deercountry | here it goes [september open/catchall]

Entry tags:

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[the dog, understanding that doubtful request, snuffs and makes a whiny sound in reply. as if they're doing that! they're a good boy!

once Varian's for sure following along, the dog starts back the way they came, claws clicking on the cobblestones, moving with urgency and purpose...and looking damn adorable doing so.

shame they're not leading Varian to something cute. it's not murder, but it's not great, either: they lead the way to a busted-up old house, hopping over a missing step and going inside, giving a loud bark that echoes off the interior.

they turn and look back to Varian, then down at a gaping, splintered hole in the wooden floor, letting out a vexed whine.]

[Varian unquestioningly follows the dog. No one would think twice about something like this back home. Animals were just as smart as people most of the time, sometimes smarter- and he knows the omens here are very much likewise. So he follows, not doubting for a second he'd be led somewhere other than where he was needed.

The house isn't what he expected- it's definitely seen better days, but the dog charges up with such purpose, it's definitely where he's being led. He hesitates at the steps, just in case there are murders in there, before heaving out a sigh and heading inside.]

Okay, hole in the floor. [He edges a little closer, peering into it, raising his voice a little.] Hello? Someone down there?

Unh--uh, ye-yeah! Yeah, hi? Hello!

[Manabu shifts a little in mess of moldy, splintered wood that had given up under him, trying his best to not disturb it more than he has to to sit upright and squint up in the gloom to the ceiling/floor above.]

I-if someone's up there, I could use a hand...!

[the dog barks down the hole, then looks up at Varian, wagging their tail.]

[Oh, man, it's the sabre guy!! ]

Okay! Uh- no problem! Hang tight, okay? I'm gonna find something to get you out. Is there any rope or anything in here?

[The dog is a winner and Varian give them a grim little thumbs-up. ]

Are you hurt?

[rope? hang on, he has to check...]

I, uh...I don't see any around, but I'll keep looking. Hey is that-- [crap. the kid--the kid who fired the saber over the water. uh. UHHHhh] Ss-sorry, I remember you! Just not. Names. Right now. Kinda--kinda preoccupied and all...

[Varian makes a gesture that's part-greeting-part-dismissive. It's fine, he gets it.]

Ye-yeah, that's me, Varian. Don't worry about it. Bigger fish right now.

[He's rummaging around the perimeter of the hole, trying to see if there's anything he can use to help Manabu out of it. If there's anything he can cobble together to make a half-decent ladder. He calls out, just so Manabu knows he hasn't been abandoned.]

I'm still here. I'm seeing if I can find anything to help you out. [The, realising something, he comes a little closer to the hole again. He reaches into his backpack, pulling what looks like a test tube out. He shakes it and it begins to glow a bright blue.] I'm gonna drop this down, okay? Then at least you can see.

[He's gonna just...drop it down the hole. Catch, Buddy. ]

Okay, I--huh?

[oh, hey! a lightstick? he didn't expect that. he sits upright and catches it - thank you, childhood baseball games - grimacing a bit as he adjusts to the sudden change of light. still, this is a relief.]

Right...okay, maybe there is something down here? It's a cellar or something, so...m-maybe there's stairs somewhere... [he looks around his immediate landing point before he starts to scoot very carefully, halting when things make too many protesting noises.

the odds of falling through a second basement are like stupidly low, but with the way odds have been rolling lately? he's not chancing it.]

[It's better than the all-encroaching darkness, at least. Varian grimaces a little as the floor makes those...uncomfortable noises. ]

Uh- just take it slow- see if you can find a wall and keep to the edges, it should be more structurally sound there, at least.

[He glances around- there's a few rooms he can try, see if he can find a door that leads down.]

I'm gonna see what I can find, okay? See if there's any basement or cellar doors. I'm not gonna ditch you, alright?

Ye-yeah, just--watch yourself up there too? [he takes a minute to raise the light and glean a sense of the ceiling.] There's some supporting beams that are just...ready to go, so. So be careful! [it won't do to have both of them down here floundering in splinters.

Manabu exhales, feeling panic still trying to creep up and bubble over. he swallows back on that feeling (and the bile aftertaste in his throat). focus. there's a kid up there. can't lose his head and make a mess of things.

he shifts onto his knees, needing a minute to figure out how he's gonna hang onto this lightstick and navigate around hands-free...and he's not sticking this thing in his mouth.

...awkward, one-armed crawling it is, then! slow and steady until he can get his feet onto concrete or stone or whatever foundation is underfoot, and only then can he breathe easily.

murmured:] What the heck... [what kind of cellar is this? what are all these shelves and bottles? not booze, right? it's hard to make out until he gets closer to a wall of a still intact shelf full of...]

GIH--!!

[b-body parts in formaldehyde?!?!]

Thanks for the heads-up, I'll go easy. I'm pretty light, at least.

[There's some bonuses to being really short and shaped like a twig!

He keeps moving (carefully, as promised) around, stopping every time something creaks a little too much and taking another route. He opens a few doors here and there, peering in, trying to find something that goes down. He only stops when he hears Manabu makes that sound- panic slipping into his tone.

God what if something is in here hunting them? That would be such a Deerington move- why not Trench too. He raises his voice.]

You dead?

[after swallowing his heart back down his throat:] N-no! No, just--Don't...don't come down here! If you can avoid it! It's...not great down here!

[Manabu backs away from the little shelf of horrors and moves the light around, trying to not think about getting nauseous while actively getting nauseous. thankfully, his attention can divert to something more hopeful when he finds stairs.

stairs that...lead up to seemingly nowhere but what must be a door in the floor above. he gives it a testing push, and when there's no real budging, a more generous pound.]

[Manabu, don't tell a teenager not to do a thing, it just makes them want to do the thing MORE. Varian is about to state exactly that when he hears the banging. He cants his head a little, before starting to move towards the noise, finally coming to a door. ]

Okay, unless there's something else in here with us, I think I found you.

[He is not strong enough to push the door open, but hmm, he looks at the hinges.]

I think I have an acidic substance that can get rid of those hinges so we can get you out.

[That acidic substance being acid- because everyone carts that around with them, right?]

Okay! I'll--

[wait.]

Acid?

[????]

Wait! Why do you have acid?!

[Cheerfully:]

Alchemist! I always have a basic set of chemical compounds on me. You never know when you need them.

[He's...definitely plucking a test tube of fucking acid out of his backpack, uncorking it and dripping it on the door hinges ( he has to stand on his tippy-toes for the highest one). There's a lot of hissing and some unpleasant smoke billowing from it.

Belatedly:]

Oh, right, you wanna avoid breathing that in.

[But hey, at least it's going to get rid of the door hinges? Bonus?]

[alchemist? Manabu thought he was a tinkerer! what the heck is this kid?!

he'd press on that, but he's instead opting to step aside and let the acid do its inevitable business without risking himself, covering his mouth and nose with a hand just to be extra safe.

when he can see the door shifting with some give and takes that as a sign he can push on it to get it open. look out on the other end!]

[The answer here is 'a goddamn disaster', Manabu. That's what he is.

Still, he steps out of the way as the door comes crashing down, sending up a billow of smoke up around them. Varian looks pretty fuckin' pleased with himself. ]

Ta-daaa! And now you're out!

[Manabu waves away the dust, holding his breath for a few seconds well after it's scattered. it's not just acid that'd be worrying, but whatever compounds make up the building here!

he gingerly steps over the door to meet Varian on the ground floor.]

Th-thanks, Varian...how'd...wait, did you just happen to be around? How'd you find me?

[this innocent wondering gets an indignant growl-bark from the dog back over by the hole. no respect!!! acknowledge your omen, Manabu!]

[Probably all sorts of weird things to breathe in. Varian doesn't seem that bothered- but he's pretty lax when it comes to personal safety at the best of times. He points in the direction of the growl-bark.]

Not a problem. Your uh...dog-friend came and got me- they led me here. I...uh. Maybe they're your omen? Have you seen them before?

[Manabu looks over at the dog and scowls. dog somehow scowls back - like in a dog way.]

That thing's been following me around for like three days non-stop. I didn't even feed it!

[Varian eyes the dog a little more, before glancing Manabu's way.]

Have they been able to understand you? Or... you, them? There are these things called Omens now? Like... animal companions. Everyone has one, they might be yours?

Everyone? [Manabu frowns, looking back at Varian. he doesn't mean to be skeptical, but it's a very weird concept.

...man. the number of animal encounters he's had since Deerington is insane. back home, he just had little Shutaro, and that's it!

and Shutaro was a way better dog than that noisy thing over there, thanks.]

Wait, you too? I haven't seen that many dogs or cats at all so far...

Huh-huh, everyone.

[And now he has a doggo who Pulled A Lassie for him, wow. Varian holds a finger up, concentrates, and Ruddiger flows out from a smokey mass from his chest, forming on his shoulder. Ruddiger chitters, waving at Manabu.]

Ruddiger turned into one for me! He...was actually from home, and definitely couldn't do that before. I- I mean the smoke thing.

DAH-!!

[Manabu jolts a bit at the sudden smoking - it could be acid chewing through the kid's pockets for all he knows! - raising an arm in front of his face just in case. he peeks over it and blinks in bewilderment at...

at another one of those funny cat-dog-whatever things. like Fritter?]

Holy smokes...wait, what? ['from home,' did he say?] Wait, so-- [his arm goes down so he can point at Ruddiger.] That's something you know already?

[and if that's the case...]

But I've never seen that one in my life! [now he points at the dog, who snorts and barks in offense, shooting a look up at Varian and his omen. do you see what he has to work with here?! brainless!]

[Manabu's fears aren't too out of place. There's always a chance there's a chemical spill of some sort happening around Varian at any given time. Lucky (??) this time it's just Magical Bullshit.

Ruddiger nods, because he's being pointed at and has been asked what he assumes is a direct question.

Varian turns his attention to the dog, he feels you, buddy.]

Well, they...uh. They seem to know you? And they did lead me to you to rescue you. Fern had one he doesn't recognise, either.

[though Manabu makes a dubious noise through his nose, he gives the dog a second look.]

Yeah...? So he's just gonna...follow me around and stuff? And puff into smoke?

[hopeful tail wag.]

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