November Catch-All (Mostly Closed)

[monoceroscaeli]

Who: Childe and any plotted threads/CR
What: November Event, and possibly more later
When: November!
Where: All around Trench

Content Warnings: Torture, kidnapping, blood/organ harvesting, pretty much all the cw"s from the event

[This post is for all the threads I've got planned for this month- if you'd like to plot something out you can reach me at bucketsofbeans or just PM me!]

Comments

Manabu, on a nebulous floor between 2-9

[monoceroscaeli]

He hadn't even known what had happened after he'd gotten caught. Everything moved so fast in that moment. A hook catches him, he has one last view of Lumine before the world became confusing and he'd lost everything he knew. And then, it became dark.

Who knows how long he'd been out. All he knows is when he wakes up, he's in a room with several other Sleepers, hung up in a place he doesn't recognize. He feels his stomach drop when he realizes that he's been restrained on a hook that dangles him close to the ground. Close enough that someone could get at him fairly easily. He can see a cart of instruments nearby. There are other people discussing something in the room, but his mind is still a mess and can barely make out the sounds of their voices.

He makes a feeble attempt to grab the hook that holds his tied hands together, to no avail. He has to think of something fast, or someone needs to find him soon.

[siriusly]

The muted conversation in the nearby room is abruptly halted, replaced with some clatter, shouts, and a couple heavy, furniture-based thuds. Things seem to go quiet for a while, though perhaps a bit of rustling could be heard if one were to strain their ears to hear past the labored breathing of captives or the distant echoes of the industrial equipment scattered throughout. It's a long enough while that one could wonder if they made it up - some feeble hope of rescue conjured up to keep a mind and heart from succumbing to despair - and long enough to maybe even forget in order to focus on other things. Like, say, trying to wriggle out of one's bonds or look around for an improvisational tool.

Either way, the truth reveals itself eventually, and it comes in the shape of a short, brown-haired man Childe's come to know quite well of late. Manabu Yuuki slips into view around the corner into the corridor Childe and the others are held in, his focus more on the way he'd left at first. So much for the nice jacket Ryunosuke helped him pick out: It's been torn and sullied by blood and scorchmarks, as has his arms and face. He looks like he just got out of one helluva bar brawl and stumbled his way into a layer of hell.

When he's confirmed he's not being followed, his attention swerves to what lay ahead, his expression contorting with anguish to see this morbid display of what he sees as senseless torture, and that dread only intensifies when he sees that one form strung up there is one he knows pretty well. His lips draw back in a grimace, as close to calling out for Childe as he dares in the moment, checking his surroundings one more time before he hastens over.

He brings a finger to his lips in the universal shush sign as he approaches, and then presses his back against the wall at the sound of some clatter in the distance. After a few heartbeats he exhales, then moves to size up what's got Childe bound, hoping it's something either flammable or easily cut...

[monoceroscaeli]

His clouded mind barely registers that the voices stop, as he struggles in vain to try to free himself from the rope that his wrists are tied with. Chlide is mostly operating out of pure instincts to stay alive, struggling to remember his own name. But as the moments pass, he remembers everything that happened before he wound up here, before he'd blacked out. He'd really messed up, letting himself get caught. They might of even got Lumine despite his best efforts to keep that from happening...

But the movement out of the corner of his eye draws his attention from the memories that are rapidly coming back to him. His eyes go wide. It's Manabu, and what a relieving sight that was. It's now that he realizes he can't hear those voices anymore, and it was probably because his rescuer took them out or they'd left.

Childe nods back, keeping his mouth shut and hoping that there was enough time for Manabu to release him before someone came. The bonds are easily cut, and Childe nods his head towards that cart with all the tools on it. There is conveniently a pair of scissors on it, and that should be good enough. If not, several different scalpels and knives lie on it as well, as well as a hand saw.

[siriusly]

None of the instruments nearby are terribly appealing, but many of them look effective. After listening for a beat longer, Manabu picks up one of the larger, less well-used knives and turns back to Childe and...

...Ah...yeah... He's going to need something to stand on to reach that. Hang on a little longer, Childe! Manabu's got to find a stool - better that than hopping around trying to shave a rope down like an idiot, you know?

It's not a terribly long wait, at least, and Manabu only needs a few clean sweeps across the braided rope to get it to fray and snap apart with gravity's help. He hops off the stool and sets the saw down to trade it for a smaller blade to cut the bonds on Childe's wrists, taking a few seconds between sawing to listen for anything more ominous than the periodic, industrial noise in the distance.

As the rope gives way, Manabu gives Childe a check-over for signs of any really dire injuries they need to address right away.

[monoceroscaeli]

There's nothing more relieving than when his feet touch the ground again, and Childe rubs his wrists after the rope is cut off. Manabu's scan won't yield results. All of the injuries he'd sustained happened in the battle before he was drug here, all well hidden beneath the red jumpsuit the zealots had put him in. When he takes a step, Manabu will notice a bit of a limp- and Childe tries to not grimace too much at the pain.

He claps a hand on Manabu's shoulder, nodding a thanks to him for freeing him. He takes a few knives off of the cart himself, slipping them into the pockets of his clothing before silently waving for Manabu to come with. They both need to survey this situation before they could make any plan of attack. It's a precarious position for the Harbinger- powerful enemies roam the halls while he's without all of his powers.

After taking a moment to listen, he speaks to Manabu in a low whisper.

"How large is this facility?"

Lumine

[monoceroscaeli]

After being jumped by a zealot earlier, Childe had broken away from Diluc and is out looking for them now. They prove to be good opponents, strong and experienced in their blood magic. But now that he knows they're out here abducting people, he's sure it's only a matter of time before he finds another to fight, extract information from, and then kill. It's really shaping up to be a fun night on his hands, he thinks. So he decides that Willful Machine, which has plenty of people to abduct, might be a good place to start.

Little does he know that he'll see Lumine walking around as well, and his eyes light up when he finds her.

"Hey!" He calls out, raising his hand to get her attention. "Fancy seeing you here...!"

He voice stops immediately as he approaches her. He can feel their presence, watching both of them. He keeps his expression of happiness plastered to his face, but he lets his eyes convey that something was very wrong and she needs to be on guard.

[traversal]

Lumine's just stepped out of a shop when she hears a familiar voice, turning around and finding Childe walking towards her. Not that it's strange to see him, having met with him just days ago, but it's quite rare to find him just walking around Willful Machine. Normally, she'd see him lingering around the Gate, his Hydro blades drawn as he challenges another monster or two, but never in Willful Machine.

Which makes her wonder if there's a reason for this, and if the reason is the unsettling wave of disappearances lately. Distracted as she might have been lately, with her emotions affected by the moon last month and with Aether's arrival, she certainly hasn't failed to notice the whispers and talks of missing people whenever she'd run her errands for some of the stores around nor the prickling sensation that seems to follow her lately.

"Childe?" She lifts an eyebrow, eyes briefly narrowing at the shift in his expression. She may have had difficulties reading him every now and then, but she can tell when he's being obvious about something.

Still, she says nothing about it, simply tilting her head in curiosity over his presence.

"I'm heading to the docks. What are you doing here?"

[monoceroscaeli]

"Oh, you know. I'm always out to look for things to entertain me," he says, joining her by her side. Who was the target here? They had plenty of chances to jump him, as he's been wandering about the city looking for trouble. Logic can really only lead to one conclusion here- they must be here for her. Waiting for her to come out of that shop. And if she wasn't attacked in the streets, then surely they'd come for her at home.

"You wouldn't mind if I accompanied you there, would you? I've got some time on my hands and I'd like the fresh air."

[traversal]

Fresh air, huh? That's ... a weird thing to remark about, especially when the air felt heavy and suffocating lately, thick with the taste of blood. The natives told her, during one of her recent errands, that this is normal during this time of the year and there's almost no place in the Trench where she'd be able to escape the pollution. But again, Lumine simply takes note of it and says nothing more, certain that there's something bothering him.

"Sure," she says with a shrug, starting towards the direction of the docks. "I don't think you'll find it very exciting, though, since I'm just going there to do a supply run for me and Aether."

Though she guesses it's going to be a little bit similar to Liyue Harbour in a way, if Liyue Harbour was dark and dreary and smelled of blood. Hopefully, Childe's presence would help soothe the foreboding feeling that's been lingering around her for the past few days.

Venti

[monoceroscaeli]

As promised, he shows up with some tools to Venti's home. It's really his own grave that he's dug when he was a little dishonest with their little contest they'd had the month prior, so he'd agreed to help Venti store all the cider as a sort of punishment. Childe had also had materials delivered to the home before he arrived, so they had everything they needed to build a little storage for the barrels.

He sighs, before knocking on the front door and waiting patiently for Venti to answer.

I SWEAR I RESPONDED TO THIS WHAT HAPPENED

[tonedeaf]

Venti's been relatively lucky to find a house that was in decent shape, albeit a pretty small one. A few rooms and a door that led out back where he could probably have a little garden as well as a place to store that cider Childe owed him. Of course, it still needed some work to fix it back up, but... nothing that time and effort couldn't fix. It helped that he could still use some of his Archon powers too; things that a majority of folks could possibly understand.

Except... maybe him.

"Come on in! Sorry, I'm just trying to---"

And the sound of his voice is cut off by the sound of glass breaking.

IT'S OK WE WERE JUST FURTHERING THE OTHER THREAD FOR THIS ONE NPS

[monoceroscaeli]

"Venti...?"

Childe's eyes widen at the sound, given how crazy things have already been, he doesn't hesitate and opens the door immediately. He enters the house, looking around, unsure of where the sound had come from. He calls out one more time, expecting the worst.

"What happened, where are you?"

[tonedeaf]

His front door opens right into the living area, where Venti is standing there with his eyes on the floor. A shattered bottle lies there in shining and shimmering shards, the bard's lips pursed as if he's ready to say something inappropriate.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He raises his hands to hopefully calm Childe's nerves down. One would think a Harbinger would probably enter most situations ready for combat, but this man in particular... he was forged in the fires of battle. "I was trying to make this bottle float without the wind."

His bloodtype certainly allowed for it.

"But it... I got it about half way from the table to here. So..."

A sigh and Venti shakes his head.

"... nevermind. Let me clean this up and we'll start on the shed."

Kaeya

[monoceroscaeli]

As he's heard from the locals, it was time to start harvesting mushrooms, now that they've sprouted up all around Trench. Not that he minded doing so, there were a few recipes he'd like to make with a changing food supply, so he's out foraging for all sorts of mushrooms. His basket is half full, with a few Weepers in there too just for good measure.

At some point, he sees someone foraging around as well, the blue hair unmistakable. His hand finds his hip as he walks over to greet the Knight, calling out as he approaches.

"I was wondering why the pickings around here started to seem like they were becoming a bit slim."

[unmelting]

Kaeya isn't sure what he thinks about this mushroom gathering thing, but the locals think it's a good idea, and that's enough for him. He's just a bit concerned that he'll pick the wrong sort -- though by now he's gotten a pretty good description of the ones that are okay for eating and the ones that will kill you in new and fascinating ways.

Maybe. He still hasn't actually seen any of the worst ones yet, so time will tell.

But what he does see is a familiar face. A grin surfaces as he straightens up to wave.

"That's right. You have to get up pretty early to beat me to... er... mushrooms." A shrug and he looks at his own half-full basket. "My cabinets are worryingly empty, which was fine for just me, but since I've got the kiddo hanging around now, better to stock up."

So mushroom gathering. And hopefully trading some of said mushrooms for not mushrooms too.

[monoceroscaeli]

"How is Klee, by the way?"

He asks as he spots another mushroom, picking it out of the ground and depositing it into his basket. She's the expert, but that doesn't mean the big brother inside of him doesn't jump to conclusions on what may happen.

"I can't help but worry that she's going to hurt herself, despite her expertise."

He sees something moving out of the corner of his eye, but a light wind blew through the trees at the same moment, so he doesn't pay it any mind...

[unmelting]

"She's settling in, I think. Admittedly, I am not pleased that this place thinks it's all right to snatch children away from their homes to this squid-strewn hellscape, but she's here so better to make her as safe as possible."

He can't help a little laugh at that, nodding.

"Mm, well. A concern, to be sure, but she's very good with her pyro skills. Still she is just a little girl. Though given who her mother is, and who Klee is, I wouldn't underestimate her."

But he would do whatever he can to protect her, and he's well aware he's not the only one here who thinks that way. Lumine and Diluc, at least, likely Venti too. And likely Lumine's twin as well, if he thinks about it.

He hasn't noticed the movement at all -- an unfortunate side effect of having a very obvious blindside - so doesn't even have any mind to pay it. Or the next little stirring of leaves that follows after.

Aether

[monoceroscaeli]

The fight to the top of the tower had been horrifying, exhilarating, and exhausting. Picking up makeshift weapons along the way, fighting without any of his real power had been a challenge to itself, though it wasn't the first time he's had to deal without it. He's already broken a number of weapons fighting zealots, and by the time he arrives at the top of the tower, he's unarmed.

The blood that thickens the air causes him to cough a few times, but with every cough he feels his blood magic come back a little stronger than it was just seconds before. That may be one of the only positive things coming out of this so far, and he's ready to use it when the time comes.

He's been following a blood trail across the floor on this level for some time now, and it seems he's not the only one who had that idea.

"So, are you here looking for your sister too?"

Childe approaches, blood spattered across the red jumpsuit that they'd shoved him into. He wipes more blood away from his face- it's been nothing but endless fighting all the way to the top. He looks as if he had a good time, but also looks tired and hungry. But that doesn't stop him from keeping a somewhat cheery demeanor, despite the circumstances.

[skyshard]

Aether tenses at hearing the voice, but he turns and looks nevertheless towards the Harbinger. He looks a bit confused at the other's question responding to him even as he looks away again, as if not really all that interested in the conversation. "No, she's right —"

Aether points, almost as if redirecting the Harbinger to talk with his sister and not him on top of letting him know she's there, too, but once again Aether pauses as he now stares where Lumine had been before. Or, at least, he was sure she had been, but now that he tries to recall it, it's fuzzy. How long has he been standing here, anyway? He remembers stairs, and they both came up to this level, didn't they? So why...?

"...here."

There's the smallest crack in his voice, and it's very easily identified as sudden panic because where is she? How did they get separated, they were together this whole time and—!! The teenager grits his teeth in annoyance and lets air forcefully out through them in a hiss as he seizes on himself to calm down. She's fine, Lumine is more capable than he is, she's absolutely fine he just needs to relocate her.

"I would swear she was beside me just a moment so, but now I'm not so sure. She's one level lower if not here. Or she's managed to get out."

He still pointedly won't look at Childe, and he hopes it comes off as unfriendly. The truth of the matter is that he doesn't want to see the other covered in blood and in whatever else he may have suffered since he's obviously been brought here against his will by the jumpsuit's presence alone. He doesn't want to see how exhausted he is, and if he's doing okay enough to not drop dead on him suddenly while pretending nothing is wrong. He doesn't want to be overly fretting and worried about others that don't even know him. It's weird for them, and it's stressful for him.

...Yet, even still, he can't help but ask.

" ... Are you okay enough to walk out of here?" Or is Childe barely walking and just being really good about hiding it?

[monoceroscaeli]

Hm. It may be that he really had failed to keep the zealots from kidnapping Lumine. Or, perhaps they were both here to free any one who had gotten caught. But the fact that Aether seems a bit out of it, and not knowing what happened to her puts him on edge. There's a lot of speculation to be made there, and normally he'd try to sort it out but his mind still wasn't completely clear of whatever the zealots had done to him, and exhaustion was starting to settle in. Plus, Aether doesn't seem to even want to look at him. He's not sure why, perhaps it was because of his status as a Fatui Harbinger and the terrible things he'd done- but he knows that having trust issues with him right now is really not what the two of them need right now.

"I can get around just fine, there's no need to worry about me," he responds, glancing up at the door that they both now stood in front of. "But I'm not leaving yet. If the two of you can be separated so easily, then there's a good chance she's still here. I've been through the entirety of this place so far, except in there."

He nods his head towards the door, fearing the worst behind it.

"Tell me, were the two of you brought here against your wills, or did you come her on your own?"

[skyshard]

"We came here ourselves. Specifically looking for you and the others. You, specifically, got yourself kidnapped in front of her, didn't you?" Seriously, the hell is he going on about not needing to be worried about! "So, yes, I need to worry about you," Aether says matter-of-factly. "Glad to hear it, though."

He stares at the door for a moment longer before feeling uncertain. "I'd rather go find my sister than enter without her. But I'm not leaving you by yourself, either."

Basically, it's up to Childe whether they retreat to look for Lumine or go through the door first.

Nehan

[monoceroscaeli]

It was always important to have connections in an environment such as this one. People who could help you achieve your ends, and Childe prefers it to be a mutual kind of exchange, one that benefits both parties. He'd found the address to the doctor's office sometime back, and it's today that he's finally in need of Nehan's services. An unconscious body is slung over his shoulder, and he knocks on the door to where he assumes also doubles as Nehan's home- he faintly remembers him mentioning that the last they spoke.

When the door is answered, Childe will greet the doctor with a little wave of his free hand.

"Hello! I was wondering if you had an opening for a patient."

[torpour]

Nehan doesn't speak at first, instead squinting at the person Childe has on his shoulder, before the faintest hint of a scowl appears on his face. That's one of those raving lunatics, he knows. And he bets Childe has a reason for being here with him-- and that's not to have a patient. It's to have a place to stash that zealot.

And have a place to do more, perhaps.

For his own safety, he forces himself to walk on his own two feet, holding onto his crutch with his left hand and points at the stairs after he rolls up the sleeves of his cardigan.

"Leave that in the basement, and I'll find my tools. The door to the basement is beside the stairs." Luckily, there's not a lot of furniture in the house, and Childe will have a clean path to get to the basement. And no rugs to stain, either.

[monoceroscaeli]

Nodding, he replies, "Hmmmm...seems I've come to the right place after all."

Somehow, he had a feeling that the doctor here would easily catch his drift, and he walks inside and goes down the stairs as instructed with the zealot in tow. Flipping the light switch on his way down, he finds a wall to prop the zealot up against while he waits for Nehan to come down with his tools.

He makes sure the restraint he's used on the wrists of the thing are still tight enough to keep it from moving, or at least being able to use any somatic magic. Satisfied, he waits, checking the room out at the same time. Childe isn't interested in leaving the zealot alone, even if it was restrained. Who knows if it was still able to do something, as dangerous as it is that he's even brought it here.

[torpour]

Nehan didn't take Childe for that kind of person... but then again there's precious little about the man save for the fact that he loves his family. And that he's was a rebellious little shit-- but these aren't the actions of a person whose rebellious streak continued on into adulthood. Childe is too intelligent. Organized, he knows exactly what he's doing.

"Organized" in the way Nehan knows? Perhaps.

Nehan meets Childe down with a whole bag of tools and a basin to catch blood, though sets them down on the floor first. He reeks of incense, placed outside his front door and in his back yard, and he sets one stick in a corner of the basement for good measure.

"How do you want to proceed?" he asks as he pulls on a face mask. He's fine with torture, but he might as well not get blood on his face.