn't talk like this, just squeak and play up that he was, in fact, very cute like this.

She walked over and settled down on a bench somewhere while letting the little squid toy with her pinky. A sigh and she shook her head, eyes half closed. "Oh Reaper Reaper. What am I going to do with you, all of you?" Because the reality was that Lance and Maul had kind of made a mess of things. So, she might have had a bit of a sense of what had happened. "Well, for now we can worry about you, yes?"

She raised the little bowl up, looking at him and grinning. "Hopefully you're not going to be like this for weeks. That might drive you a little batty."

Unable to blink due to a lack of eyelids, Reaper-squid bobbed his head side to side to show that he understood her question. Another adorable squeak because he was definitely playing up how cute he was in this form. Instead, he hauled himself out of the bowl of water - planning to return to it later - and pulled himself carefully along her arm.

Then he seemed to almost snuggle into the crook of her elbow. He definitely did not want to exist like this for weeks, but already, he felt the pull of the water, how it felt as if he was safer and more accelerated in his healing. Where he was meant he was relying on her for certain protections and wisdom.

Some of those things, most of them really, were not as readily apparent in his behavior. But, the fact that she was able to get reactions out of him told her that he was aware, and awareness was a good thing. She crooked an arm around one of her legs, flexing the elbow just a tiny bit to give him a comfortable, warm space to rest against her.

"Peter's gone," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think you knew Parker that well, but someone will have to carry on the tradition of keeping records without him around. I'm glad I still have you, even if you're far less talkative than usual, my friend."

He was aware, though unlike in Deerington when he had no body but the ability to communicate, this place seemed to offer him the opposite reality. He had a body where he could move around and be less fragile, but his ability to communicate was hampered. As long as he wasn't like this too long, he could play up the cute squid number, not that he thought Vira would be particularly fooled.

He did not know Parker well, but he had kept some tabs on the guy's work. There had always been a strong attention to detail that reminded him of the R & D part of Overwatch and then Talon. A tentacle offered a lame sort of comfort for her loss, curling it around her arm lightly.

"Mmmm, I'm pretty sure you're lucid enough to understand," she said when the tentacle curled around her limb. She smiled down at him and tapped him once on the top of his soft, clammy head. "And since I have you as a trapped audience... I'm pretty sure Minako's been cocooned. I sent her a message or two recently. Nothing bounced back, but nobody's seen her for the last few days. You know... how it can be around here." She was smiling, but there was worry etched in her brow. She might have had a little too much experience with departures.

"I'm going to have to put a bell on you one of these days. You realize that, don't you old friend?"

He bobbed his head in a gesture of affirmation that he was lucid, just not able to communicate normally. Squid also wouldn't be able to sign language easily unfortunately thanks to a lack of fingers, though maybe he could make a make-shift hand of tentacles.

He gave a unhappy but no less cute squeak at the information about Vira's girlfriend. He pointed off towards different parts of Trench as if to indicate that they should go and explore. Just an old god-killer taking her squid-friend for a walk. It would be perfectly normal.

Then Reaper-squid did his best to glare at the idea of a bell. Though, after a moment he relented. A bell would increase his cute factor, so maybe it would be temporarily acceptable. This was how one wooed the unsuspecting masses.

She could see the little war in his features when she mentioned the bell and chuckled. "Don't worry too much. I don't have one on me," was her coo as they began a walk. The request to visit town was easy enough to fulfill, and she had every intention of finishing the journey where he was staying. It would be good to get him back to comfortable surroundings, since she didn't know how long he'd be adorable this way.

"Fair warning. Maul's made a bit of a scene, but I suppose you would have expected that. Just... it might be a bridge to cross when your body is back. Though the damage isn't as bad as usual, so that's... good."

If they stopped by the shops, he would tolerate a bell as long as it came with a nice little ribbon. It had to be quality or it wouldn't work to increase the effectiveness of his current adorable form. He kept snuggled into her arm as she took him for a walk, aware that he would return to the bowl of water soon enough. The water had been soothing after all.

At the mention of Maul, he gave several little squeaks to indicate that he had not in fact known that. Did he expect it? Of course. Did he know the extent of the scene? Not at all. Life as a squid was very simple, maddingly so.

She nodded to the squid's squeaks, making her way along the boardwalk at a leisurely pace. She was definitely going to find him a nice silver bell with a black ribbon. Perfect for his sense of style in adorable form. Her lips were set, however, in a bit of a thin frown.

"It is fine. By Maul's standards... it has been controlled. Not too problematic yet, though I think people were understandably concerned. There was some property damage, but it will be fine I think." A pause. "I don't think he's going back to that baker's place however."

(OOC: Heh, I have no idea which shops he actually wrecks, so it's meant to be a silly reference to some grocer.)

He remained nestled into the crook of her arm as they went for a wander, and he moved from his spot back to the bowl of water that she had settled in once they had reached some points of destruction. It was easier to see and take it in, knowing he had unwittingly caused this by dying.

It was quite the romantic gesture, wasn't it?

He squeaked in understanding, aware of the damage and what it might mean. He made a different squeak to inquire a question on it anyone had been injured or killed in Maul's rampage, adding some pantomime to go with it.

She idly reached down one hand to stroke along the side of his head, away from the eyes and breathing vents. "Blessedly, I think this may be the first time Maul hasn't caused a major incident. I'm not quite sure he's learned control per se, or ever will. But we have the arena. It might be good to use it when he needs to vent. Better than in the dream. The dog's belly was .... inconvenient to get him to." But it was something at least.

"So far don't worry about missing anything else. It's... pretty calm right now. For now at least."

He made a soft whistling squeak in reply, also aware that he didn't believe that Maul had learned discretion when it came to revenge. The Zabrak was as dramatic as he was, and he expected nothing less. That there were no fatalities was actually an improvement. He bobbed his head at the mention of the dog's belly; for a quick fight, it was not the place to be.

He looked back up towards her, tentacles swishing the water around gently. Then he returned to looking at the destruction path.

As she was making her way towards his home, some of the damage was visible, but a lot of it was already taken care of. When the battle hadn't done significant structural damage, it was really just a matter of cleanup and lost product.

"As much as I want to recommend you use the Gate more for the purpose of getting it out of your system, that was part of the problem here." She shook her head. "Whenever something gets into our head, not everyone is skilled at controlling lethal urges. It's a miracle this hasn't happened before now. I'm not sure, but I think we should look into something to deal with the emotions. We need punching bags. Literally."

Reaper issued a squeak of protest as if to say he had been using the Gate. It was a good place, and he had fought many times there. It was far more easily accessible than the Hair of the Dog and the Warehouse. In fact, he had died in the Gate.

He was watching the damage and the clean up efforts from his little bowl of water, some tentacles clinging to the edges so he could remain upright. He squeaked in agreement to the idea of punching bags, though he doubted that would stop some of the lethal encounters. Maybe if everyone took a turn being an adorable squid they would slow their roll.

Well, if anything, she meant more that she felt Maul needed the Gate more than Reaper. She actually trusted Reaper to not shoot people if they weren't earning it, though she wasn't sure to say that. Either way, they could do what was necessary to help Maul get it out of his system.

"My only concern is that I don't want to force his emotions. That's no solution. We just need to give that lad outlets for his aggression. It won't solve everything, and I doubt it would have stopped this..." A shake of her head. "Nothing could have stopped this. This was predictable when you died."

Maul needed a lot of things, but his lover often didn't consider that when on a mad quest for revenge. Besides, this little showing of destruction was endearing to him. That someone he was so close to would go this far because of him passing was not an experience that he had after all.

He squeaked in agreement, the smoke of his form churning with an accelerated pace. Water did wonders for convincing a squid to turn back human after all. He added another squeak that everyone should have seen this sort of destruction coming, and he supposed he should make more effort to not die in that case.

Somewhere deep down, if there weren't people rebuilding their lives or others screaming and running for the hills? She'd probably have agreed in part. there was something slightly romantic to it all. She looked down at the smoke curling around him and splashed a little water on him.

"I have no idea what you're squeaking about, old friend. You had best get back to transforming into smoke and creating fake clothes for yourself sometime soon. this is quite fun, but at the same time, you're far too adorable a conversationalist to be believably yourself," she teased. "Do you know? I believe most of them don't realize you're basically naked almost all the time and that your clothes are a fabrication? the horror if I ever told them."

He offered an oddly more cheerful squeak when he was splashed with water, leaving the side to occupy the middle of the bowl. He bunkered down so he was also more immersed. It was true that, unless he couldn't use his powers, he was basically naked. Smoke and mirrors and all that.

He made a cute show of rubbing his tentacles over his head, splashing some water around on himself before the smoke grew and grew, and within a thirty second span, he went from an adorable squid in a bowl of water to a naked old guy sitting on the ground, disoriented and wavering.

She needed to stop discovering him like this!

"Well well, what do we have here?" she said as the smoke finally stopped. Vira-Lorr pulled her coat off and wrapped him in it, helping him to his feet. She was cold, but they could get him inside quickly like this. "We should get you inside. We're not far from your place, I think, squidsy. And you're going to want to rest a day at least." Probably no more than that, and she knew it.

"We need to stop meeting like this... you've seen me naked so many times and I can't say I have received the same from you," he remarked with some difficulty, adjusting to his new body. His hand grasped Vira's coat, pulling it around him even if he wasn't cold. He did not enjoy being exposed, yet he was getting used to it.

He struggled to rise, leaning heavily on her when he did and breathing hard. "I'm fine... just a little disoriented." His legs were trembling already, but he'd make the journey. Too bad he couldn't just smoke his way there.

"You just weren't fast enough on the beach. Quite a few people got that view," she said, winking at him with a smarmy little grin on her face while she helped him get covered and started to move them in the direction of his home, offering an arm to help.

"That's... normal. It's the one thing that's common to before. A day from hell. A rough week, and then normal again. We're not sure if it gets worse. No trying to find out you." Maul would kill her.

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