deercountry | House meeting

Entry tags:

House meeting

Who: Reaper (

no_reload), Fern (

laminae), Luz (

imaglyphwitch), Luca (

schoolingfish), Varian (

droptheious)
What: Disaster House has a meeting
When: Beginning of November
Where: Disaster House in Cassandra

Content Warnings: Will add as they come up.

[Reaper had taken his time with recovery, which left him trapped in his room for a few days. When it seemed that he could get around without having long episodes of shortness of breath, he appeared more downstairs. That's where he happened to be, settled into a chair with the other occupants of the house.

He knew they had questions, knew that most of them would have to do with Lance's outburst on the network. That wasn't the kid's fault; they didn't always control their Omens. And Lance had been circling the drain for years now, barely holding on. Not the kid's fault. For as long as he had known Lance, the kid had been teetering on the edge of a mental crisis.

However, this wasn't about Lance right now. This was about the household where he resided, and many of the youngsters who lived in it. As the eldest, he knew that his position here was the most tenuous.

So Reaper sat quietly, one ankle crossed over his other knee. He remained in comfortable black clothing, and while situations like these usually had him wearing his mask, he had decided against it. Instead, his scarred face was bare, though he kept his hood up to cover most of his white hair. His gloved hands were folded in his lap, thumbs clasping the mask that he would normally wear. Instead, it lightly tapped against his thigh.]

So, I suppose we should call this meeting to order, hmm?

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[Ok, so it helped that Luz had talked to a few people before this session. Between her run in with Shiro and her talk with Lance, Luz had gotten some more insight on the type of person they had as a roommate, although Reaper's whole thing still seemed pretty complicated. Some things had been gained through guesswork, after all, and some of it through talks].

That sounds good, yeah.

I'll be honest: I didn't know a lot about you before that stuff with Lance, and even now I'm still getting to know what your deal is. I know enough that you wouldn't hurt us, and I never got the feeling we were harboring some crazy guy. But as far as Lance goes, I still have a question: ¿Por qué te enemistaste con él?"

She knew full well the others wouldn't know what she was saying and she meant it that way: this was a question specifically for Reaper, and she wanted to know the answer.

[Fern is visibly tense. Thorns have already sprouted up on his body in between the mushrooms, and he looks like he's doing his best to hold it together. Thankfully he is, even though he really, really doesn't want to do this. You know what's way easier? Accepting every single major flaw of a parental figure and going along with them even when the situation might be toxic.

You know what's wrong? Accepting every single major flaw of a parental figure and going along with them even when the situation might be toxic.

He's trying to do the right thing here, trying to make sure this isn't going to just be another Martin or Gumbald or Grassy Wizard or Maul. But it's hard.]

You wanna explain why you messed Lance up so bad he had a breakdown over a public network?

[Reaper had made his fair share of people who disliked him, and he had no issue with that. He was a difficult man to get along with at the best of times, but some of his more volatile actions had been tempered over the years of being denied his revenge against those who had taken everything from him.

As a rule, he was no one to discuss himself or his past actions much. People had to push fairly hard for such details, and usually his reputation would keep many from even mustering the courage to ask at all. He also was well aware that past action would paint who and what he was now in a rather different light. His priority had been to keep those in this household relatively safe since Maul's attack, though he had never actually spoken that. Action was louder.

Reaper did raise an eyebrow at the term 'crazy guy'. That was a good start already, what with the insinuation that opinion might have changed because Lance had killed him. He also frowned deeply when she switched from English to Spanish, and he even narrowed his red eyes. Where he came from, he'd have gotten an elbow and a stern rebuff for excluding others who might not understand his First Tongue. As much as he valued Spanish, he valued a sense of transparency more.

He knew better than to start on the wrong foot, and he'd been in enough interrogations in his lifetime. English and Spanish ones.]

Niños, she asked me why I antagonized Lance. [He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth.] Nosotros tenemos una relación tit-for-tat. Which translates to Lance and I push and pull each other. My very presence could be viewed as antagonistic to Lance.

[Reaper watched Fern in particular, aware that the kid was the one most likely to not enjoy this kind of conversation. There was a distinct lack of swords involved, and so far the kid had been unsuccessful in actually killing him over the years. He didn't expect violence here, not when the young ones sitting around like this. He frankly wouldn't let it come to that.

Still, he had never had trouble reading Fern, so the thorns were a clear indication of agitation. It was going to be a long day, wasn't it? Yes, yes it was.]

I expect the public nature of his break-down was his Omen. I was dead at the time the post was made. [As for messing Lance up, there was no amount of talking that would bring the full weight of Lance's long and continued circle of the mental breakdown drain.] Lance has taken considerable mental assaults for years. At least for as long as I've known him. He hasn't been in a position thanks to Deerington's monthly antics to deal with all that he's been through.

[Varian is here mostly to act as a mediator. Luz already came to him with her worries- and he knows they're very legitimate ones. He knows the younger kids in the house need to feel safe. But Varian is also in a position to have done some horrifically terrible things in his past. He can't really completely berate Reaper for past actions either. That would be far too hypocritical for his taste.

So, here he is in the middle, leaning on a wall, arms folded, clearly unhappy. ]

I just want to know if...well, how safe you are, right now? Like... was this just a one-off or are we in a ticking timebomb situation?

[Reaper liked to think that he had a good relationship with many of the occupants of the house. If he didn't why would they have invited him to stay here when his original house had been destroyed by a sandworm? He had thought that his general gruff protectiveness of the place would speak to his mental state to the level of danger he was to the occupants.

He didn't enjoy the one-on-many scenario, but he accepted the necessity of it. They certainly weren't going to get his life story out of him; that's not how he ever operated and it wasn't going to start now either.]

How safe do you feel when I'm here is the better question? Have I given reason to make you feel unsafe in my presence? [As for the one off thing...] I expect that I will be killed again at some point, but the circumstances and people involved in that I can't predict. And I doubt Lance will seek me out for another cosmic energy dance, if that's what you're worried about.

[Luz had switched to Spanish because, for one thing, not too many people here spoke the same language, and more importantly, she hadn't known if he wanted to keep that to himself or not. People had lots of reasons for the things they did, and she still didn't know all that much about what secrets he wanted to keep and what he wanted to say. That was the hard thing about having someone in the house with a mysterious past they didn't feel like talking about].

I gathered that much from what we talked about. So you were both in the Arena, and you both decided to agitate each other. And he killed you because you both have a rocky past. I got that much from him. So I guess what makes sense to ask now is, are we going to have anyone else coming to our door to settle scores from days past?

[She had pretty much gathered from Lance that at the moment, the animosity between he and Reaper was at a standstill for now].

[It wasn't quite the simple. Nothing with Lance ever was, and he was reluctant to get into the details of way back in the day. As many who had existed in Deerington for a long time, they usually became different people based on experiences.]

We were both at the arena. [That he could confirm.] No, he killed me because he got lucky because I had become tired. [That had to do with his powers relying on blood rather than a regeneration of his body's energy. That too was... well, complicated, as most things with Reaper were.]

It is possible someone from the past may come calling. I don't disclose my location of residence as a precaution against that. [Reaper did the sneaky-sneaky thing, and only those he was closest too actually wrangled that information out of him.] But I imagine that those of us with troubled pasts might all have that issue of old scores coming back.

[Luz nodded. Ok, the details of that were...unlucky, and now being told that some people would be coming to settle old scores was definitely not something that calmed her down. So that basically meant that they were possibly going to have to deal with someone popping in to try and cause trouble.

Which meant, of course, fortifying the house. Luz wasn't the kind of person to insist on kicking someone out unless they were actively bringing danger to them, but something he specifically said stuck out in her head].

Ok. Um. Who exactly would we have to worry about?

I feel completely safe with you. I always have done, I always will be.

[That's said with a soft shrug. He isn't here to put his own feelings down. Reaper has a messy past, so does he. If they were playing tit-for-tat here, neither of them would come out winners. ]

It's not me this is for. [He waves a hand over at the younger kids. ] It's more for them. Is there anything I have to be worried about for them?

...Yeah, trust me, both you and Lance are getting the third degree on this one.

[Fern scowls a little, looking away.]

Yeah, we all have. [No one was special and got out scar-free from Deerington.] But you still caused it, dude. You were his breaking point.

[And oh, he does not like that. He knows what that's like, he feels so stupid for not figuring this out earlier (not that he reasonably could have, but he's going to go ahead and beat himself up anyway), and now the apparent danger and unhealthiness of all of this is hitting him square in the face and he doesn't like it.]

I knew you were a bad guy, but this takes the cake.

[He wasn't convinced anyone would be coming calling to the house, but he couldn't discount it entirely either. He had many enemies, but most of them weren't even in Trench as far as he was aware. Would they come? Perhaps. Would he deal with them? Of course.

His priority since moving in was the safety of those that lived under the roof here. He had never pretended to be anything other than what he had intended to be.]

People from my world. [A small dramatic pause.] None of whom are here in Trench at present. [Then a shrug.] Perhaps Maul, but I doubt it.

[Reaper raised his white eyebrows at the accusation, but he saw no point in denying it either. He knew when to push someone, and Lance had been easy to read at the time. High on the blood lust, spoiling for a fight and trying to pick one with him. Who was he to deny that right of the kid?]

I never pretended to be anything than what I am.

[He considered himself rather consistent that way. He adapted and changed, and he thought he had softened quite a bit over the last three years. He was still a bad guy, as Fern said.]

But I still do what I can to protect this house and its occupants. That won't change.

Don't say always, Varian. Everyone here knows what the potential for mind meddling can do to a person.

[Reaper wanted the others to be reminded of that. Since Maul had gone off on a rampage, it proved the high potential for danger from even those who were friendly. He also was reminded that he had not been in a position to stop the rampage earlier if he had been here.

His red eyes skated from Varian to the younger members of the household. He kept his distance from them but wasn't unfriendly either. Will - and Lance - had taught him hard lessons about his complex and muddy paternal experiences.]

Not from me, no. This place still falls under my protection. [After all, he had made certain to never bring Maul here; that decision rested with the young ones. He respected their need for a safe space.]

Cut Lance some slack. He might be a little cabrón, but he needed this.

[Luca sat for a minute, considering his question. All of this information had been a lot, and he hadn't known how to feel about it. But, he supposes, figuring that out and figuring out whether he should be concerned all starts with the why of it all. So he asks.]

So...why did you do it? Why'd you kill that guy?

[He hesitates, then adds...]

The killing someone thing...it's not something that's likely to happen again, is it?

[ while all these dramatic meetings and discussions are happening, there is a timid knock on the door. ahiru peeks in, looking very sheepish. ]

Hello . . . ? My name is Ahiru and Luz said I could stay here? If that's okay! I can go if you want!

[Reaper can appreciate the straight-forward nature of Luca's question, but the problem was the long-winded explanation to getting to the full brunt of the why. That was revealing a few details he wouldn't to a group he wasn't in full confidence with.

He did like to lean back on plausible deniability.]

That was two years ago. He had killed my best friend.

[He had to keep his expression blank at the second question. He doubted that Luca understood how both difficult and loaded that question actually was.]

I'm a hunter. Before that I was a mercenary. Killing is a part of my job.

[Fern grumbles a little at that.]

I know.

[He hasn't, but he also never disclosed the torture of a literal child while in Deerington to any of them. That's a big thing to leave out.

He shakes his head, still stubborn.]

Yeah? What if you wake up one day and decide you don't want to? Or what if the city messes with your head? If either of those happen then we're all dead.

[Because there's no way any of them would be able to stop Reaper if either of those things happened. Fern, being the only one who has actually fought him before, is very certain about that.]

OK.

[Now granted she knew for sure an enemy already who wouldn't mind a dust up with Reaper, but he wasn't the type to go and seek Reaper out for a fight. She could tell Reaper about that later].

If Darth Maul comes here involving you, it won't be to fight you though.

[Luz knew pretty well why Darth Maul would come if it involved Reaper. He'd already BEEN here anyway].

[Reaper, even now, would not turn down a fight. He had very little care for his own safety, and he was usually very good about taking the fight to someone else if they wanted one. His tactics were varied, but if he had a goal in mind, he would stick to it. That perhaps was one of his better characteristics, if one could call it that.]

It will sound like a fight.

[And he and Maul had fought before. He had died, but he wouldn't make that mistake a second time if his lover became murderous. He would kill the Zabrak quickly and ruthlessly.]

And as we've all seen, Maul is skilled. So if this place affects him, he can be dangerous. I have contingencies in place to deal with him.

[Luz looked up from their conversation, and her demeanor changed on a dime].

Ahiru! You came! No, no, come in! Did you bring your stuff? Did you find your bag all right?

[Reaper was sixty years old, and he had done plenty of abhorrent things that he hadn't spoken about. He closely guarded his secrets, and that too would not be changing any time soon. He expected that the only reason anyone was discussing details about the Lance situation was because Lance himself had made it public. Otherwise, it was a matter between the two of them.]

The same could be said about a number of people in this city. [He looked directly at Fern. He had fought the kid enough to know that technically even Fern was dangerous to this household.] Some of the teenagers of Deerington had the highest body counts when the city dug deep into them.

[But it was no excuse for what they would do if he lost it, was it? He could deflect, but they were looking for clarity.]

I never went insane - well, more than normal - in Deerington. Mental affects don't last long on me. I have regenerative and degradation abilities that basically... reset my brain. [Or at least that was Deerington. He was still exploring the shift of his powers here.] So messing with my head isn't an effective means to dealing with me. When I kill, I have my reasons.

[Another consistency that he had always maintained. There was a reason for everything that he did.]

[Oh no, oh she's so small look at her!! (Varian, YOU'RE small). ]

Hey, it's totally okay. We've...uh got some space left. I'm Varian.

[Luz nodded quietly. She had to admit she hadn't prepared for Darth Maul if he ever went on a rampage, but she had certainly been on the end result of one before. She hadn't died, but boy had she come very, very close].

If you know a way to combat one of those in the air chokes, I'd be pretty fascinated to hear about it. But it isn't Maul I'm thinking about, not right now anyway. I'm more concerned about what you would do if, say, one of Lance's friends have decided they want to get revenge on his behalf.

Would you at least try to talk them out of it? Not everything has to end with a big fight and someone dead.

But they aren't living with us. [That's the big difference here, it's why they're having this meeting in the first place, and so he figured it went without saying.] We aren't talking about the rest of 'em, we're talking about you.

[Obviously none of them are completely safe, but Fern is more reasonably confident that if he went off the rails Luz and Varian could take him out, and vice versa. The four of them, Luca included, are on more even footing when it comes to a fight. Reaper, on the other hand, is on a whole other level.]

Dude, no one can trust that what you're saying now is just how things will always work. We've already all seen the months having different effects on our blood, you're no different. [Having a different physical state never meant anything in Deerington, and it doesn't mean anything here, so Fern doesn't believe hinging their safety on one assumption for a second is a good idea.] This place might be even worse than Deerington when it comes to stuff like this, and we'd all be dumb for just taking the easy way out.

[He's positive taking the easy way out would just get one or more of them killed.]

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House meeting

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( enter the duck! )

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EYYYY

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