deercountry | Chrollo Catch All

Who: Chrollo, & others
What: Various February happenings
When: All month
Where: Around Trench
Warnings: None in main post; Will be added to comments as needed

Wait For Me; backdated to the end of January

A month since Chrollo washed up from the sea, it was time for more Sleepers to come ashore. He had no interest in helping any wayward soul who happened to need a hand, so he lingered further back and let those with an interest in such things greet new arrivals.

The only people Chrollo cared to see were his own. If one of the Troupe washed ashore, he didn't want to miss their arrival. There was also a chance that a squid could take on a less than friendly face. Being unable to permanently kill them was a hindrance, but knowing sooner rather than later would still be better.

Wrapped up to wait out the cold, Chrollo watched, and waited. The sudden feeling of stiffness was a surprise, there was no obvious source of it. Soon, he couldn't move at all. There was no apparent source of danger, as the twelve legged spider omen on his shoulder remained small but visibly agitated. It looked like he'd be waiting longer than expected.

You Take My Breath Away

After the past month, Chrollo was becoming accustomed to the sudden onset of effects with no obvious source. Suddenly being unable to breathe was still surprising enough that Chrollo reached up to his throat to reassure himself there was nothing around his neck. Even though he hadn't anticipated holding his breath, he still had at least a few minutes before the situation was going to become desperate.

A nearby commotion made it obvious he wasn't the only one struggling, and as soon as he caught sight of someone else visibly struggling to breathe he was hit with a sudden need to reach that person.

As far as coercive abilities went, Chrollo didn't have much experience with being on the receiving end of them. But he didn't have many options, and the only risk was to himself. Without giving it more thought than that, Chrollo made his way over and reached out.

Speed Dating

Chrollo Lucilfer, emotionally unavailable and married to his work. He enjoys reading, acquiring antiques (especially books), spending time with his friends, and exploring the darkness in other people's souls.

Chrollo has never done regular dating, much less the 'fast' variety where you're given only a few moments to get to know someone. As far as ordeals go, he's had a much milder time with this month than the previous one even with his odd run of bad luck.

He knows the motions to go through well enough, he's met people and 'hit it off' to get close to them when a situation required it and he's stolen more than one priceless artifact or ability that way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You know what, that's fair." He frowns at the immediate calling out of his thievery, but... well. He's got no idea what's in his blurb.

"... Eh. In my home world i've mostly broken into the houses of rich people to either steal back shit that doesn't belong to them or steal things to fence for things like food and shelter. Gems, paintings, awards... as long as it's light enough for me to carry out I can probably do it."

"Gems sell easily enough, paintings are harder to do unless they're a famous name. I prefer things that aren't easily replaced. Jewelry can usually just be bought or commissioned again unless they're antiques, and modern art is usually only worth something if it's difficult to move. Even then it's usually not worth the trouble." Chrollo says as he thinks about various homes he's been in that weren't his.

There's no need to hide that he's a thief when talking to another thief, after all. Particularly in Trench. He has no reputation here, but he also doesn't need one. Nor is there anyone he needs to convince to view him favorably. Chrollo can simply do whatever he feels like.

"Well yeah, it's not usually nobody paintings that I take. But to be honest I don't care if they're replaced. I just do it for the money, not pissing someone off. Though I do that too." He shrugs and half-grins. "I've had to make ends meet somehow, and it's a little hard when you don't have any documentation or work history."

At least in his world. Maybe not so much in Chrollo's.

"Not having the right paperwork makes life difficult. There are a few ways to get it but the legal one is very difficult," Chrollo says. "The people who make life the hardest for people who don't officially exist usually have nice things to steal, too."

Of course he usually sees them dead or maimed as well, but the theft is always the centerpiece of the job. They're a band of thieves after all.

"They tend to, but I try not to create drama within our community. It's the sort of 'don't shit where you swim' policy. It's just not worth it to piss off creatures that can kill you real fast. Humans... can, but they're not really... they're not in the community so they don't get that protection."

He tries to not hurt anyone as he steals. It's just more trouble than it's worth.

"So you're part of a community of magical beasts, then? I know there are some where I'm from who can assume human form and are accomplished mimics, but to my knowledge I've never met any."

Chrollo is on the side that people usually try not to piss off. Sometimes people think they can deal with the Troupe, or bribe them to go away, and sometimes it even works when it suits his purposes.

"Are you a Kiriko or something similar to a Kiriko? They're tall bipedal magical beasts that look a bit like foxbears with longer ears and slimmer bodies and less fur."

"I am. It's something that we don't tend to tell humans about... but things are different here." Very different. He's not sure if he likes it or not.

A... huh? He tilts his head and shakes it. "No. I'm a tanuki. My natural form is... well, they're sometimes called 'raccoon dogs' and I suppose they look like that. I'm very fuzzy naturally."

"Given how poorly humans treat even other humans, I'm not surprised," Chrollo says. People view one another as less than, as not even human, so something that's another species entirely is even less safe from the malice and apathy of humanity.

"I don't know too much about magical beasts or even ordinary animals, so I'm not sure if there are tanuki in my world. Your natural form sounds very endearing." Chrollo is picturing a dog-sized cross between a raccoon and a dog and he's sure that Pakunoda, among others, would have wanted to hold him.

"Pretty much, yeah." He's seen the cruelty humans can inflict on each other. He'd rather keep that all away from his own people as much as possible.

'Endearing'... cute. "Yeah, I'm not sure how many other worlds they exist in but basically we're shapeshifters from Japanese legend. Sometimes we're put up as a contrast with kitsune which are like fox creatures that also can shapeshift. ... Though sometimes kitsune are portrayed as more malicious than tanuki, which isn't actually true."

"I can't say that's familiar, or even 'Japanese'. It almost sounds like kiriko are a cross between tanuki and kitsune. They're thought to bring misfortune and are sometimes called a raccoon fox in other languages. Legends are tricky, too. It's hard to say what's a real creature or superstition."

Or the product of someone's nen ability. The world is full of uncertainty, deception, and the fossilized remnants of lies perpetuated by previous generations. The truth is a rare thing.

"Do you ever spend time in your natural form here?"

"Yeah, even I don't know where all of us come from. A lot of us just appear. But yeah? Guess you're not from an Earth like mine." He's not sure how many Earths are here, but it seems like a lot.

"I... do, when I'm alone. It's kind of... I'm kind of vulnerable like that? Just kind of without much defenses. And people expect to see humans here, so I figured it's easier to just look human."

"The place I'm from is very different from what I've heard of other places," Chrollo agrees.

"I wouldn't boast much about the natural defenses of humans, either, but I understand," Chrollo says. When he was a child they were told not to go anywhere alone, and even in pairs was risky if you went too far past the outskirts. Children went missing more than anyone else. It was safer to be part of a group or a crowd. "Sometimes appearance is enough protection."

"Oh, I know humans don't, but... yeah. You're right, it is. I just don't really show people unless there's a good reason." He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "It's not so bad here - I mean, there's a lot of nonhumans, so it's a little less weird..."

He glances out in the direction of... wherever they are. "I'm an old man by most human standards. If it takes me a little longer to get used to things that's my right." He huffs dramatically, but then chuckles. "I can't do much about the Beasts other than run, but at least I can scout if needed."

"There are older humans where I'm from, but, they all look like old men," Chrollo says. He can think of only three off the top of his head, although one of them is dead now. Two of them he wouldn't mind fighting, or getting his hands on their abilities if old age has slowed them down more than it has Zeno.

"Can you only turn into a human?"

"I simply choose to not look like an old man. Unless I'm hiding, then I might." It's a useful disguise! But at the question he smirks and stretches out. "Absolutely not. I can turn into most animals - if they're not supernatural - and a few items, too."

Not particularly small items, but items nonetheless. "Don't ask where the rest of my mass goes if I turn into something smaller than my natural form because I don't know. I'm magic, I don't have to obey physics."

Chrollo Catch All | February [Open]

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