Xerxes Break (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
payingfordeliverance) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
deercountry2021-09-06 12:39 am
payingfordeliverance) wrote in deercountry2021-09-06 12:39 am
001: What have I done? It's too late for that
Who: Xerxes Break and you
What: Catchall for the month. Three open prompts, and some closed ones in the comments.
When: All through September!
Where: Whatever amusing chunk of Trench we wind up in at any given time
Content Warnings: Character is depressed and processing a lot of canon deaths; also, character is blind, and sometimes has a lingering cough due to an old chronic illness! Other warnings will appear in thread headers as necessary.
In and Around Trench: Feel free to choose wherever your character would be! He is exploring, after all
Break arrives in Trench thinking a year-long nap sounds like a fantastic idea and maybe he will do that and everyone will just have to deal with it. It's not even a week before he's too restless to stay settled long, and barely a few days after that he loses his patience with the various fussy teenagers who have already adopted him and takes off on his own to spend his days investigating this new city. To be led about with somebody's arm through his can be very pleasant and enjoyable, but Break's independent streak is as vicious as ever, and anyway, he'll never learn his way around the place until he maps it out on his own. All he has to do to get home is hunt down a lamp, so it's fine, right?
This is not quite as simple as it sounds. Break is completely blind, and has zero context for the place at all.
He has no trouble whatsoever getting around. His omen, a big black borzoi, keeps his shoulder beneath Break's hand and helps him wind his way through crowds; the canesword in his other hand ensures he doesn't run into or trip on anything. He moves it in such a leisurely, whimsical way that at first glance it almost looks like he's swinging it around for the fun of it, rather than using it to find his way. So no, he doesn't run into anyone or anything. No, his real problem is that he's still finding and memorizing various landmarks, the city is huge, and there are plenty of times when Break finds himself in some new place with only half an idea how he got there and no idea at all what he might find. Well! Break does not like being fussed over for being unable to see, but it's not like he can hide it these days, and in a situation like that there's nothing else to do but own it. So, whenever he gets frustrated, he steps to the side a bit where he won't be in the way and lifts his voice to make a cheerful announcement.
"Begging your pardon! I seem to be lost."
Sometimes what he gets out of this is a passing raven cussing him out, which he enjoys. Other times some Trenchie delighted to assist a Sleeper catches him, and he proceeds to charm them into telling him all about the city for as long as they are willing to waste their time on him. Sometimes, he gets a fellow Sleeper. Sometimes he has something specific he is looking for, and other times, he has no idea what is even there to be found, and a small adventure might be had. This is how he spends many of these early days in Trench, and slowly but surely, he begins to put the puzzle of the place together in his mind.
Soup: The "here is my character, come bother him" prompt
The rain and chill do not trouble Break much. If anything they suit his underlying mood perfectly, and he's the sort of guy who is at his comfiest when he can be wrapped up in a nice long coat and stop somewhere for a warm drink. He likes the sound of the rain drumming around on things and he likes taking his little walks more slowly, with only Baltus to guide him around, so that his other hand is free to hold his nice new umbrella. The omen also enjoys these times because it means he gets to carry the canesword around in his mouth like a big stick, which he does proudly and with his head held high, as it is an Extremely Important Job.
Break wastes no time in finding a really good soup place with owners who find him endearing in his eccentricities, and he selects this restaurant as his personal lunch place on especially rainy days. He lingers there to enjoy a cup of tea after his meal, often. He likes the warmth and the smells from the kitchen, and the cozy security of building up stomping grounds. The one sad thing about it is that he usually comes alone, and while it's a comfort to have Baltus tucked in under his chair, some of what he's missing most about the world he left behind is idle chit-chat with his loved ones over tea before everyone got back to their days. That he can no longer see in order to stare out the window or watch the other customers coming and going just makes it worse. Break lives in a bubble of darkness now, and it's easy to lose himself in sad moments when it's just him and his soup and his tea and his weird but devoted shadow creature.
Maybe it's his darkblood powers that make him so eye-catching when he gets into this mood, subtly twisting the atmosphere around him so that the light hits him just so, making him seem weirdly far away and terribly lonely even if he isn't making sad faces. Perhaps it's the way Baltus sometimes emerges from beneath the chair to sit up and drape his long face over Break's lap instead, offering comfort. Or maybe it's just Break's lot in life as a Brooding Swordsman™ that certain kinds of people always really want to reach out to him. Regardless, somehow, even if there are plenty of available places to sit, when Break is wishing he had some company the most inviting chair in the whole restaurant is the one that's across from him.
Omen Funtimes: Two for one special, you can have a dog and a sword
As the month progresses and Break continues to heal from his various maladies, his restless energy only increases, and he resumes training with his sword and even gets to fight a monster. There is decided Bloodsport influence working on him here and quite frankly Break does not notice. He's always been a fidgety guy, and his mood improves significantly after he proves to himself that he can still fight if he has to, even in this place. There is absolutely nothing weird about waking up with an intense craving to hit things with a sword. In fact that's probably the most normal thing to happen to Break since he discovered himself to be a damned squid.
Unfortunately, a side effect of this is that Baltus gets the zoomies.
The omen is very proud of being a church grim rather than a proper dog, but the fact remains that he takes the form of a sighthound, with a prancing gait that shifts into something almost horse-like at top speed. Baltus genuinely tries to remain at Break's side, but their shared restlessness gets to him. Increasingly, on their walks about the town, the omen has to stop and spin to get it out of his system, and sometimes takes off running down the street at full speed only to nyoom right back to Break's side seconds later. Sometimes, instead, Baltus is distracted by an interesting person, and someone might find themselves abruptly dealing with a six-mile nose curiously sticking itself into whatever they are doing.
"Baltus! Stop messing with people, you noodle!"
Getting scolded by Break always results in a vigorous wag from the omen's plume of a tail. Baltus is happy that they are both feeling so energetic...!
By the end of the month Break has decided neither of them are fit to be out in public and has discovered the Farther Shores, where he enjoys going barefoot on the warm sands and Baltus can run as he pleases, unobstructed. Sometimes, Baltus even goads Break into chasing after him, or wrestling with him playfully in the surf. Break's sword is never far from his hand. If anyone were to stumble on them here, it likely wouldn't take much to get a friendly spar out of him. If not, omen playtime is equally welcome. Break is just really enjoying this whole thing where he can run around and breathe at the same time.
What: Catchall for the month. Three open prompts, and some closed ones in the comments.
When: All through September!
Where: Whatever amusing chunk of Trench we wind up in at any given time
Content Warnings: Character is depressed and processing a lot of canon deaths; also, character is blind, and sometimes has a lingering cough due to an old chronic illness! Other warnings will appear in thread headers as necessary.
In and Around Trench: Feel free to choose wherever your character would be! He is exploring, after all
Break arrives in Trench thinking a year-long nap sounds like a fantastic idea and maybe he will do that and everyone will just have to deal with it. It's not even a week before he's too restless to stay settled long, and barely a few days after that he loses his patience with the various fussy teenagers who have already adopted him and takes off on his own to spend his days investigating this new city. To be led about with somebody's arm through his can be very pleasant and enjoyable, but Break's independent streak is as vicious as ever, and anyway, he'll never learn his way around the place until he maps it out on his own. All he has to do to get home is hunt down a lamp, so it's fine, right?
This is not quite as simple as it sounds. Break is completely blind, and has zero context for the place at all.
He has no trouble whatsoever getting around. His omen, a big black borzoi, keeps his shoulder beneath Break's hand and helps him wind his way through crowds; the canesword in his other hand ensures he doesn't run into or trip on anything. He moves it in such a leisurely, whimsical way that at first glance it almost looks like he's swinging it around for the fun of it, rather than using it to find his way. So no, he doesn't run into anyone or anything. No, his real problem is that he's still finding and memorizing various landmarks, the city is huge, and there are plenty of times when Break finds himself in some new place with only half an idea how he got there and no idea at all what he might find. Well! Break does not like being fussed over for being unable to see, but it's not like he can hide it these days, and in a situation like that there's nothing else to do but own it. So, whenever he gets frustrated, he steps to the side a bit where he won't be in the way and lifts his voice to make a cheerful announcement.
"Begging your pardon! I seem to be lost."
Sometimes what he gets out of this is a passing raven cussing him out, which he enjoys. Other times some Trenchie delighted to assist a Sleeper catches him, and he proceeds to charm them into telling him all about the city for as long as they are willing to waste their time on him. Sometimes, he gets a fellow Sleeper. Sometimes he has something specific he is looking for, and other times, he has no idea what is even there to be found, and a small adventure might be had. This is how he spends many of these early days in Trench, and slowly but surely, he begins to put the puzzle of the place together in his mind.
Soup: The "here is my character, come bother him" prompt
The rain and chill do not trouble Break much. If anything they suit his underlying mood perfectly, and he's the sort of guy who is at his comfiest when he can be wrapped up in a nice long coat and stop somewhere for a warm drink. He likes the sound of the rain drumming around on things and he likes taking his little walks more slowly, with only Baltus to guide him around, so that his other hand is free to hold his nice new umbrella. The omen also enjoys these times because it means he gets to carry the canesword around in his mouth like a big stick, which he does proudly and with his head held high, as it is an Extremely Important Job.
Break wastes no time in finding a really good soup place with owners who find him endearing in his eccentricities, and he selects this restaurant as his personal lunch place on especially rainy days. He lingers there to enjoy a cup of tea after his meal, often. He likes the warmth and the smells from the kitchen, and the cozy security of building up stomping grounds. The one sad thing about it is that he usually comes alone, and while it's a comfort to have Baltus tucked in under his chair, some of what he's missing most about the world he left behind is idle chit-chat with his loved ones over tea before everyone got back to their days. That he can no longer see in order to stare out the window or watch the other customers coming and going just makes it worse. Break lives in a bubble of darkness now, and it's easy to lose himself in sad moments when it's just him and his soup and his tea and his weird but devoted shadow creature.
Maybe it's his darkblood powers that make him so eye-catching when he gets into this mood, subtly twisting the atmosphere around him so that the light hits him just so, making him seem weirdly far away and terribly lonely even if he isn't making sad faces. Perhaps it's the way Baltus sometimes emerges from beneath the chair to sit up and drape his long face over Break's lap instead, offering comfort. Or maybe it's just Break's lot in life as a Brooding Swordsman™ that certain kinds of people always really want to reach out to him. Regardless, somehow, even if there are plenty of available places to sit, when Break is wishing he had some company the most inviting chair in the whole restaurant is the one that's across from him.
Omen Funtimes: Two for one special, you can have a dog and a sword
As the month progresses and Break continues to heal from his various maladies, his restless energy only increases, and he resumes training with his sword and even gets to fight a monster. There is decided Bloodsport influence working on him here and quite frankly Break does not notice. He's always been a fidgety guy, and his mood improves significantly after he proves to himself that he can still fight if he has to, even in this place. There is absolutely nothing weird about waking up with an intense craving to hit things with a sword. In fact that's probably the most normal thing to happen to Break since he discovered himself to be a damned squid.
Unfortunately, a side effect of this is that Baltus gets the zoomies.
The omen is very proud of being a church grim rather than a proper dog, but the fact remains that he takes the form of a sighthound, with a prancing gait that shifts into something almost horse-like at top speed. Baltus genuinely tries to remain at Break's side, but their shared restlessness gets to him. Increasingly, on their walks about the town, the omen has to stop and spin to get it out of his system, and sometimes takes off running down the street at full speed only to nyoom right back to Break's side seconds later. Sometimes, instead, Baltus is distracted by an interesting person, and someone might find themselves abruptly dealing with a six-mile nose curiously sticking itself into whatever they are doing.
"Baltus! Stop messing with people, you noodle!"
Getting scolded by Break always results in a vigorous wag from the omen's plume of a tail. Baltus is happy that they are both feeling so energetic...!
By the end of the month Break has decided neither of them are fit to be out in public and has discovered the Farther Shores, where he enjoys going barefoot on the warm sands and Baltus can run as he pleases, unobstructed. Sometimes, Baltus even goads Break into chasing after him, or wrestling with him playfully in the surf. Break's sword is never far from his hand. If anyone were to stumble on them here, it likely wouldn't take much to get a friendly spar out of him. If not, omen playtime is equally welcome. Break is just really enjoying this whole thing where he can run around and breathe at the same time.
no subject
Ordelian country wasn't even near the ocean. What even are squids.
"I don't know that it will be better." Lysithea has never been one to bat about pleasantries. "This is a sobering world. I've been here two days, and it's filled with talk of blood and beasts and corruption, and it's all somehow more concerning than Deerington.
"But..." She straightens now, and for a moment, the tension and anxiety she carries within her slight frame soften into something less taut, less fragile. Break can't see her physical actions - but her words ring with a note of assurance. "It will be mine. If you understand..."
But she had not missed his earlier expression, and for all her aversion to the gazes of others today, Lysithea remains a keen and insightful observer. (Curious - the longer she dallied, the more paradoxically comfortable she felt with this man who has never once looked at her directly. Even the stray glances of passing strangers had seemed too much to bear this morning.)
"I've upset you, though. I apologize. I've presumed to put too much on somebody new."
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"...mm. Good."
It's the same for his kids, really. Their own world shoved them into a story far larger than they were, orchestrated by morons they had nothing to do with, and made them pick up the pieces. That they can make their own choices in this place is something Break fully intends to enable, whenever he finds his own feet enough to sort out how to do that.
"Please don't assume responsibility for such a thing. My situation is complicated, so -- at this time, nothing I feel at any given moment can ever be caused by just one person." He won't have some stranger going around feeling bad about making him feel bad, in other words. Because she hasn't. Things simply are bad, mostly. "Anyway, this early in things, exchanging information like this can only be helpful in the long run, right? I gather nobody knows anything for certain just yet."
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She shakes her head.
"I would normally be tracking down information and compiling journals of data, but... I feel oddly disoriented at the moment." Honestly, she was just fatigued. ...Although she wouldn't be surprised if Trench had a hand in her current state of mind. "I've at least learned about the different blood types. But that's another reason I plan to stay in this district. Arcane knowledge is my particular forte."
Lysithea assumes that if this stranger wanted to share details about his situation, he would have done so. She will refrain from prying for the time being.
"...Is there anything you wish to know about Deerington that would be helpful? That's all I can offer at the moment, I fear."
That and pocket cake for the dog.
no subject
Oblivious to this, Break frowns a little. His primary question really is why he himself is here at all when he wasn't in Deerington, and the vast majority of "Sleepers" seem to have been trapped there first. If Lysithea has only just discovered there are new arrivals at all, of course she won't know. But since she's offering directly, walking away with nothing else seems like a waste.
"...I have heard that...that town came to be because it existed in the dream of a young girl," he says, at length. "I have not yet heard, if anyone knows at all -- just what made that dream so powerful that it could bring in souls from so many different dimensions."
no subject
After a brief pause, Lysithea answers the unspoken question.
"I don't know why you've been brought here now. We eventually found... that when Julia brought us to Deerington, she had created a sort of parallel universe such that our existences in our original worlds and our existences in Deerington split off. That's why I say that I know there's a Lysithea who will carry on the work I must do in Fodlan. I didn't think there was any particular task we needed to accomplish here, but... perhaps this world has more plans for us yet."
no subject
This answer is more comforting than Lysithea realizes. It adds a facet of reason to the whole affair, which is something Break finds reassuring even if he is decidedly less than thrilled at the idea of having to rebuild his life over it. More importantly, this additional context honestly makes the situation sound less strange. Or...well, there's simply no redeeming the squid thing, but the rest of it, sure.
"My own world had a similar story. A cosmic power that held access to all connected timelines and could alter them as it pleased, and -- a young lady of strange parentage forced to host that power, who wished only to be freed from it. It would surprise me if every newcomer could say the same, but...the idea of this place searching for souls that might understand it could be a tidy theory until proven otherwise, isn't that so?"
no subject
Lysithea receives this theory politely.
"It does seem like an... oddly specific category." Truth be told, the fact that any world can draw a parallel to Julia Sodder's situation is already surprising. The entire premise seems farfetched, grounded in the realms of fiction. "Though we should investigate who - or what - exactly is responsible for the kidnappings this time. Whether it be an entity or some sort of unknowable cosmic conspiracy. I wonder how many here are in your situation."
After a faint pause, she inquires: "Might I ask what happened with your young lady?"
no subject
Break knows this because he met her here, on his very first day. She hasn't been around since, which is worrying, but neither has her twin sister, so Break has been trying to assume they're safe somewhere and they'll crash back in on him any day now. He doesn't mention this part. If they're able to stay in this world, it will be their first chance to simply be kids in total control of what they do and where they go, and Break isn't about to ruin that for the one by spreading her origins around behind her back. If she doesn't mind being known as the former Will of the Abyss in this place, that should be up to her, and not come as a result of Break running his mouth too much.
no subject
Lysithea does feel vaguely confused, though. ...Did they all die in the process? She has a vague feeling this man is from the complex sort of world where death doesn't mean death and reincarnations and time loops and parallel versions abound.
"Unfortunately, we can't claim the same. Julia Sodder was... essentially gone before we ever got here. What lingered on was sort of a memory. An imprint on the world of... despair and pain. It wasn't a good end."
no subject
"...is that to say that this girl was truly an echo, of sorts, all along...? To think such a thing would be powerful enough to create a whole realm, and draw souls into it...if that's the case I suppose it only makes sense that those so many of those same souls would be kept on permanently."
The gears in Break's brain turn a little further, and he comes upon another thought.
"Rather...if a dream crumbles, one must wake up, right? To wake from there to here -- perhaps this place was inevitable all along."
no subject
Lysithea nods.
"I had hoped the crumbling dream would deposit me back at home - which it did, in a sense, but. I think there's a sort of a paradox that says you can't truly observe something because the mere act of observation changes it. I found that to be true for Deerington."
She pauses, partially to frown at Balthus abandoning her (terrible!) and partially to consider her next thought.
"I don't know if Trench was inevitable... but something was. I know that this place is the result of some of the choices we made."
no subject
The ease with which Break drops this sentiment indicates that he has absolutely devoted time to thinking of things he would rather be than a squid.
no subject
Nobody Likes This.
"And none of us chose it, either. The selection process was highly irregular. We all got a bunch of eggs and then they told us to smash them or nurture them. Naturally, they all meant something slightly different and the results were obscure to the extreme."
Why didn't they just get a survey???
no subject
"Mrph," answers Baltus. He does not know either. He is but a smoky creature.
no subject
Lysithea confirms, suddenly realizing that she is slightly hungry.
"They were representative of some important figures in Deerington. Like I said, it was all very... opaque."
Nobody had any idea what would happen, so they could hardly be blamed for the outcome here, she thinks. Apart from the ones who had specifically requested things be done to their eggs.
"Anyway, some of those figures are still around here, so... you can possibly ask them yourself at some point."
no subject
"This place is crawling with young heroic types, isn't it? I think I'll leave such mysteries to them. With so many others around to meddle with 'important figures', it's fine if an old guy like me is retired."
no subject
Lysithea remarks, an eyebrow raised slightly. She had noted in her previous stay that Deerington seemed to be overrun with occupants that were slightly out of the ordinary. There were very few people around who didn't positively leap at the chance for some action.
"But that might be the wisest course of action. Though... I don't know if Trench will be content to let you simply 'retire.'"
And with that, Lysithea gives a slight nod.
"Well, if there's nothing else you'd like to ask... perhaps I'll be on my way. It was nice to meet you - and Balthus. My name is Lysithea, by the by."
no subject
"Miss Lysithea. My name is Xerxes Break," he answers instead. "You have my thanks for your indulgence this afternoon. If you don't mind, before we part -- I do have one more small question."
no subject
Lysithea responds with a nod, the name rolling somewhat clumsily off her tongue.
"I was feeling unusually antsy, but... our conversation seems to have calmed me somewhat. So you have my gratitude as well. What is it you still require?"
no subject
Given that Break's general existence is one of paranoia and anxiety, he has not yet caught on to any of that being abnormal as of yet, nor has he quite realized others are experiencing the same just now. Clearly, whatever the problem is, Baltus has Helped. Break has found him to be legitimately wonderful for providing calmness and support. He gives him an extra ear scritch for good measure.
"Well, then -- would you mind pointing me in the direction of that school that's about here? I know they've one of those nice travel-lanterns, there."
Said school is very tall. It can be seen from the street where they are standing. Alas...!
no subject
Lysithea utters a little noise of surprise before she responds graciously.
"The School of Mutter? It's that very large building right behind us." She gesticulates generally in the correct direction. "The clocktower. I suppose it's a bit odd that the school is topped off by a clocktower."
Though her school was in the middle of a church, so who was she to judge.
no subject
He has decided not to outright tell this poor girl he is blind, as he has a hunch that she is more than clever enough to figure it out for herself and when she does she will fluster and it will be cute and funny. This is a game he is sorely missing, since arriving here. The boys in his household just aren't as fun to tease.
no subject
"It's -- "
Lysithea is not entirely sure how to continue this conversation without either making some broad assumptions or coming off as wholly insensitive. Eventually, being Lysithea, she eschews all subtlety altogether.
"...Is your sight impaired?"
...This would actually explain a lot.
no subject
"Just so. You see, I haven't got any." After a moment, he points down at Baltus. "Except him."
Baltus is still sitting directly on Break's foot and has bent his head low to observe a strange bug which is toddling by. Fortunately, he is not a real dog, and so there is no need to worry that he will try to eat strange blood-corrupted Trench bugs.
no subject
There is a bit of fluster now.
"Well, I feel a dolt. I've been too caught up in myself to even realize - do forgive me."
And here Lysithea's quick mind is working out some conclusions.
"So that's... why I don't feel awful around you. You see -- I can't help but feel as if everyone is staring. It's oppressive. Er. Do you want me to walk with you to the clocktower?"
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