[004] Let me be your everlasting light

[themuseabandonsyou]

Who: Orpheus (themuseabandonsyou)
What: February Catch-all
When: Throughout February
Where: Earworm, Willful Machine, Cellar Door

Warnings: Potential mild sexual/suggestive content, mild body horror (partial beasthood), giant worm/slug being, background use of drugs/alcohol, discussion of NPC death (trampling), mild blood, transformative magical effects


I. Your sun when there is none
( cw: Potential mild sexual/suggestive content, mild body horror (partial beasthood), giant worm/slug being, background use of drugs/alcohol ) ( closed to Vyng and Eurydice )

The descent into Earworm from the aboveground entrance is... a little nervewracking! As a rule Orpheus tries to stay away from being underground whenever possible these days, but he guesses if Lady Bop really wanted to build her club miles deep that's sort of her prerogative? It's a sacrifice he's willing to make for the sake of trying to figure out how to make life her a little safer, at least, though as he, Vyng, and Eurydice descend he seems deeply torn at all times between wanting to glance at his wife to check on her and very much not wanting to do that. It's fine, he knows, but years of nightmares about being in the dark of the underground with her have taken their toll.

In any case, when they do finally make it there - sooner than Orpheus expected but also not nearly soon enough - and the doors to the great cavernous expanse of the club itself swing open, they're met with a veritable wall of noise. Orpheus flinches away from it, but somehow it seems to adjust down to more manageable levels, fading gently until it's a more tolerable sort of loud. Glancing around, he tries to take in as much of it as he can at a first look. It's a little hard to pay attention to much else other than the gigantic, sluglike being from which all the music seems to be emanating, though, and Orpheus stares for a long moment before trying to get the rest of his bearings. The club isn't as busy as it could be, but there's still quite a few citizens dancing and sitting in booths and at the bar for this early in the day, being served by similarly sluggy people carrying trays of drinks and bar food. The doorways lining the back wall are what catch his attention, though, posters and signs portraying people in various states of beasthood posing suggestively and winking or blowing kisses at the viewer.

He looks to Eurydice and Vyng. "Let's split up?" he says, loud enough to be heard over the throbbing percussion of Lady Bop's current song. "We'll meet up later and talk about what we find."

And with that, absolutely failing to elaborate on what he means by 'later,' he makes his way off in the direction of the stage, disappearing into the crowd. About an hour passes before he bumps into either Vyng or Eurydice again.

"I couldn't get an audience with Lady Bop?" he says, pulling them aside. "But I did talk to a few of the dancers! Oh, but what did you find?"

(There is, of course, also nothing stopping them from reconvening before Orpheus turns up again.)

II. I'm a shepherd for you
( closed to Manabu )

Orpheus does a fair amount of wandering, most days. He doesn't tend to work until afternoon and evening, entertaining at various cafes and bars in Cellar Door, but he's always been an early riser, so that tends to leave his mornings fairly open once he gets done with his chores around the house. To his credit, he has been much more careful about where he wanders recently, sticking to crowded-but-not-too-crowded thoroughfares and keeping Eurydice updated on his location via the Omni regularly, and is just taking a blurry photograph of an interesting looking storefront in Willful Machine for her when he nearly bumps into Manabu.

"Oh!" he says, backing up and fumbling with the Omni so as not to drop it before stuffing it back into his pocket. "Hi, Manabu! It's nice to see you again."

Sidestepping to get out of the way of the foot traffic and gesturing for the other man to follow, he beams, obviously pleased to see his friend again.

"What have you been up to recently? It's been a little while, hasn't it?"

III. And I'll guide you through
( cw: discussion of NPC death (trampling) ) ( OTA )

Another day means yet more wandering, and is proving to be mostly uneventful and sort of dreary to the point where Orpheus is considering turning around and going back home for risk of rain, right up until he spots them.

By all appearances, they're just a random Trenchie, all dressed in black frills and silver accents, but Orpheus stops dead in his tracks when he sees them, eyes flickering with a faint glow like an animal's eyes in the dark. They don't notice him staring at first, but it's hard to ignore when he darts across the street - forcing a horse-drawn carriage to stop short and takes them by the shoulders. The world around him seems to grow dimmer, shades of night drawing in and more reflective, subtle pinpoints of light like distant bestial eyes appear around him in pairs, all focused on the poor confused citizen as he begins to sing, almost frantically.

"In the mud and under hoof
Is where the bitter end will come
Try to tame them but they'll prove
More than your your efforts' greatest sum

The herd knows you are watching
The herd knows your intent
The herd has been so patient
But the last of it is spent

In the blood and under hoof
Is where the bitter end will come
The stallion that gets loose
Will end your days under the sun"

The Trenchie looks, rightfully, absolutely terrified by all this. Maybe someone should intervene.

IV. Let me be your everlasting light
( cw: mild blood, transformative magical effects ) ( OTA )

Ordinarily even Orpheus would be sort of wary about the notion of taking candy from eldritch strangers in exchange for his blood - he's trusting, but he's not that bad - but there is not anything remotely ordinary about the Chocolatier. As it stands, he winds up with a very small box of chocolates, and less blood in him than before, which he does feel a little bit worried about now that the strange figure is gone, actually, but there's no turning back now, he guesses? Curious and also feeling a little woozy after all of that, he considers one carefully before nibbling at it, intending to savor it like he tries to do with all sweets.

It's gone before he knows it, though, and with it comes an odd prickling sensation all over his skin. He looks down at his hands, watching as his fingernails elongate and thicken into hooked talons and the skin of his hands and forearms grow leathery and scaly. Feathers start to unfurl from his skin, along his upper arms and chest and cheekbones, and he feels a sudden pressure at his back growing stronger by the second - prompting him to hurriedly strip out of his jacket and shirt before a pair of large brown wings unfurl from his shoulders. He blinks, startled, before starting to laugh.

"Oh! It's this again," he says to himself, kicking off his shoes so as to avoid them being destroyed by more talons coming in. He seems in good spirits about it, and that continues as he makes his way to one of Cellar Door's parks, whistling a cheerful melody to himself.

V. Wildcard
T( OTA )

[ OOC: Want something else? Feel free to add me at questionableveracity on plurk or message me at quodVide#2951 on Discord!! ]

Comments

[siriusly]

"Definitely," he agrees. "The fact there's no real money or credit system is what messes with me the most...I mean, how do people not get taken advantage of? It seems so rife for scammers, and I really don't want to rip anyone off!"

All the more reason he does so much heavy handiwork; gosh Manabu, nice to worry about others getting ripped off when you're literally fixing roofs for a meal.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus nods in agreement, frowning. "A lot of the time I just have to trust people to tell me what my work is worth to them. It's hard, though? A lot of people here are really generous, and I don't feel comfortable asking too much for what I do?"

He's just a musician, and as much as he believes that music is a powerful thing, well. It's a complicated thing, when you've got a voice that's touched by the gods, and know what effect that can have on people. There's a reason he'd never tried to make money off his talents before Trench, and while somehow trading feels a little more equitable there's still some concern there.

In any case, by now they're coming up on the cafe now. Orpheus steps forward to hold the door open for Manabu and Magnet, smiling.

"Is there anything in particular you like? In terms of drinks. I, um. I can't recommend the coffee here, but they have hot chocolate sometimes, and a lot of different kinds of tea!"

[siriusly]

"I'm good with tea," he assures, stepping inside after a hesitation. Magnet has no such qualms; in he goes. "The bitterer the better."

Maybe someday he'll come across something that reminds him of Tabito tea...that'd be wonderful. If he's gotta be here forever, he may as well be here forever with Tabito tea!

"Uoh...is this place new?" No, Manabu, you just never go to cafes to sit around.

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Nope!" says Orpheus, brightly. "I've been working here almost since the second week after I arrived in Trench? I think? And I think it'd been around for a while before that."

At the very least, the owner seemed very well established. "Go and take a seat somewhere, though! I'll bring something out."

And with that, he heads up to the counter, having a brief conversation with the barista on duty before returning with a cup of bitter black breakfast tea, a mug of cocoa, and a small basket of pastries.

"These are from yesterday," he admits, gesturing to the basket. "But they're still good!" Just, you know, barely stale enough that the cafe can't sell them to customers except at a steep discount. So instead Orpheus gets to have them!

[siriusly]

"Aa, thank you."

Manabu pulls the cup toward himself, leaning forward to sniff at the steam, hoping for notes of home. It's good, whatever it is...just not Tabito. The moment passes quickly as the basket is brought into his line of sight.

"There's a lot...what kinds are they?"

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Hand pies, mostly," says Orpheus, peering into the basket to confirm what he was told. "I think the ones with full moons cut into them are spinach and cheese? And the ones with crescent moons are mushroom."

He pushes the basket over to Manabu for inspection. The pastries look pretty light and flaky - this cafe works with a fairly upscale bakery, and can apparently afford the butter and cheese. Orpheus really did have to call in a favor for this one, but he's more than happy to do so. Manabu's a friend, and Orpheus doesn't get the impression that he treats himself very often.

"So you've been - doing construction? Fixing things? I bet there's always work to be found doing that kind of thing here."

[siriusly]

Aside from a brief grimace at the mention of mushrooms (he still hasn't forgiven the autumn for the mushroom business), Manabu does peer at the offerings with some interest, and the dog under the table has no such qualms about the mushrooms, so he is pawing at his person's pantleg incessantly for a try.

"Right," Manabu breathes out, a little laugh in his voice. He tilts a bit once he's broken a piece of pastry off and slipped it under the table. "Neverending, if monsters and weird...zealots...keep tearing things up, that's for sure. It may not be what I want to do, but...it does need doing. So I guess it's worth it to get better at it, right?"

[themuseabandonsyou]

It's understandable. Orpheus has very few reservations about food even knowing that the odds of it being cursed in a place like this are much higher than usual, but he gives Manabu a sympathetic look at the grimace all the same. He does have to hide a little smile as the other man sneaks a bite to Magnet, though.

"It's a dangerous place," he admits, pulling a spinach and cheese hand pie out for himself. "I'm sorry it's not what you want to do, though. What is it that you do want? Fixing buildings is important, but I'm sure people could find someone else to do it if you wanted to do something else for a while."

[siriusly]

He sits back up, wiping dog-spit off his fingers on his lap before finally grabbing his cup and pulling it to himself.

"Aa, yeah, I'm sure," he agrees, his eyes wincing a bit, painting a pained note to his otherwise mild expression; he has always been too emotive, betraying himself to others before he even realizes his own feelings. "But it's fine. I mean, there's...not really anything I can do quite like what I used to do." The kind of stuff he thought he was fated to do.

"I've...got some stuff in the works, but...but it's kind of a ways out still. There's a lot to do to make sure I don't mess up, get someone hurt. That kind of stuff."

[themuseabandonsyou]

That unspoken comment - about losing what had felt like his destiny - hangs heavy in the air. Orpheus doesn't catch the full implication, but he remembers how much Manabu had seemed to care about his work when he told him about it back in the dream. And while it's not the same, he can sympathize at least a little. There's nothing like having something wonderful given to you by Fate, only to have it yanked away before you're ready to let go. He frowns, sympathetic.

"What kind of stuff are you working on?" he asks, breaking off a corner of his hand pie and holding it up to Aoede on his shoulder to nibble at. "It sounds like it might be dangerous, but it must be worthwhile? If you're willing to put so much into it."

Manabu does not strike him as especially reckless with other peoples' safety.

[siriusly]

Manabu nods, starting to pivot away from those unhappy thoughts, invigorated by the prospects he has ahead of him and the hope that's come of having them. His good eye brightens a little bit, posture straightens just so...

"Mn, I'm planning an expedition. I want to get past the forest border around Trench, find out what's out past there. I've been trying to find some maps or accounts on it that are homegrown, but no dice yet. But that just means there's even more of a need for it! Since we can't just sit here not knowing, pretending we're trapped just like the dream... It's a whole planet, so...!"

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Right!" says Orpheus, brightly, picking up on Manabu's enthusiasm. "There is a whole world out there and, um, we know people can reach other parts of it already. Chocolate and coffee have to come from some place tropical, right?"

He glances down at his mug, thinking.

"But that all comes in from the docks, I think, and I haven't heard as much about traders showing up over land. Maybe that's why there aren't many maps of the inland area? People just don't leave Trench much except by boat, maybe."

[siriusly]

"Yeah..."

Manabu's tone withers a little, and he pauses to blow and sip on the tea. Nice and bitter, just like he likes it!

"I'm not much of a sailor, though. And those boats? No manifests, no maps...I scoured as many as I could that were close enough to shore to check." He sighs, setting the cup down, frowning at its remains and the steam wafting off of it.

"I can't accept that things are just...conjuring out of nowhere. So since I can't trust myself at sea, I'm going to try carving a way forward on land. Hopefully...hopefully others want to do that, too. And we can all move forward together. Safety in numbers and stuff."

No way is he doing this alone - he's not crazy!

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus looks a little apologetic at the way Manabu seems to lose some enthusiasm over the topic of sailing, though he doesn't say anything about it and simply moves on as the conversation does, unsure if he's reading too much into it.

"Right," he says. "It would be really good to know what's around here better! And I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be good to have along who are also curious, too. I'd offer, but I think I'd just slow everyone down."

He smiles, however sheepishly, clearly not too bothered by the fact that he's not terribly useful in survival situations, or at least trying not to be. He's come to terms with not being a warrior, at least.

"Have you ever done any exploring like this before? Mapping out uncharted territory, or anything like that?"

[siriusly]

"Not...not really," he admits, shoulders shrugging up. I mean, there's still uncharted parts of planets, sure, but we have a lot of good instruments and equipment to map that all out ahead of us. Here is kind of a big blank!

In saying that, a thought hits, his good eye glancing over toward a window.

"I wonder if I can get a telescope anywhere..."

[themuseabandonsyou]

That makes sense, he guesses. Orpheus assumed that someone must, with so many planets to explore in the strange universe Manabu comes from, but it does make sense that someone wasn't necessarily Manabu himself.

"Right, I guess you must have all sorts of tools for that," he says, drumming his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "I guess being able to see the worlds you visit from space would help a lot, for one thing."

At least for getting down the general shape of things.

"I'm sure you can, though! I've seen people use them at the docks. They might not be as powerful as the ones you're used to? But they should be worth something, at least!"

[siriusly]

"Eh, really?" That's definitely a hopeful prospect. Here in Trench, the technological disparities from what he once knew are...a lot...even if Wu can still find a way to make him watch Beyoncé videos on the Omni network.

"Now that you mention it...it might be worth having a visit to the fishing area, huh? If anyone in this town has boating experience, it's gotta be those guys, right?"

Those...weirdos, according to more of the inland Trenchers. Still! He's gotta try.

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Yes! The, um. Most of the people around here don't seem to like them very much, but I think that's probably just because they're kind of different."

And sailors usually are kind of different in his experience, even when the ocean isn't an eldritch being unto itself, filled with other eldritch beings. It's understandable that anyone might get a little eccentric, spending so much time out there.

"Oh, but, you might also want to talk to the Dog Keeper, if you're exploring by land! He's out in Trenchwood now, looking after people who get lost. He probably knows a lot about navigating and surviving out there, by now."

[siriusly]

"Eh?" Manabu blinks, just about to sip, but stops as he hears the name.

"Wait...wasn't that guy...?" He frowns, brow furrowing. "Was that a thing before? In the dream? Or am I misremembering. There were a lot of dogs there..."

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus nods. "Yes!" he says. "He survived the dream, and now he's here. I think he might be immortal now? There's a handful of people from Deerington - the real one, that came before the dream - who are like that now."

Which... he realizes belatedly might be a big thing to drop on someone with little preamble, but there it is, he guesses. He watches Manabu's reaction carefully, knowing that he tended to take the more confusing aspects of Deerington kind of hard.

"But, um, yes. If you've seen the big dogs that the locals call hellhounds around, those are his. I think they're a little scary, but apparently they're really smart and strong, and just good to have around if you're going anywhere dangerous. Maybe he'll send some with you on your expedition if you ask?"

[siriusly]

Manabu really got the short end of the stick when it came to that dream: Dropping in right as all hell was starting to break loose, when all the conventions everyone else was reliant on were crumbling...it all made most everything unreliable and hard to accept. Even now, removed from it yet still undeniably affected: He's only got that one good eye left, after all.

They WOULD be called hellhounds, he thinks flatly, resting his chin on one hand as he lets out an acknowledging sound.

"You think so? Is a guy like that interested in helping us out anymore? Especially if he's gonna go and live forever."

[themuseabandonsyou]

Orpheus looks more than a little confused by the question, brows furrowing.

"Why wouldn't he be?" he asks, frowning thoughtfully. "Do you think immortality would stop someone from wanting to help others?"

Because - well, admittedly, a lot of Orpheus's extended family is less concerned with the affairs of mortals than they probably should be, but plenty of them do their best to stay involved, for better or worse. He sort of figures it has less to do with their longevity and more to do with how some people are just prone to getting caught up in their own business more so than others.

[siriusly]

"..."

Manabu opens and closes his mouth without an immediate reply, caught less by the question and more...that it had to be asked. Why would I even assume that? he wonders, taking a sip for the sake of filling space.

"...Sorry. It's no good to assume the worst like that, right?" He forces an apologetic kind of smile. "And it's better to hope for the best anyway, ye-yeah?"

[themuseabandonsyou]

"Oh, don't worry about it," says Orpheus, though he still seems a little confused.

"I guess it's just that most of the immortal people I've met are more helpful than not? Even here, some of the Pthumerians seem interested in helping us mortals, especially the ones that preside over the different months. But I guess that might not be the case everywhere."

He shakes his head.

"Anyway, the Dog Keeper helped us out a lot back in Deerington, and it sounds like he's still helping people here. I wouldn't worry about him."

[siriusly]

His response at first is just an affirmative sound while he's taking another sip before he sets the now-empty cup down.

"Then I'll consider reaching out, just to see. From...what I've researched so far, it sounds like it's going to be one uphill climb." His expression hardens, determined. "But I'm still gonna do it. We have to know. The rest of the planet...we have to know what it's like... And if it could ever be connected to the rest of the railway."

His now-empty hands at rest on the table clench.

"Because that could mean...people could finally see their homes again."