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.
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Despite never having seen him for himself, Break possesses an instinctive awareness of Baltus's appearance, given that he comes out of Break's soul and all. To that end he knows that his omen is a sleek and wonderful creature, and that he absolutely has a certain aesthetic mm, mm, something when it comes to loping through foggy cities or standing alert to stare something down with his glowing white eyes.
But Break also knows Baltus likes to hog the good spot on the couch with his giant noodle legs splayed all about the place and becomes a snorting menace if you try to shove him off, so, you know.
"Don't let him con you into giving him cookies. He doesn't need to eat; he merely likes to be included." Break is a very slight man with the weary look of someone who is still recovering from a long illness, but once Oscar's hand is in his, he has no trouble pulling the boy up. He's stronger than he looks. "You dropped a great many things, didn't you? I heard them fall."
Robbed of snuffle access, Baltus turns his attention to Diggs, leaning his head down to greet the little creature. His tail is wagging cheerfully. Once again he has been successful in his mission of making Xerxes talk to a nice person. Ah! Baltus is so good at his important jobs.
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"I know," he whined half heartedly. "That face is just hard to resist..."
He grinned at the man-- already guessing from the man's words and oddly fragile carriage that there must be some other underlying problem. It was no matter; he had learned how to work with Fox Alistaire, the impressive melee fighter from the desert city of Vacuo who happened to be completely blind. He could learn how to work with this stranger, too.
"It's just some spices and dry goods I picked up from the store," Oscar explained, already starting to collect the parcels. "Some grains and flour. peppercorns. salt. tea. You know, the stuff that's in every kitchen."
Each parcel was deposited into the larger satchel he had brought along while he spoke. Oscar regretted not bringing along his bottomless bag for this errand... but, after months on the mend himself, he could use a little light exercise.
Diggs trotted forth to greet Baltus while Oscar collected everything, delicately stepping with the clack of tiny hooves on the pavement to press forward in curiosity. With it's ears raised and alert, and it's wings folded back in a neutral state, the little creature didn't seem alarmed at all. Rather-- it reached out to boop Baltus' nose with it's own.
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Break would be pulling the exact same nonsense if he had a cute dog face, so he can't exactly blame his omen here. Nor does Break call him to task as he has fun transferring his friendly snuffles to Diggs, having taken the boop as permission. Baltus has been an immense help and comfort to him since the moment Break first began remembering who he was supposed to be out in the ocean waves, but for all the omen looks like a dog, Baltus has been proudly firm from the start that he is no such thing and he is here for Break and Break alone. Given that context, he can't help but think of the creature as another version of a Chain, and thus a partner of sorts rather than some sort of servant.
So while Baltus would most certainly be guiding Break's hand to fallen packages if he were paying attention, Break isn't about to berate the omen for the fact that he's not, even if it is Baltus's fault they fell in the first place. Something like this is small and stupid in comparison to the way the omen saved his life so instantly when he arrived in this dumb bloody world. Break will help on his own instead, stuffing his canesword under one arm and kneeling down to sweep a hand along the sidewalk until he runs into a fallen parcel, careful to feel around for the top once he finds one instead of risking grabbing it at the bottom and spilling the contents. He doesn't even try to hide his blindness now; it's too much work.
"I half suspect he's fashioned his nose like that on purpose, the better to get away with putting it wherever he likes."
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And there were many moments when the inky black that fractured the sky seemed endless.
"Sir, you don't need to push yourself on this." Oscar piped in, Break's movements and catching on to the reality very quickly. The man was blind-- and, unlike a friend from his world he had only met in the broken Dream, he didn't seem to have the same adaptive capabilities that someone who had been born in such a way did. Gathering his satchels, he tied them to his belt and stood.
Gently, he reached out and touched the man's shoulder.
"It's a strange way to meet, but maybe we can help each other? I... I got hurt a few months ago, and it's been a long recovery. You seem like someone who understands... uh, recent troubles like that."
Despite everything, he huffed a soft laugh.
"Maybe your friend's nose is so long because he needs it to help you, too."
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"I assure you, hunting for a fallen package or three is so far from the realm of 'pushing myself' it would never have crossed my mind to call it such."
Break has not coughed up any blood since he has been here and he is not presently collapsed in a dead faint from having overdone it. If anything, since arriving in Trench, Break has been downright lazy. Pushing himself? Pah. This is just how he has to go about his business now.
But though his shoulder twitches a little at Oscar's touch -- he doesn't pull away, ultimately grateful at a tangible way to pinpoint the boy in space -- that the kid would be so forthright about relating his disability to an injury of his own catches Break's attention. To bring up something like that right off the bat somehow feels like it goes deeper than a simple "maybe we can help each other". It feels like this kid may have been waiting for an opportunity, and thinks he may have found it. Returning his cane to his right hand, he lets the end of it rest against the ground, a sign that he's at rest and isn't planning on going anywhere right away.
"What is it you need?"
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"I-I guess I don't know," he admitted. "But you're helping now, and I wanted to let you know that I can help you, too. This town is different from the last one I was in-- and there's a wide variety of people here..."
He trailed and shook his head, knowing full well that he was babbling.
"Sorry. That's probably too much of an explanation, isn't it?"
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"...you're a tender thing, aren't you?" It's been a while since Break encountered someone so overtly squishy. Very marshmallow. They've barely interacted so far, really, and yet, this kid just has that air about him. "A wide variety of people here...that means, a wide variety of weaknesses. In this sort of situation, it can only benefit everyone to take advantage of one another's strengths. Is that what you're trying to get at?"
A nicer way of saying "you use me and I'll use you", really. It's how Break has conducted most of his relationships for years -- or how he's claimed to, in an effort to keep everyone involved from getting attached. This failed. Maybe this sort of in between version, focused more on "helping", is a nice compromise.
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"Yeah. I've been told that a few times..."
Others had compared him to a creampuff, with the soft and sweet presentation that he tended to portray to others at first meeting. It was just the sort of person he was-- a helpful kid, who expressed his affections and frustrations by... perhaps being too helpful.
"But, yeah. That's kinda what I'm getting at. The last place a lot of us were at forced us to act separately. Communications were down, it was dangerous to even leave our homes, and there wasn't even steady food available in the stores.
"It was scary, and it shook a lot of us pretty hard."
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"Then, you're another of those transplants from that 'dream' I keep hearing about."
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"That's right. You're not, though. I don't recognize you..."
The shock of purple would have been hard to miss.
"I hope next month isn't as bad as what it was in the Dream. For everyone's sake... It was scary."
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They are all completely fresh and new. And very dead. And this is not at all the afterlife they were expecting.
"And just what is it that was so terrible about next month, in the last place...?"
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"For starters, all the water was blood and the sun didn't rise for a month," he said in a tight, nervous tone.
"For another... All the Adults who came from my world in the Dream died by the hands of one of their own-- because something was making everyone act crazy. Well, all but one adult died, but he just made a pot of soup for everyone before running off across town.
"It-- it was Bad. I mean that in the worst way possible.'
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You know what that's funny and I'm leaving it
So like that time he fell through dimensions into the Abyss, had his eye ripped out on the impulsive whim of a child possessed by cosmic powers too great for mortals to fathom who had just blown up his Chain and then gleefully danced in the raining blood that resulted, nearly died in the middle of a tea party full of floating sentient dolls who jabbered horrible things at him, and was subsequently saved by the entire dimension shattering to pieces when a large pile of murdered souls flowed into it abruptly.
Except for a whole month.
"...there is not yet enough tea in my household supplies," Break decides firmly. He will solve this problem today.
This is BEAUTIFUL
"There might not even be enough tea in town." Oscar added, with a sigh of lament. Cocoa was his vice, but he understood the comforts of tea.
"... And that was not where I planned on this conversation going," he admitted with notable chagrin. "Bottom line: We've got reason to not trust October, but we don't know what this world is like, either. Just... be ready for trouble at any time, okay?"
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Judging the hell out of that guy, honestly. They're kids. At least stick around to give them candy and headpats even if you are terrified when they cry. One can always fit one's anxiety attacks into bathroom sneak-away time if one is efficient about it. Baltus sneezes in agreement.
"Then, there's no time like the present, right? As I recall there's a tea shop on an end of this street but I'm afraid I'm all turned about. If you wouldn't mind...?"
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The all powerful wizard and renowned headmaster was quite fragile, and had never really learned how to work with it.
"...last year, I felt like I had to be the adult," Oscar admitted. "But, everyone's gotten a little better about things since then. If you wanna talk to someone who has a gaggle of kids to watch back in our world, I think I know a guy. It might be good for him, too."
Little did he realize that Qrow and Break were already friendly with each other.
"The tea shop is just a couple doors away from is, if you go in the direction behind you. It smells really nice, so you can't miss it.
"And... thanks for listening to all that. Maybe we really can help each other with all the weird stuff here."
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Break loathes this whole thing where young brats are having to shoulder world-saving and carrying the pain of adults and all that. Sometimes it simply can't be helped; he himself is guilty of manipulating a few for such purposes, too. Once people start having powers only they themselves can wield, sooner or later the time comes to use them and that's that. Still. If he has a say in it, he'll make up for that here, and a part of this is that he needs as many adults in his corner as he can get.
"If things are truly as wretched as you say, it only makes sense to help one another out, isn't that so?"
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"That'd be my Uncle Qrow!"
He chirped, not even bothering to explain the fact that-- no, they were not blood related. Qrow was only his first contact with anyone who knew anything about the peculiar world of conspiracies and huntsmen that Oscar had never had any reason to fathom before. It was the awkwardest of beginnings... in a bar, while Oscar was visibly arguing with a voice that only he could hear.
"My hope is that we all can help each other where we can, and build something that'll last even when the world itself decides it's time to break. Living in a place where the sky is actually falling is... really kinda freaky?
"But, if we can put our brains together, maybe it won't be so scary if that ever happens again."
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Time to mess with Qrow a little.
"Ah! No need to go out of your way, then. Mister Qrow and I already get on just swimmingly. We have already had our very first sleepover and everything."
Probably this is going to backfire on him later. For now, totally underestimating just how deep the inherent chaos of Qrow's people runs, he logs away the fact that Qrow has mentioned nieces but not a nephew as of yet. Break does not know yet how he might use this, but one has to keep track of such things when one is an unrepentant troll.
This world better not crumble, though, after all the fuss of dragging them all here in the first place. Break logs that away, too, under his list of possible reasons to personally fist fight the gods.
"Us adults have to stick together, you know?"
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A laugh. A snort. He couldn't tell.
"D-d-d-did you?"
This was G O L D.
"Um. What did you say your name was again?"
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He feels too awful in general to give one of his horrible beaming troll smiles, but he does look decidedly pleased at all this sputtering, which does not help the situation at all. You're welcome for the gossip, child.
"I don't believe I did. However, I am called Xerxes Break. This one here is Baltus."
Baltus, incidentally, has begun another round of the dog fidgets, reacting to the mirth. Break hasn't been this amused since he's been here. It will take the omen a minute to get used to.
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It flowed nicely-- even while Oscar was already planning his own bomb on the group chat for the Clockhouse residents and regular visitors later on. Qrow's love life had long been a subject of conversation, and Oscar was particularly pleased to find out that Qrow had found another adult friend who understood some of his troubles.
He chuckled.
"I'm Oscar Pine, and my little friend is Diggs!"
If Break was the literary type, he might recognize both names as being part of the true name of the Wizard of Oz. Oscar himself was innocently oblivious-- and a tad surprised when Diggs, alarmed by the sudden uptick in activity from the noodle dog, bounded up into his arms.
1/2
2/2
If nothing else, the boy smells very strongly of Friendship, so he and Oz will no doubt cross paths and form some sort of unholy sparkle pact eventually.
(no subject)