[open] bad doggie!

[torpour]

Who: Nehan + OPEN (one thread closed to specific people)
What: Someone (Nehan) died before someone's (Nehan's...) birthday, and not of fun. Featuring the aftermath of said death, an angry squid, and a doctor who's bad at taking care of himself.
When: forward-dated to Jan. 19 and later
Where: Primarily in Nehan's house, but the death thread is set in the wilderness.

Content Warnings: Violence, beasthood, death, paleblood powers, traumatic memories of near-death experiences, some nudity, Nehan-typical self-loathing, mentions of sex, Jan. TDM-style body horror. More TBA as they come up.

---

a: squid time

[nehan's tub is modest by human standards. large for a man of his (usual) size, but massive for a little squid, almost transparent save for its rainbow-colored insides, the most prominent of which is sunshine-yellow. the squid is absolutely tiny, no bigger than an adult human's hand.

there's a grab bar attached to the wall next to the tub, and the edge of the tub opposite it, clearly for nehan's use when he's an erune, because what will a squid do with those? he cant even reach them. though he's definitely trying, swimming back and forth, and occasionally reaching out with a little tentacle in an attempt to reach it.

but of course, he cant reach it, and that frustrates the squid enough that he jets out a little bit of dark ink. literally farting in anger, this one is.]

b: cant sleep (cw: really morbid jokes)

[the evening after nehan's squid was retrieved from the water and returned to his house, he returns to normal. annoyed as he rises from inky water and having to clean himself, but still, he's a skinny, scarred erune again, without the additions he gained over the past months. an erune that needs a long, long nap, and will head straight to his bed to have said long nap without even drying his hair.

if anyone chooses to stay longer and keep vigil over the once-squid... well, no one is stopping you, not even the omen, who is guarding the door to the basement underneath the stairs, and will not move away.

nehan might not be too much of a host however, when he's bedridden, having gone through a traumatic death and unable to control his limbs well. every time his left arm or leg has a spasm, his expression twists into one of chagrin and irritation, and he clutches at the limb until it stops. he tries to lay under his bedding just to lessen it... but well. that doesn't work as well as he hoped, and it's not proper medical procedure, but when it comes to himself, nehan has never cared a goddamn bit. still...]

... Stay a little longer. Without anything to do, I'll have another death soon, and this time of boredom. [that was a joke. but it's bad and he knows it's bad.]

c: winter mourning's last hurrah (nehan's memories/cw: eventual near-death experience)

[there is a winter mourning in nehan's house, a wreath laying in the seat of an armchair in the living room, and despite looking innocent, it is still active. and if it's touched, instead of dragging some poor unsuspecting bastard into a dream, it drags them into a memory.

the nehan in this memory is an adult, just like the one in bed, recovering from his violent bout with death-- but he's also different. seemingly younger, more filled-out, less scraggly hair, and lacking in the eyepatch and crutch that has become nehan's signature. but his ears have much less fur on them and are tattered at the ends, the shadows under his eyes are darker, and he's sporting fresh bruises on his face, like he's just been in a brawl. or more than just a brawl-- he looks like he's been beaten within an inch of his life.

still, he's walking amongst a crowd that doesn't seem to notice him, in a crowded marketplace in a bustling town with airships flying high above them. he looks like he knows where he's going, and behind him... behind him is another nehan, walking much slower, bearing a crutch and an eyepatch-- the nehan most people know, by now.

he pauses when he notes he's not alone, turning around and ears twitching, then tilts his head towards his younger self as if to say come along.]

d: the days after: achelliac (cw: nudity, self-loathing)

[achelliac's usual clientele may be sailors, but at least they don't turn nehan away. and, as he finds out, some of his fellow customers are fascinated enough with him that he just decides to indulge them with what they want. even if he's here just to deal with the aches of his body that still linger after his rebirth. at least he's no longer suffering from muscle spasms.

the hot springs will deal with what other aches he gets in this place, in any case, that's why he's here-- get himself up to snuff so he can get back to work without problems.

making his way to the pool from the showers is always an adventure in going slow to accommodate his too-thin, too-scarred body and not slipping, just because he leaves his cane with his clothes (he needs a new crutch, a cane just isn't the same...). though he's right at the edge of the pool, he pauses when he sees another man there already.]

May I, or do you prefer privacy? [perhaps he should have asked that before he got naked...]

wildcard
[[ hit me with your best shot-- everything is a-ok and will match prose or action, but the actual boss battle is restricted to certain characters. nehan dies on the 19th, revives as a squid on the 22nd and is returned to his house on the same day, while his headcanon birthday is on the 20th. thanks to #justpalebloodthings, nehan can admit that his birthday is coming up to any palebloods. he is also a paleblood, so people can speak to him more freely as well.

people are free to come and go as they like. snooping is encouraged, but the basement is guarded by nehan's omen. i'm also open to changing the memory in prompt c. if we haven't threaded yet, we can just handwave the first meeting and nehan giving out his address. if you're unsure, just ask! ]]

Comments

CUE THE BOSS BATTLE MUSIC (closed to ives, flynn, diluc)

[torpour]

[nehan's rapidly-accelerating beasthood should have raised alarms with people by now, but he has managed to keep most of it under wraps, and deftly maneuver around awkward questions if he couldn't. unfortunately, that also means that there was no one to help him find a cure, or a way to slow said beasthood until it's far, far too late to do anything.

the catalyst is being attacked by a beast on the outskirts of the city. from there, everything was just... uncontrollable. the attacking beast was defeated, but not by nehan's own strength, but by what he became.

the resulting beast is one on the smaller side, barely larger than a horse, still undoubtedly a beast-- a three-headed wolf with dark, unkempt fur that looks like it's been allowed to grow wild for years. the right head is smaller than its companions with puppy-like features, sorrowful and avoidant, turning away from living beings. the middle head is aggressive, angry, ears tattered and bare of fur, the leader that drives the body forward. the left head is silent, duller fur than the other two, and keeps its eyes closed. this would have been just any beast made from an unknown person heading straight to willful machine, if it weren't for a formerly-white labcoat tangled around the neck of the left head, and the remains of a very particular forearm crutch on the beast's front right paw, barely hanging on by a strap.

if there's any intelligence left of the erune in this beast, that remains to be seen. but it's headed straight for civilization.]

[searingwing]

[It’s Dellingr who spots him. He is scouting for Diluc and immediately banks and puts on as much speed as he can. It’s time to let the chains fall away to the wrecked mess of a weapon inside. The dragon cuts through the sky like an arrow and calls out to Diluc on his horse below.

‘Beast, not far.’ The man’s face goes blank and he stops his horse, slipping off of it. He ties him to a tree and heads for the direction the dragon is hovering.] Show me.

[He internally discards the daylight hours and the chains. He has to kill. There can be no room for error. If he makes a mistake the woods would birth another terrible beast.

Him.

Dellingr expands as he says,] Go up and call out, we’ll need help.

[The dragon omen sweeps into the sky, the size of a car now he opens his jaws and his deep resonate voice cries out. ‘Beast! Beast is coming! Follow. Fight!’]

[getsmy]

[Ives had traveled out to the Willful Machine to, well, stop by to see Nehan. The Giant had undergone a shed skin change and was looking as he might in middle age, that is; a foot taller and far broader with muscle. His horns looped around themselves nearly three times over and the broken piece was long healed over. He thought Nehan might be interested in the change. Seems there were other, more dramatic, changes to be dealt with first.

His ears swiveled at the call to aid, from above. Ives couldn't recognize the dragon omen as Diluc's offhand, but that didn't matter. Duty called and while Ives didn't have his staff with him, he had his hunter's ax for patrols later that night. Seems he'd need to be on the job sooner.

He'll follow the omen as ordered, weapon in hand towards where Diluc might be searching. With luck, he won't be mistaken from a beast himself. His own, little lamb of an omen scouts out ahead of him to try and mitigate for that, quite literally running head first into Diluc with a small "baa!". Ives isn't far behind,]

Diluc-? Well met on another hunt... [Ives has a habit of running into the same people in very similar ways time and time over, it seems]

[thinkfirst]

[ Flynn is not terribly far behind.

Despite his training taking up most of his time and effort, there is no universe in which Flynn Scifo, dedicated workaholic without a functioning off-switch, does not patrol the streets of the city in order to keep it safe. With Unsnakes forming at will and changes rendering people vulnerable, it is more important than ever that he help keep up the city's meager defenses (a project for another day, but one that consumes his thoughts nonetheless).

So he is out in full armor, trying not to shiver in the biting cold, when Dellingr calls. He recognizes the cry, the need for him to follow. ]

Daisy!

[ She is already materializing, solidifying quickly enough that Flynn can swing onto her back and follow the shape of Dellingr through the sky. It's like that—riding an equally-armored horse with sword drawn and a million potentials spiralling through his head quick enough to be dizzying—that he encounters Ives and Diluc both, skids up to them on Daisy with alarm clear on his face. For a bare moment he thinks the massive person in front of him is the beast to which Dellingr was referring, but Diluc isn't fighting, so perhaps it's fine. ]

Dellingr called. A beast approaches? Have you seen it yet?

[ No time for pleasantries, as far as Flynn is concerned. ]

d, feat: temporarily alive illarion

[unsheathedfromreality]

[The pool's lone occupant looks up at the sound of Nehan's voice, and grins sharp and sudden to see the erune back on his feet.]

Much the opposite; I am just thinking, it is a very great shame there is no one to share this with.

[It's part Darkblood gregariousness and part Illarion's very much enjoying being alive while it lasts, pursuing situations and sensations that mean little to him while dead. The sheer sumptuous comfort of being warm again, in the middle of winter, had been a potent draw.]

Come join me.

[torpour]

[nehan's ears stand straight up the moment the man opens his mouth, and he realizes just who he was speaking to. nehan still doesn't have a name for him, nor does he have a consistent nickname, but he knows who this is.

the darkblood man clearly shed like so many others, that mysterious affliction that nehan's managed to escape somehow. now he's truly curious about what it does and what triggers it-- and just a bit jealous that he hasn't been affected yet.]

Really. Then... Don't mind if I do. [he takes one step at a time, slowly, careful not to slip.]

[unsheathedfromreality]

[Illarion's shed more than most Sleepers he knows and there's no denying his own rampant curiosity played a driving role in that. (Religious obligation was the other major part.)

Needless to say, he'd been doing a lot of learning through experience.

He stands as Nehan approaches, sending ripples across the pool, and shifts himself over to give the erune a better seat. "Coincidentally," it means he's also on his feet if he needs to prevent a fall (though he highly doubts he will).]

You are looking well enough for one so recently back from death, [he remarks, offering up a hand if Nehan needs it; if not, it's no bother to the shrike.] Though I see, [being delightfully not blind anymore,] I must be sending more food over.

a. u kno what? squid time.

[hopticulture]

[she didn't mean to snoop. it's more that when she knocked on the door and found that there was no answer, she turned the handle just because and it opened. and an unlocked door with no answer is alarming enough, so regardless of her inner, rabbit-hearted protests to turn back, that there may be danger inside this empty house she's only visited once to get her blood draw, Haru ventures inside.

maybe her human form helps with her boldness, but it's more that Haru has a bad habit of tamping down on life-preserving instinct until the last minute, and she's become well aware these past few weeks that the human body is just as vulnerable as a rabbit's. she came to see if there've been any other changes besides what's visible. but it seems like the man who drew her blood all those months ago isn't around...

she's poking around with her wolf omen at her side, Wolfsbane sticking close. nothing...seems wrong here besides the emptiness, and soon enough Haru is bored and decides to leave. but not before popping in to the bathroom before she journeys back home, pausing for a moment to tie her hair back in a braid when--

there's a splash and dark movement from the tub. which is filled with water. which is strange, come to think of it. who leaves a tub full when there's no one around?? she looks over in time to see a squid flitting about angrily in the tub, right as it lets out a stream of black ink, darkening the water so it's harder to see the creature.

making a small noise of intrigue, Haru gets on her knees to have a better look in, holding onto the edge of the basin.]

Do you need me to change the water? Or uh...damn, my Sea Speak is so rusty...

[Look, talking to a squid isn't abnormal where she's from. But, as she remains leaning over wracking her head to remember basic vocab, her fingers are just within reach for a tentacle to grab hold...]

[torpour]

[the squid closes the rest of the distance, because of course nehan is just Like This, even in this form. there's just no point in being timid. nehan grabs her finger with his tentacles and hangs on.

she is, for now, fortunate that he's not jetting water or ink at her.]

[hopticulture]

[Haru is a girl who gets down and dirty with all kinds of creepy crawlies that visit or invade her garden, so even though she does startle somewhat at a slimy tentacle reaching out of dark water to hold her finger, she doesn't react much.

Maybe a cute girl like her should worry about tentacles but that's not the kind of manga she's from.

Instead, she wiggles the finger Nehan's tentacle has held onto, pulling up slightly to get a better view of the familiar-looking creature. Reminds her of the beach...]

Oh! Uh...pokra pokra?

[That's "hello" in Sea Creature language. Her accent is terrible but it's not like Nehan would actually know that.

Carefully, she tucks her free hand underneath his squishy squid body, pulling him out of the water, wheels slowly turning in her head.]

...you're a Sleeper, aren't you?

C, Winter mourning’s last hurrah.

[searingwing]

[Diluc falls in step with the Nehan he knows without a backward glance. He doesn’t speak. This isn’t a time to ask questions.

And he doesn’t feel like asking anything or letting him be anything but focused and somewhat numb. He nods to acknowledge he got the message and looks to Nehan.

He looks tired and his usual masks aren’t present. Life had found a chink in his armor and finally he says,] I was going to sit for a moment. Seems that wasn’t allowed.

[Depending on what he sees he might wrap the damn thing in towels and move it, or go find his wayward knight.]

[torpour]

Sit, you? [nehan scoffs at him.] You never rest.

[but nehan can hazard at a guess as to what brought the human here-- what brought them both here. nehan was not dreaming, and did not leave any personal item of his with diluc, so he can only imagine that diluc grabbed ahold of a keepsake himself... if one could consider the winter mourning wreath a keepsake.

idiot. he knows what happened the last time he saw nehan's memories.

the erune shakes his head, and turns back to the one that's just two years younger than himself, harried, tired and bruised. the younger nehan looks around himself, ears lowering the more he sees-- the more people he spots with very particular insignias on them, the same ones embroidered on his scarf, and the lapels of his shirt. he ducks into a crowd of people, just to hide himself among them. it helps that he's smaller than most everyone, save for the dwarf-like harvins and horned draph women.]

[searingwing]

I’m trying to learn how. [To rest. To take some time for himself. He had meant to move the wreath so he could just sit and be. Well. That had been a mistake.

He sighs, aware of his own folly but glances around. His eyes narrow but unlike before he just looks tired.]

Let me guess. This is how you became as you are now. [More people with those marks and he internally steels himself. He can have issues with it later.]

b. busts down ur door

[extinctive]

[ it wasn't easy taking care of a guy post-squidification, you know? but luckily, the good doctor figaro is here to help. of course he'd known that his fellow healer had gone off the deep end thanks to their talk over his "last meal", but figaro would be lying if he isn't curious as to how he'd died.

so yes, he'll stay around; nehan isn't usually the type to ask of that, after all, and the nihilistic joke got this doctor to laugh a little, in fact, as he helps nehan get into bed. ]

Mm, of course. I might have to drop again tomorrow though to see how you're doing, so at least you won't have to miss me too much.

[ ok this joke is even more terrible ]

What do you usually do with your free time, anyway?

[torpour]

[the erune sighs as he lays in his bed, staring at the ceiling before he tugs the sheets up and tucks his left arm underneath it to keep it still.]

I used to raise plants. [medicinal plants, but... that still counts, really. he grew them from seeds or sprouts, and worked hard to make them viable for his potions.] But that's impossible, here.

With that absence, I merely read, or learn how to work with more magic.

[extinctive]

It's a shame that cultivating plants is near to impossible here. I used to grow medicinal plants at my clinic back home, so I get it.

[ it's tough, even with magic. and speaking of: ]

Well, we can't have you overexert yourself in this state by practicing magic. Want me to grab a book for you?

tdm shenanigans (venti)

[torpour]

[this is the first time he's felt something tug on his heart that's not a downward pressure threatening to drown him. he follows the tug out of curiosity, moving faster when the tug becomes an all-encompassing yearning that continues to drive him forward. and, when he spots a certain person who catches his eye, all he can do is breathe out the man's name, knowing immediately that this is who he should meet.]

Venti...

[his leg feels worse when he starts moving again, but he doesn't care-- he wants to get to venti, right now. his leg, after all, always feels terrible. though he doesn't notice yet that the finger tips of his left hand have begun to melt like a candle.]

[tonedeaf]

... Nehan.

[ there's a pain that he's never quite felt before. something that's been growing more and more intense the closer something or someone approaches. but what he does know is that he needs nehan more than anything right now, even though it seems there's an obvious correlation. and as venti starts to move toward the sources of desire and the pain, he doesn't realize how the skin at his ankles has started to peel and flake, disappearing into nothingness. ]

Nehan. [ as they get closer, he can see. ] You're... your fingers.

[torpour]

[nehan looks down at his right hand, clutching the crutch, but doesn't notice anything different. when he looks up, his ears and the hair around his neck have begun to melt away into nothingness as well. but then he spots venti's legs, his ankles, and his ears stand up even if they're slowly disappearing.]

Venti! Come here, you're disappearing!

[he renews his efforts to reach the bard, raising his left arm and realizing what the man means now-- his fingers are almost gone, and his knuckles are looking like goopy wax, even the leather of his glove. then he shakes his head, venti is his priority.

even if his leg is being difficult, he's almost running.]

CUE THE BOSS BATTLE MUSIC pt2 (childe)

[torpour]

[childe requested a study session, but nehan has shed into a form he never thought he would have again-- or wished he could have again. he has two functional arms and legs and eyes again, but he has aggression running through his veins, unlimited power that comes with the side effect of wanting to brutally murder everything in his path. hence choosing childe as part of a lesson. (well, not really, this is for nehan, mostly.)

he is a warrior, he will be fine. nehan might not be, but if he dies, so much the better.

nehan has controlled himself all the way to an empty, barren field that carries a whiff of old blood (or is that just the usual for trench?), though not completely successfully, when he glares instead of looks, and has to constantly flex his hands and shoulders for the need or something to do. but eventually, he cant control himself any longer, and takes a stance, breathing heavily with the exertion of controlling his urges-- and the anticipation.]

Come on, then. [his voice is deep, a growl that even a human man could achieve if he tried hard enough.] Fight.

[monoceroscaeli]

[It was a little suspicious that he's supposed to meet Nehan out in this field, having been to his home/office before and knowing full well that they could have used the basement again to go over things. But perhaps it's because out here are plants that could be harvested to make poisons out of, and that's the nature of this. But Childe makes sure he arrives on time, to a surprising sight.

Nehan traditionally has had a cane and a patch over one eye, with a limp and a general no nonsense attitude. But the erune looks nothing of the sort right now, spry as ever and with a hunger in his eyes that Childe has only seen in a few others. He could practically smell the battle ahead of him, and he studies Nehan for a moment before he takes his stance.

Childe knows he wants a fight before he even says it, smiling dangerously back. But there's a lot to consider here too, which he hides behind an expression of bloodthirsty excitement. Was this a product of the Shedding Ceremony? Probably. Nehan isn't human, so he should expect increased reflexes, speed and strength. He uses magic, which certainly would be used here. A lot to consider.]

I didn't take you for the bloodthirsty sort. But sure. I could use the exercise. But don't waste this opportunity though. Fighting against a Harbinger is a privilege few get to experience! And even fewer still live to tell the tale.

[What would Nehan start with? It could be either or, he thinks, as his hydro bow forms in his hand effortlessly. Best to put him on the move right away, to assess his speed- so he begins a volley of shots that rapid fire out of the bow.]

[torpour]

[didn't take him to be bloodthirsty? hilarious. nehan shakes himself like a wolf, before flexing his shoulders one more time and feeling his bones crack in a satisfying manner. he needs to fight and kill, he needs six, but without the most powerful martial artist in the sky realm to put him down, and his other students too soft, childe will have to do.]

I don't care about whatever privilege this is. [he is akin to a beast, but a different one than the cerberus he had been weeks ago.] But all you can do is talk, then there'll be nothing but disappointment here!

[the first thing nehan will show is that he's quite adept at dodging. however, he doesn't do it flashily, jumping away just to dodge an arrow-- he merely moves aside, doing the minimal amount of work needed for the arrow to just barely brush past him. after he dodges the arrow, he takes steps forward, towards childe, arms raised. dodges the next arrow, and surges forward again, just a little faster this time. again and again, bearing down on childe's location with increasing speed.

one arrow manages to brush his cheek and draw blood, but that's not what makes the erune's eyes light up or his nostrils flare-- it's the bright blue symbol that appears over his body.]

Devious.

deja vu (illarion)

[torpour]

"I have something of interest to you. Come when possible, but no longer than a few days, I may be on a deadline. The door is unlocked for you."

[that's the voice message he sent to the bird-man, and then settles into a large, squashy armchair to wait. he would have liked to lay down, but in his state, if he goes to bed, he's likely to fall asleep to the next morning and potentially miss his bird-caller coming in.

holding a dishcloth wrapped around ice to his cheek is undignified, but he'll live.]

[unsheathedfromreality]

[The end of the month had become abruptly very busy for Illarion--but not so busy he'd forgotten the terms of his contract with Nehan. (Nor the time they'd spend together after sealing it. It's a pleasant memory to revisit.) So this was not, exactly, the message he'd been expecting, but he nevertheless heeds it with all urgency.

It's within the hour after Nehan sent the message that there's a knock on the doorframe, followed by a shrike letting himself in.

He is, lamentably, quite dead once more.

...Is that an ice pack?]

You did not summon me to avenge you, did you? [Hi Nehan, he got your message..]

[torpour]

[nehan snorts, then winces a little when it aggravates some sore spots in his side.]

I took care of it myself. But no-- I called you here for scientific reasons.