siriusly: (we have a sirius problem)
Manabu Yuuki ([personal profile] siriusly) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2021-09-09 03:39 pm

here it goes [september open/catchall]

Who: Manabu Yuuki + Soldier Blue + OTA
What: Gen + event open prompts for the month for both of my characters! Tag one, tag many, go apeshit. will match format
When: September
Where: Various
Permissions: Psychic power permissions/opt-out

Content Warnings: September event warnings + eye trauma + memory loss/manipulation + monsters & the gore they can make
there are drawn images of torture/monsters/blood embedded




1. house hunt
manabu yuuki @ housing in crenshaw



"...Hello?"

Manabu stops just shy of the next, creaky step in the large and (seemingly) empty building he's entered in. Things don't fall entirely silent until the little dog's tippy-taps click to a stop at the foot of the stairs, punctuated by an impatient snuffle.

Just find an empty space and make it your own, they said...jeez, really? That seems so...invasive. Because it is. But what is he supposed to do? Build a place himself? Fat chance. And no one seemed keen on trading menial work for rent, either - that uncomfortable separation of Sleepers and Wakers being the basis to dote upon him. He doesn't deserve that. Maybe others who suffered or struggled more do, but he sure doesn't.

The dog yips, its voice carrying through the open foyer and, perhaps, to spaces beyond, giving Manabu a little bristle. He glares over his shoulder and shushes.

"If you're gonna follow around, you're gonna be quiet, okay?!"

A moody little whine follows, and the dog sits. Manabu rolls his eye and looks back up, sighing and starting to climb up. Maybe nobody else really is here...





2. the dog
manabu yuuki @ the rainy streets of trench


[whether he knows it or not, this spunky little dog is a part of him. Manabu's a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to things of the heart, so the efforts they take to convey that to him are slow to take...yet still the little scrapper persists, because persisting is what Manabu himself does.

the dog is galloping through the rainy streets, sniffing around with a clear, anxious frustration, growling and yapping at passers-by that don't seem to be what they want.

eventually, they find a Sleeper. perhaps an old friend, perhaps a stranger who seems to have some shades of apparent compassion.

either way, the barking will persist, to the point of hopping and nipping at clothes for attention, trying to encourage the Sleeper and its omen to follow them.

come on! hurry up!]






3. event: bloodsport
manabu yuuki @ open lots within trench, near the canals


It can't be possible, but it feels as though Manabu's blood is both boiling and freezing at the same time. Sleeping doesn't help, moving doesn't help, sitting, standing, breathing...

What the hell is going on?


Cold fire flickers, sparking here and there with some residual electricity. It races off his body and snakes off into the saber he holds out as though it were drawn to it like a lightning rod. This should hurt...way more than it does. No more than an itch, an ache...

But the longer he stands still, the more it hurts. Manabu winces, doubling over for a minute before getting his stable footing back. He swallows down fresh panic, swiveling his head around so his good eye can survey, growing in desperation and doubt.

What does he do? What is he supposed to do?!

Get help, obviously. Somewhere. The thought is in his mind even as the confusion begins to overwhelm him; he yelps in alarm as another tongue of flame laps up across his shoulders and arms. Something catches his attention just over the bridge of his nose, and in fear and impulse, he swings that sparking saber with a yell.





4. event: river of regret
manabu yuuki @ a canoe on a strange river


D'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!

[down he goes, dropped by the menacing murder that swept him up in the first place. Manabu's a small guy, so at least he's not at risk to toppling the canoe he plops into, but it's graceless, and he may wind up landing on whomever was there before.]

A...aowh...what the hell...?!





5. event: growing pains
soldier blue @ misc. planting grounds in trench


The rain has eased back into a steady, but gentle drizzle. The streets are still slick, but the wind has died down, making walking easier to manage. And while Blue no longer walks alone, he must do so slowly, carefully, putting distance between himself and the many, many open minds that surround him.

There's some reprieve here, especially with most citizens inside to avoid catching sick from the rain. A faint, pale blue aura keeps Blue dry and safe from that sort of fear - one more reason he has to take his time. The lion ambles just as slowly, letting him keep a hand on him for balance, emanating a steady sense of safety and assurance that Blue would find in himself were he to search.

Right now, though, his attention is outside of himself: The spark of a Sleeper - that familiar echo of their shared beginnings here - lights up in the gloom, and Blue is drawn to an open gardening space where someone seems to either be puzzling over what to do or...why.

Blue slows to a stop at a safe distance to observe - as much to avoid startling them as it is to perhaps avoid an unexpected attack - but it's hard to ignore someone faintly glowing in the rain for long.





6. strain
soldier blue @ rainy streets of lumenwood


Hh...nh...

[without much warning, Blue drops, just barely able to catch himself by his hands, sparing his head a nasty impact. but it's all he can do to keep up, his stamina waned.

he can't...keep moving. he heeded the advice - pointed to this district for healing - but he can't get there. between his natural frailty and the almost ceaseless torment of the moon-addled minds of the coldbloods, Blue's reaching a limit for his own faculties.

the lion, aware, circles him and snuffs, nudging at him and searching for a chance to try and heft his body up over him somehow. it's kind of hard to do without the proper limbs...and before they can, the lion's ears flick to the sound of someone approaching. it turns to step in front of Blue, letting out a warning rumble, daring whomever it is to approach with ill intent.]






7. event: river of regret
soldier blue @ a canoe on a strange river


In a blustering flurry of feathers, beaks, and talons, Blue's form appears - breathless and ruffled, but otherwise unharmed. He quivers, despite the heavy layers he wears, and stares at his shaking hands.

He's very quickly aware he's not alone, and even while the feathers flutter free of his hands, his red eyes flicker up to the other person in the boat - silent, but concerned and questioning.

What...is happening?

The thought leaves him unchecked.





8. frenzy
soldier blue @ a monster attack in trench


[a bright bullet of light precedes the sound of impact and a garbled, monstrous roar. moldy wood cracks and splinters under repeated swipes of tremendous force, and a mangled, starved beast grows more frenzied in its attempts to clear obstacles to get to the source of the glowing, fading light.

for the empathetically insightful, terror bleeds through the near area without recourse. terror and fury from two sources tied to a similar thread, for while Blue struggles to get some distance within the cellar for himself from harm's way, the lion is recovering from being shaken off and lunging onto the beast's.

it's not going great, though, because there's more than one of these mad creatures in the yard.]
thinkfirst: (determined | justice | ready)

[personal profile] thinkfirst 2021-09-28 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Prolong...?

[ Flynn doesn't like the sound of that, nor does he enjoy the idea that Blue must simply pay a price for his power. Like Estellise, trapped by something he has no control over. It wasn't fair to her, and it isn't fair to Blue. ]

Isn't there anything we can do?
firstroar: (ᴅɪsʙᴇʟɪᴇғ)

cw needles

[personal profile] firstroar 2021-09-28 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[Blue's mouth briefly tugs at one corner. he appreciates the concern, but there's little he can do for it, is there? he isn't keen to lie and say there's certainly a way to turn the corner, because the truth will be clear enough in short order.

even so:]
Being out of the cold helps enough for now. Thank you, I--

[he hesitates, turning his head and watching the door. not a moment later one of those so-called ministers appears to greet and ask what ails him. it's a fair question, but the best Blue can do is respond with It's complicated. before he can then ask simply if there's just space for him to rest, another question is posed.

What quality of blood do you bear?]


...

[that's the thing here, isn't it? the thing that's changed the most within himself and other Sleepers. Blue shakes his head a little, not knowing for himself.

the minister procures a small needle and asks for his hand. a single pinprick on his finger yields a bead of a silvery, almost translucent substance. paleblood, the minister says, going through their own procedures off at the counter while Blue stares in quiet horror, even after his hand's been wiped off.

it's not that he doubted others who spoke of the changes in themselves, but seeing it coming from within himself for certain is chilling. he seems barely present for the remainder of the questions, softly and almost mechanically answering yes or no as needed until the minister can suggest, perhaps, anemia, and give Flynn a pointed look and ask if there's anything else they ought to know before going through with a treatment.]
thinkfirst: (skit | annoyed | no)

[personal profile] thinkfirst 2021-10-03 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Flynn is terribly out of his depth here. He is a ramrod of tension, his spine like steel keeping him upright, and he is trying to focus on being strong for Blue in front of these seemingly-gentle people. There is a needle, and there is blood, and that's nothing new for Flynn but the silver-sheen of it certainly is, and he catches Blue's distance, the look in his eyes that suggests he is not quite present in this small sterile room.

Flynn can't blame him.

But he's being asked a question, and Blue is clearly somewhere else, so—
]

He mentioned that this was normal for him. I am not certain how much treatments will be able to help, but anything you do is up to him.

[ A ring of steel in Flynn's voice, too: he isn't going to let them just push Blue around like doctors did to his mother, yanking her this way and that, submitting her to tests and treatments that only seemed to hurt her. ]
firstroar: (pic#5951992)

[personal profile] firstroar 2021-10-03 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Blue's attention returns at mention of transfusion, only giving the minster a brief moment of regard before his focus is back on Flynn. the echoes of the young man's past, anxiety already heightened, paints staggered, flickering notions in Blue's mind.]

...Just...a place to rest. For a little while. [he looks back to the minister.] That's all I need.

[he just nods when there's a concerned are you sure?...and follows up with a more reluctant nod to agree to being checked on later in case he changes his mind. Blue's eyes stay downcast and distant until the minister has left to go advise attendants of directions.

he looks over at Flynn.]


This much...is enough. More than enough. Thank you, Flynn.
thinkfirst: (unsure | looking down | sad)

[personal profile] thinkfirst 2021-10-05 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Flynn gives Blue a sort of dismayed look, maybe a little too wide-eyed. He's vibrating again with nervous energy, brimming with memory he doesn't like and worried about Blue, who was so pale and so quiet, for whom this is normal. Even the ministers didn't seem to have any real ideas, seemed to be relying on Flynn for answers. Shouldn't they have had them?

He doesn't know. He swallows and shifts a little closer, reaching out to lay a hand on Blue's arm like he's making sure Blue is in fact solid and here, and not the translucent ghost he half-looks to Flynn's eyes.
]

Are you certain? I don't want to leave you here without even a plan for what will make you get better, and I'm sure food would help...?
firstroar: (pic#6891949)

[personal profile] firstroar 2021-10-05 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
Why...?

[the thought leaves him without warning, thanks to simply being touched. Blue's clearly a little startled that it does with how his eyes widen for a moment before his expression grows quickly pained and remorseful.

despite Flynn's kind disposition being so plain to see, it's still so alien to be given such care from someone who isn't a Mu. it's been hundreds of years of separation this way.

strange how Blue can't seem to wholly accept something at face-value like this, even when he has the power to perceive the truth of it to the core; perhaps it's because it's kindness directed at him and not the other way around.

he swallows, hesitating a beat more before putting a hand atop Flynn's, his head dipped in apology.]


I can't...ask to keep you here. Because I don't know how long I must remain. Being here too long is no good, right? [that's so plain from the endless, rippling unease emanating from the young man: it's not all for Blue's sake that he's uncomfortable.]

Forgive me. For...forcing you this far along. You've done more for me than...any human's done. Far more.
thinkfirst: (skit | sad | upset)

[personal profile] thinkfirst 2021-10-07 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
You didn't force me to do anything.

[ It's all Flynn can say, because the rest of what he wants to say is trapped hard in his throat: he aches at Blue's surprise at such a small kindness, at something that Flynn did not even do well. It reminds him inexorably of the delight on Estellise's face the first time he said her name, proving he rememebered her: the sort of thing that should not be remarkable except to those who are used to the bare minimum and perhaps not even that.

The kind of world Flynn wants to create would erase those moments from existence. That has to be a good thing.

He reaches up with his other hand to press his fingers between Blue's, watching him closely.
]

I am glad to help you, and I'm sorry that it's... that no human has done this before. I can't accept that, and if you need me to stay, then I will stay without question. Alright? At least until you figure out what you're going to do after this.
firstroar: (ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ)

[personal profile] firstroar 2021-10-07 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[what can Blue say to such honest kindness poured out for his sake like this? there are no matters of pride - none that Blue can discern himself, anyway - that make him hesitate, but the rippling effects of a life lived in one way for so long that even a positive disruption like this is hard to accommodate on-the-spot.

after all, wasn't he the one whose thoughts quietly begged him not to leave not even an hour ago? perhaps there is some pride at play, then. pride not exclusively as a Mu, but as someone still alive - someone who should still be able to take care of themselves despite circumstances. someone who can shudder at the sight of unnatural blood but still keep their head up.

a Soldier would do so.

Flynn pressing both in words and with hands is just more impetus for Blue to take what is freely given: to draw the concerns and compassion to himself, to metabolize it to something more bracing than just feelings. a bit of color returns to his features, some of the weariness rubbed out for a time, and he can sit up a bit better, speak a bit clearer.]


...Thank you, Flynn. For a little while, then...

[he won't push him away so quickly. not until he's assured a bed and a roof - observational purposes is well enough, though every passing mention of blood makes it harder to be willing to linger, and he's certain that when Flynn does depart, it will be difficult to fight his own mounting fears alone.

but that's...what humans do all the time, isn't it? what Flynn must do with his own anxieties.

it must be terribly lonely.]