I love you and that's all I really know

[reddosmod]

FEBRUARY 2022 EVENT

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Bloody fingers hovering over chalice of blood.]
[Image Two: Semi-nude people dancing in circle with joined hands.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Hauntingly large man coming up behind young girl while other girl screams.]
[Image Two: Old woman walking towards a panicked young woman.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Obscure, nude bodies twisted together in a circle. Non-graphic.]
[Image Two: Nun holding holy book while red liquid pours from unseen face.]

Prompt Four
[Image One: Chocolates.]
[Image Two: Chocolate.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Prompt 4 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

BONDING PACTS

WHEN: Anytime
WHERE: Anywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Blood ceremony, bodily ceremony, telepathic/empathetic connections, possible forced/coerced relationships.

---

[From BEGINNERS GUIDE FOR BLOOD PACTS. Found in the Archives:]

"There are a variety of blood pacts one can make, but the most popular are Bonding Pacts. Bonding Pacts should never be made on a whim: they are a serious commitment.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!
We can thank the Doorway for Bonding Pacts. Everyone knows the story: the Reckoning was made to go fight the impossible battle against blood pollution, corruption, and beasthood. The Doorway vowed to wait for the Reckoning to return and has never moved since. This is ultimately believed to be the first Bonding Pact ever made in Trench and it is considered to have opened up Bonding Pacts as a possibility in general.

The most common misconception about Bonding Pacts is that they must be exclusively for romantic partners. This is not true The majority of Bonding Pacts, as a matter of fact, are actually familial and platonic in nature. Most romantic pairs decide that marriage is a safer option just in case someone gets a case of cold feet. On the other hand, this also means that the Bonding Pact can be the ultimate sign of devotion in a romantic relationship. We aren't interested in telling you what is right for your relationship, but the history is worth considering before taking that step.

So what is a Bonding Pact and how do you do it? Despite being one of the strongest pacts in this world, it is also one of the simplest to perform! Here's what you'll need:

1x Vial of blood per participant wishing to enter the pact
1x Small essence* of each participant
1x Live red rose
2x Live white roses
1x Pouch of ashes
1x Silver cup/container of some sort

*It was once believed that "essence" translated to organ, but we have since learned that this can be a single strand of hair, nail clipping, eyelash, teardrop, spit...You get the gist. It has to be something that came directly from your body that isn't blood.

You need to leave the silver cup out under the moonlight for at least one full night. You must complete this ceremony the evening after and only in the evening. Bonding Pacts cannot be made during the day. When you plan to begin the ceremony, you will need to perform it in a doorway or under any type of arch. This is to allow the Doorway to bless your pact and strengthen it permanently.

You will combine all the ingredients into the cup and thoroughly stir with a fragment of bone/antler. This concoction will thicken into a pastelike consistency and it should be black in color. If it smells like fresh roses, you did it right. If it smells like rancid food, you messed it up and will have to completely redo the ceremony.

Finally, each participant will cover one hand with the paste. To seal the bond, you will need to place your hand upon the one you wish to bond with. Where you place it matters and will determine the nature of your Bonding Pact. Each will have a drastically different consequence/benefit.

ROMANTIC BONDS: Place the hand somewhere on the face. This indicates a public relationship that is to be respected by all involved. This bond will create a telepathic connection between all participants. This telepathy cannot be heard by anyone else nor can it be interfered with from distance or chaos. It is possible to bring your romantic partner back from beasthood through this connection. Extreme cases of this bond have allowed romantic partners to take over one another's minds in severe situations. It can be difficult to shelter your thoughts from your Romantic Bond partner, but it is possible. They will know when you are keeping thoughts from them. Some partners have learned to respect each other's privacy while others have gone insane from the connection.

PLATONIC BONDS: Place the hand somewhere on the chest/shoulder area. This bond will create an This bond will create a physical connection. between all participants. This physical bond will allow participants to pick up on each other's physical pain or pleasure. You will be able to know when your friend is in physical harm. This creates a "phantom pain" of sorts. This can either weaken you substantially or give you an enormous boost during a fight. Best friends have been known to harness this ability well and use each other's pain to literally get stronger during a fight with monsters. On the other hand, a strained relationship can just cause you to feel the same debilitating pain as your friend. This cannot be used to bring someone back from beasthood.

FAMILIAL BONDS: Place the hand somewhere on an appendage whether arm, leg, tail or otherwise. This bond will create an empathetic connection between all participants. This empathetic bond will allow participants to naturally know what the other is feeling and may be able to sway one another's emotions through this connection. Like the romantic bond, it cannot be ruined by distance or chaos and has been used to bring people back from beasthood. Extreme situations have allowed partners to take total emotional control. You will always know when your Familial Bond partner is in emotional distress. You can send your Familial Bond emotional support when you can feel their stress, even at a distance. While this may not always work, many have reported it can greatly alleviate corruption and can even be used to recognize corruption patterns in order to prevent it.

HOSTILE BONDS: Place this bond exclusively on the neck or on anywhere on the back. While it may seem farfetched to make a bond with your enemy, there is some merit to the madness. This will create a unique power connection between all participants. This bond will allow one another to feel the ebb and flow of one another's powers. It is said the most well-forged Hostile Bonds may even allow characters to share abilities between one another. Hostile Bonds are known to drastically increase aggression and competitive behavior between participants. This has caused hostility to stir and may even lead to hatred. However, a successful Hostile Bond that is worked on with steady communication and agreement can be enormously successful and horrifically powerful.

Once you have left your handprint on your partner's skin, the spell will take hold. The handprint will glow and everyone will briefly have a vision of the Doorway standing before them. Don't be alarmed: they are only here to solidify the connection. You will feel great warmth and then the connection will be made. The handprint will stain your skin permanetly so choose wisely. The stain may be extremely light, barely visible. For others, it may be much darker. It is unknown what causes the variation.

This pact can be performed any time of year but is strongest when performed during or near the Egg Moon. While it is not required to have an audience for this ceremony, it is believed that an audience greatly strengthens the bond. It has become customary for people to make vows in combination with the ceremony for an additional layer of power.

As a further point of caution...These bonds can be forced on an individual."

FAQ
1. These bonds cannot be broken except by extreme magical interference such as through some sort of game event, a character being dropped from the game, or something like the Blade of Agency. Death will not disturb the bond.

2. There is no "limit" to the number of participants for the ceremony. Romantic bonds can be made between multiple people. The connection will only exist between those who partook in the ceremony at the same time.

3. People can be added into a Bonding Pact at any time.

4. Gender/species has no impact on the bond.

5. People can create different bonds with the same person.

6. These bonds are open-ended and can be translated to better fit your character.

IMPENDING INTIMACY

WHEN: February
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Intimacy-based monster, intense themes of stalking, jealousy, possession, guilt, shame, physically violent deaths, possible themes of adultery/cheating, some negative ideaology towards promiscuity.

---

[From History of Blood Crazed Zealots: Chapter 15 Caution About Curses found in the Lumenarium:]

"Do not be fooled by this seemingly passive curse. There are few things more potent than a Blood Crazed Zealot's magic, and few emotions are stronger than that of jealousy. The story goes that one Blood Crazed Zealot was in love with another and entered a sacred blood pact to unite their blood and souls. However, the other Blood Crazed Zealot's love was not as pure, and soon they strayed in body and in mind. Of course, no secrets can be kept in a blood pact, and one thing led to the other.

The jealous and betrayed Blood Crazed Zealot created a vicious curse that still plagues the world to this day. We know of no cures, no remedies, no way to beat it. We only know how to keep it at bay. But It is always around, It is always near, and It will always follow. We have not yet determined the exact way It is transmitted from one person to the next, but we believe it has to do with exchanging some form of intimacy. Whether that be with sex, words of love, or even just saying a loved one's name, the curse will follow.

It appears as a person walking directly towards you. At first, you might not even pick it out from the crowd, until it gets closer. Then you see oddities. Water spills from its body, or its arm looks broken, or many walk along completely naked. There is something off about the creature, and worse yet, no one sees It but you and anyone previously cursed by It. It moves slowly, and it would be easy to assume that it can't really hurt you. After all, if you shoot it with a gun or tear it down with powers, it breaks apart as easily as a human body...

But then It gets up. It reforms. It is impossible to kill. It doesn't react to pain. It doesn't react to words. It changes appearances when you lose sight of it, making it almost impossible to keep your guard up against it. The last time you saw it, it might have been a little girl, but now it looks like a six foot tall man. You might buy yourself some time, might be able to distance yourself by taking a swim or a fly...But It will find you. It will always find you. It can break through doors and windows. There are no wards against it.

When it finds you, it will kill you. It matters not what your powers are, what your blood is. This creature existed with the single purpose to destroy and it has perfected the art. Once it has a hold of you, you are powerless. You first lose all abilities, and then rapidly, your life follows in one crushing moment of paralyzing fear and agonizing pain. It throws its victims to the ground and breaks their bodies apart. No one wants to find the bodies of those it has consumed. It takes only seconds to kill you. Don't let it touch you. Don't let it get close enough to touch you. It will win.

When it has finished, it begins to stalk to the person that had passed it off. It's a never-ending cycle. Person A has it then gives it to Person B who gives it to Person C. Person C dies, so it goes back to Person B until person B can find someone new to give it to. Be wary of giving affection this month. You tenderly saying your beloved's name or engaging in sex or flirtation might just pass the curse along."

FAQ
1. The curse is meant to be severely undermined. The creature appears as an ordinary, unsettling-looking person with no obvious abilities. It can kill anyone regardless of their abilities or species.

2. The curse can be passed by saying a loved one's name (platonic/romantic/familial), sex, kissing, loving touches. To break the curse, one can sleep with a Trenchie or say the name of a loved one not present in Trench.

MOTHER'S MERCY

WHEN: The hex only appears during February
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Religious based trauma/forced guilt/shame, extreme themes of self-mutilation and possible sucidial ideations, hexes, altered mental state, forced confessions.

---

[A sermon by Mother Mercy as recorded by an unnamed Disciple, followed by an attached document titled MOTHER'S FORGIVENESS. A misspelling or unusual wording throughout the sermon is intentional. Disciples debate whether the document was intended as support of Mother Mercy's hex or as a way to help people avoid it. The sermon and Mother's Forgiveness are written in different handwriting. The documents can be found at the Pale Sanctuary:]

THE SERMON
"It was in the midst of Febuawry that the Doorway suummoned me for council,
They had fallen in love with the Reckoning and desird to create an eternal bond,
They wanted to have me present at the seremony to [provide] blessings,
Yet it was with regret I [had to] deny them their wish and instead provide cawsion,
But you see, that is the role of a Mother. We tell our spawn what they do not want to hear but muust.
It is a Mother's Mercy to pass on wisdom, to show compassion and care.

I told the Doorway that we live in a cruuel world, a cruuel world that can rawt a gewd heart,
I told the Doorway that it would be kindr to leave bonds uuntethered,
That it would be a kindness to both to let their love lingr and fade,
Than to let it be subjected to the atrocities of this world's bluud lost.
For what is a strongr emotion than jealousy? I ask of you.
What is a strongr emotion than loneliness? I ask of you.
What is a strongr emotion than longing? I ask of you.
What drives people to insanity quickr than being denied their heart's desires?
No, I told them, they should let go, for a Pthumerian owes this world selflessness,
And a Pthumerian's love can permanently stain this world in a way no one else can.
It would be a kindness to all.

But the Doorway did not want to listen. The Doorway defied [my] advice and created bonds,
The Doorway opened an eternal connection to the Reckoning, The Doorway stained this earth with the consequence of love, of relationships.
Do not be fewled by the luuxury of these words.
There is suuch a thing as selfless love, and this was not it, And so the time came for me to regrettably be proven right.

The corruuption of our cruuel world festered as people created bonds,
For the bonds made the agony of loss so much greater.
With the Doorway's curse*1, people who lost their family, their spouses, their friends also lost themselves.
Loss is painful no matter how you enduure, but the Doorway's curse ensuured it would ruun*2 deep into your soul.
It would corrupt. It would ruun*2.
This was not merciful. This was not love.

And so I counseled the Reckoning to go and keep the corruption at bay,
The Reckoning will not return to the Doorway for corruption will never end,
For beasthewd will never end.
The Reckoning keeps her sword high, and the Doorway will wait for eternity for a lover who will never return.
This is a mother's mercy. Perhaps one day, the Doorway will dissolve their curse.

Now let us bow our heads and pray. And remember, my Disciples, abstain from the curse.
Regulate your desires. This is not to cast shame, but to cast cawsion."

*1: The "curse" refers to the Bonding Pacts that are now popular in Trench. There may be some logic to Mother Mercy's rhetoric given the intensity of corruption experienced post-Bonding Pact. However, one could argue there is an equally high chance of counter-corruption due to deepening relationships through blood magic.

*2: It would appear that the word "ruin" and "run" were spelled the same at this time.

[Footnotes are in the Wayward Watcher's handwriting and clearly added at a much later date than the original sermon was recorded due to the darker quality of the ink. The following document "Mother's Forgiveness" is in the Wayward Watcher's handwriting as well.]

MOTHER'S FORGIVENESS
"Thus shortly after the sermon, a hex began to spread throughout Trench. The source of which seemed to be people who were actively resisting personal desire in some shape. People who tried to resist lust or love or other basic desires began to experience convulsions of pain. The internal agony would rapidly escalate the more they resisted "temptation" and eventually, people found one of the only ways to alleviate this pain was to mutilate themselves. A small cut would bring some relief, but the more harm they brought themselves, the more relief they felt.

I have theorized that this may be the first incident of Sleepers transforming themselves into the Blood Crazed Zealots. This was the first time I began to experience Sleepers who had permanently modified their physical bodies in drastic ways. Many would seem content with the modifications but their personalities were distorted by exacerbated corruption. Those who avoided harming themselves would fall into beasthood in alarming numbers. For a while, the only solution the Hunters and I believed in was to mercifully put these creatures out of their misery.

I quickly learned that many people, especially Sleepers, had burrowed down so many desires that it became an outright plague of corruption throughout the city. We needed to do more than just hunting down those who fell to it. The bodies were piling in numbers and the blood pollution was creating more beasts than we were killing. I sought out Mother Mercy and demanded a solution. I reasoned with her that while she may want to avoid the Doorway's blood magic, it was unfair to allow Sleepers to go punished so severely for a Pthumerian's choices.

Eventually, we came to an agreement. She would purify those who came to the Pale Sanctuary and asked for her forgiveness. They must confess their desires to lift the hex. Mother Mercy will, fittingly, take mercy on those who wish to redeem themselves. Be careful of your desires, Sleeper, for if you keep them locked up, they may just be your ruin. Confessions to Mother Mercy should be a last resort. To avoid the hex, consider honesty.

Good Luck,
The Wayward Watcher."

FAQ
1. The "desires" do not need to be romantic or sexual. They can be someone who desires to resolve an issue, someone who wants to have more friends, the desire to be successful/powerful/famous etc. The "desires" should be prominent. Small desires like wanting a donut for breakfast will not cause harm.

2. Crippling feelings of guilt over desire will consume and corrupt. Characters can avoid the hex by admitting their desires to someone. It does not have to be to Mother Mercy.

3. Those who confess to others or Mother Mercy will feel immediate relief of the hex. People can experience the hex multiple times if they go back to hiding their desires.

4. Confessions can be given to anyone. If you're in love with someone, you can just confess it to a friend rather than the person you are in love with. Of course, it's not like Sleepers would know that...It would be easy to think you have to be forced to confess to your loved one.

5. Characters do not need to self-mutilate for this prompt. Many can just go through their usual corruption stages/beasthood that you would have planned for your characters ahead of time. This is intended to be a bit of history for the Blood Crazed Zealots. You can be flexible on how your character goes to extremes to alleviate their pain. This may include substance abuse, irrational behavior, etc.

THE CHOCOLATIER: BONUS PROMPT

WHEN: February (Chocolates can be saved for the future via freezing.) The drive to find the Chocolatier only lasts during February.
WHERE: All throughout Trench and surrounding areas.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Themes of temptation (non-sexual and/or sexual), addiction, blood sacrifice, severely warped personality/reality including temporary amnesia, inability to use body, paranoia, vomiting organs, homicidal feelings, mild body horror.

---

"What is the weight of your pleasure?"

You hear the gravely, sexless voice greet you somewhere in the streets of Trench. You knew the creature had not been there just a minute ago, but now you are no longer alone. A creature roughly the size of an elephant sits beside you, a chalice hovering in the air between its outstretched hands.

The scent of chocolate wafts from the creature. But this isn't just the smell of chocolate. It is the experience of pleasure itself. You can feel the warm melt of chocolate over your tongue, your body wrapped up in inexplicable warmth and silky softness, something whispering across your skin. Your scalp tingles as if someone were playing with your hair or you just heard the best song in your life. It's like sinking into your own bed after getting home from a long trip away.

It's nearly impossible to resist the stupor the creature puts you in. The Chocolatier gazes at you calmly. This is an infamous beast, rare to show its face, but known among locals as one of the most dangerous...For no one can bring themselves to slay it. They dare not even write about it in fear of this creature being capable of taking pleasure away from Trench altogether. Corruption has thoroughly consumed this soul, any sense of self lost, but is this truly the kind of beast that Hunters wish to bring down? It pacifies all those that meet it, even the most violent of souls. The desire to fight, to be hostile will be greatly diminished in its presence. Surely...Surely it cannot be bad.

"I only ask for a token of your blood. For that, I will give everything...Your pleasure, your desire...It is yours. In one single bite...Or perhaps...You may think to give one of my chocolates to someone you admire...For surely...Who could resist such a gift...?" It offers its chalice. "Just a drop will do, my friend..." It seems like such a reasonable request for such a grand gift. Common sense would normally be kicking in right about now, but the Chocolatier drives common sense from the mind and replaces it with sheer want. Someone with mental protection abilities, enchantments or blessed items may be able to resist the temptation and step away. Most people however will likely give over a drop (or more) of blood. The more blood you give, the more chocolates you receive...

And oh! Even if you dislike chocolate or typically can't eat it, you know that you can eat this piece. You know that you will like this chocolate. It's perfect in every way. It was made exactly for you...Or perhaps, even, a special someone in your life. A chocolate for your friend, your lover, your sibling, or...maybe even your enemy. Once you have been given the chocolate, the Chocolatier vanishes. You don't have to eat the chocolate right away, but the longer you resist, the greater the temptation will become. God forbid you lose the chocolate. Some have gone completely insane by the loss. Maybe you should just eat it or get it to your buddy!

There are a wide variety of chocolates you may be blessed with and each one has a different effect. The Chocolatier may seek you out multiple times, but it seems impossible to intentionally summon the Chocolatier.

All effects last a few hours to a few days. Consuming paleblood or darkblood will help alleviate symptoms. All chocolates may lead to corruption and beasthood if they get out of control. Resisting the symptoms worsens effects. While these chocolates are intended to set up new connections, the effects will be doubled if the effect is layering on a pre-existing situation (ie; if you eat a dark chocolate around the person you're sleeping with, you'll find them even more irresistible. If you eat a milk chocolate around your significant other, you'll feel even more in love). You can eat multiple chocolates at once to experience multiple effects at once.

Milk Chocolate: This will inspire extreme romantic attraction to the first person you interact with after eating this chocolate regardless of if you know them. Melted and consumed with other food, it will provide additional feelings of being loved.

Dark Chocolate: This will inspire extreme sexual attraction to the first person you interact with of your preferred gender(s) after consuming. This has been used as a powerful aphrodisiac. Melted and put directly on the skin, it can cause extreme pleasure.

White Chocolate: You desperately want to befriend the first person you interact with after consuming. Melted and consumed with other food, it will provide additional feelings of security in your relationships.

Caramel: You will feel deeply indebted to the first person you interact with after consuming. You will want to do anything they ask, be anything they ask, and follow every order or command they give you.

Almond: You will be extremely compelled to communicate exclusively through song to other people. You will also be compelled to randomly sing your inner monologue and overshare via a spontaneous, musical number.

Raspberry: This will cause you to start vomiting a variety of organs. They aren't your organs. Some of the organs may still be functioning when they come up.

Orange: You will begin to completely confuse people for each other. Their faces and names will swap around in your mind. You might mistake your best friend for your partner. You will have difficulty remembering who is who.

Strawberry: Your emotions will be projected from you without your control through an aura. This aura can provide visual cues (such as a golden light around you when you are happy or a blue when you are sad) as well as smells and possibly even sounds.

Cherry: This will make you extremely flirty and cheerful. You will find it difficult to be in a bad mood and wind up hitting on people regardless of your personal attraction to them.

Coconut: This will cause temporary amnesia either long-term or short-term. Some people may have false memories put in their heads by this chocolate, many of which will be better than the lives they originally lived.

Coffee: This will cause extremely erratic, irrational behavior. You will become reckless and arrogant, making moves in situations you normally never would. It can boast confidence and ego. The crash from this chocolate is terrible and feels worse than a hangover.

Hazelnut: Some physical marker will appear on your body to show that you are romantically and/or sexually compatible with someone. This may be their name appearing on your skin, the first words they ever said to you, or your eye color changing to theirs. This does not force sexual/romantic attraction but rather lets you know who you might make a good match with!

Peanutbutter: You now have animal features of some sort. Dog ears, wings, new eyes. This has been known to provide temporary abilities similar to the animal you have been combined with. Some have even been known to be able to transform completely into the animal at this time!

Peacan: You will drastically lose function over certain body parts. This can cause feelings like your arm is no longer there or under your control. It may cause a complete surrender of your bodily functions in general.

Truffle: You will feel a crushing sense of paranoia that something is controlling you, watching you, and dictating the experiences around you. You will become increasingly suspicious of interactions and start theorizing about little things.

Vanilla: You will become obsessed with specific individuals and begin to actively plot their murder and likely attempt to commit it. This isn't just bloodlust: it's plotting violence. It's about wanting to get away with murder as much as committing murder.

CODING

Comments

[entreats]

[ Ruby.

Ruby, please. ]

N-No, it's just me! That wasn't even what I was talking about..!

[ Listen to Ange sputter right away. It's amazing just how quickly Ruby can make this happen to her.. but it's just that she had to say something like that at a moment when Ange was getting ready to be vulnerable and sentimental, and that's too much! It immediately hits the tsun limit! ]

Why do you think I'd just accept chocolates from random shady people on the streets? [ H-Huff! ] You know I'm smarter than that!

[onekindsoul]

[Nope. Sorry Ange. There is a fierce amount of teasing going on here.]

Alright- Alright- I know, I know. Please Ange, You make this way too easy.

[And honestly she enjoys it more than a little. Because it was nice to get under Ange's poker face and see just who she was underneath it.

But she smiles and rubs at the back of her head.]

Because I would! Those chocolates sound super delicious! You might be smarter than that but I'm totally weak to what's going on with those.

cw: mention of organ vomitting

[entreats]

[ She sighs. ]

Fine, but I'm not coming to pick you up off the street when you are busy puking organs. [ Because that's.. apparently a thing that can happen? Which is just. So gross. Ange doesn't even want to think about it. It sounds like a dumb gross prank the witches from back home would've played..

But that so isn't what this is about. She shakes her head, trying to get rid of the thought of any of these dumb chocolates, because they're going to totally ruin the mood.

Even if it's Ange's fault for making it so easy to tease her. ]

I'm talking about the other thing that's going around. The bonds. Did you hear about those yet?

Re: cw: mention of organ vomitting

[onekindsoul]

Fine, fine! I'll just hang out in the cold. Alone. With chocolates. In the cold.
And alone.

[Has she made a point here, yet? She hopes so.]

But yeah. That's gross. I don't want any of those chocolates- No thank you.

[She perks up at the mention of the bonds though and she takes a moment to mull over it.]

A little. I didn't get past the whole blood sacrifice part about it. Had enough of that with the zealots.

What about you? What did you dig up?

[entreats]

[ Poor Ruby. Out in the cold alone. In the cold. Alone. Yes, the message reaches Ange's ears, and she refuses to hear it! Please, as if her finding Ruby alone out in the cold and dragging her in for cuddles isn't what eventually lead them here in the first place.

So Ange focuses more for the moment on the more serious topic here. Especially since she kind of understands Ruby's own initial reaction. ]

I read a little about it in the library, since I got curious.

[ And Ange always likes to be well informed when it comes to these things. She didn't take the book with her, but she's got a notebook on her lap right now - apparently she's been taking notes, since it felt important enough to her to do so. ]

The blood thing does sound.. kind of unpleasant, I guess. But apparently it's an entire big emotional thing people do here to show they care for each other. [ There's a small pause on Ange's end - you know, in that way in which she is still a little more emotionally awkward than Ruby, though she has grown. ] Um. Like.. in a romantic way too.

[onekindsoul]

[She can't believe Ange would just ignore the plight of a girlfriend who was both cold and alone! That was just cruel!

At the same time notices the focus on the topic at hand. She might not like the whole blood sacrifice thing but she could separate that from the zealots. There were more important things that blood could do here. So she leans in and glances over Ange's notes.]

Big emotional thing, huh?

[There's a look in her eyes that has definitely caught onto what Ange is getting to. And she leans fully into teasing her about it.]

Are you saying you... Want to do something romantic with me? So close to valentines day?

[entreats]

[ .. look at that. Ange isn't sure if she prefers this more specific teasing from Ruby, or the general dramatics from before. This kind is more helpful, sure, but at the same time it's also infinitely more flustering. ]

Yes. Yes, I am saying that.

[ It's a little hard to say, and Ange can feel her cheeks heating up as she says it, but it's just the truth. It's what she was trying to get across here, even if it makes her feel infinitely shy.

A feeling that she's been conquering a little bit around Ruby, at least when it's just the two of them, but this entire bonding thing feels just significant enough to make her fluster all over again. ]

I mean.. I know it might sound dumb. [ Right? Doesn't all romantic stuff sound dumb, especially in the light that there might be unknown risks connected to it in a place like this?

And yet.. ]

I just thought it'd be a little nice if.. you know. If everyone in this place considered us a set for real that way.

[ Just saying that is killing her, but Ange is trying to be brave here! Trying to show her feelings, even if it's scary!

Sure, there's another added benefit she's definitely thinking of too, but in the light of Valentine's Day, this part of it is also definitely true. ]

[onekindsoul]

[Honestly it's the teasing that made it easier for Ruby not to end up in a flustered mess. If she kept the focus on Ange there she didn't have to worry about melting herself.

But just hearing Ange say that. That she wanted to be connected to her in such a clear cut and obvious way. Well it was enough to make Ruby's cheeks go flush and she's awkwardly rubbing rubbing the ball of her foot on the ground.]

It does sound a little dumb-

But you know what?

I like it. I like dumb things like this and I think it would say a lot about us if we went through with it.

So yeah... If you want-

And I know I want it.

Then maybe we should do it. We've been together for a year now- We might as well go all the way, right?

[entreats]

.. yeah. [ Ange is definitely sounding shy over here. It's not often that she starts to sound like this - but if it could happen around anyone, of course it'd be around Ruby of all people.

If not just because she's just so glad and relieved to hear Ruby thinks about this the same way. Not that Ange didn't expect as much, since they're often on the same line about stuff like this, but.. it's nice all the same.

She reaches out, grabbing Ruby's hand to hold it in her own. ]

I mean, I was honestly already that far with you when we promised to move on from Deerington together. [ It's the truth. Ange wouldn't have done that if she didn't have so much faith in the fact that she and Ruby would stay together, that they'd keep liking each other so much.

That's why they chose life. For their love.

Marriage and weddings and stuff might be a slightly more complicated topic, given the extra layer on top of that, and also the last wedding Ange saw back home having been.. well, wild. But this in contrast feels easy. It feels like something she just automatically chose. It's the confirmation of their bond between just the two of them, without having to involve anyone else yet and make some big deal out of it. Ange likes that. ]

I want to be connected with you.

[onekindsoul]

[Ruby takes that hand and holds it tightly in hers. She remembers that conversation very well and the warm feeling that came with agreeing that they would be a part of each others lives from that moment on. That they wouldn't go back to doomed lives where there wasn't any reason to go on.

Any time Ruby thought back to it her heart did little pitter patters.]

Yeah- Well you aren't the only one there. It was a big decision to make and well... There's no one else I would have made that kind of decision with.

[She leans and plants a tiny kiss on Ange's cheek.]

Well... Why don't we do it then?

I'm guessing you brought the instructions on how to, right?

[entreats]

[ Ange ducks her head a little after that kiss is being planted on her cheek - still a little shyly, though not in any way that shows she's avoiding the gesture.

It's just that she's extra sensitive to these small little things, when they're talking about something this important. It makes her heart jump. ]

I did. [ Ange made sure to be prepared!! ] It's not something we can do right now on the spot though, because it needs a bit of preparation. And..

[ Ange's voice trails off. This is the exact reason why she couldn't do these preparations ahead of time, since-- ]

It also needs our blood. A vial of each. And it's not like we just have that lying around, unless you are keeping an Ozpin-like secret from me. [ Get it? Because of the vampire drama?

She's very clever, yes. Thanks. ]

[onekindsoul]

[Ruby feels a sly little smile play up on her lips seeing Ange duck her head like that. It was cute to see act that way and well- She liked it but they had other work to focus on here.]

Well it sounds like we better get on it-

[She hears the explanation and gives a little nod. Her own blood had a tendency to crystalize if it was out of her for too long. That made sense.]

I don't think so- And I wouldn't keep something like that from you. And I'd cut him if he had been storing it somewhere too.

But I do have something that can help.

[And she pulls out her giant scythe Crescent Rose and readies it.]

...Or do you think this is overkill?

[entreats]

...

[ Hold on, Ange just needs to blink for a moment when that scythe appears out of nowhere. She's used to seeing Ruby whip it out, but she didn't quite expect it to be brought out for an occasion like this - leaving Ange staring at it with open surprise for once.

(It's harder to hide her emotions as instinctively around Ruby of all people, after all, and that's even on top of the fact that she was being vulnerable here to begin with. It makes these things easier to show.) ]

Can.. you do gentle cuts with that?

[ She's not doubting Ruby, really.

She's more just doubting the size of Ruby's second girlfriend over here. ]

[onekindsoul]

[She just grins at Ange's surprise. She was used to this with just about anyone when the answer to a problem became use the giant scythe. But in this case it was incredibly valid but she could see how it might be considered overkill!]

Yeah! Totally. Crescent Rose is super delicate when she needs to be.

[She goes on to prove it by switching Crescent Rose over to it's war scythe mode and has the blade point outward more like a glaive. She sets it down on the bed with the blade pointing out along the side. The handle however hits their drawers and knocks a few assorted things over. She grins sheepishly but ignores it and points to the tip of the blade.]

If we just prick our fingers or palms with the tip that should do the trick.

[entreats]

Honestly, if there was anyone else I was doing this with, I'd consider myself a total moron right about now.

[ After all, who would be okay with cutting themselves on that right after Ruby used it to knock over stuff by accident in the least graceful way possible? It's like a pure sign of the fact that this could be terribly unsafe, and just a generally dumb idea, rather than finding something a little bit more sophisticated to draw their blood with.

But Ange knows that Ruby would never seriously suggest anything that could be a serious danger to them, so she doesn't protest, nor walk away, the way she would have with something else. She guesses it doesn't really matter whether they cut themselves with a kitchen knife or Ruby's weapon.. ]

Right, then we just need something to store the blood in. I don't suppose anyone here has some sort of creepy secret lab with vials lying around in it?

[onekindsoul]

[Ruby gives a confident grin.]

It's okay. I'm the total moron in this relationship.

[She seems way too proud about that. But she was just excited at the idea of making this bond with Ange, silly shenanigans were allowed, right?

She thinks on that question briefly and raises a finger.]

Hold that thought- I might.

[She rushes over to her closet and goes through her travel equipment.]

I have some bullet shells in here? Do you think that counts or does it have to vials?

[entreats]

[ Ruby deciding to call herself the moron of this relationship is always valid. You own it, girl. ]

I mean, as long as it can hold the blood, it should be fine.

[ At least, Ange assumes so. She was just going by the cleanest way of doing this, but.. honestly, she doesn't really feel like going around and asking people for vials and then explaining what she needs them for. It's way too embarrassing.

It might be easier to just do it in their own sort of way. And that's where Ruby's own kind of intelligence really shines - when she has to improvise on the spot like this. Ange fiercely believes in that.

She glances at her notes. ]

Yeah, it said a vial of blood, so I imagine they just mean a vial's worth of blood.. Crescent Rose probably uses pretty big bullet shells, right? [ Thank god for Ruby's oversized dramatic weapon. ]

[onekindsoul]

[She was dumb and proud. No thoughts went through her head except for how to make people happy and kicking butt.]

Yeah. She's got the biggest out of everything we use in the house as far as I know.

[Unless someone had started carrying anything bigger than a sniper rifle but she was sure that wasn't the case.

She returns from the closet with the two empty bullet casings shortly after and a grin on her face.]

Yeah. Those should do the trick. ...Do we need anything else or do we start cutting?

[entreats]

I got the rest ready.

[ Look, she was pretty sure Ruby would say yes - and if she said no, then Ange would just have passed on the other stuff to someone else who would need them.

She gets up, grabbing a cup that was standing on their windowsill, and brings it over. There's already some stuff in it. It's hard to see, since there's a lot in there, but it seems like some sort of powder and some roses, mostly. ]

We'll just need to add the vials to this once they're full, so.. I guess we should just get the cutting part over with.

[onekindsoul]

[Of course Ange was prepared. Ruby couldn't say she was surprised. When Ange decided she wanted to do something she went all in. Ruby had learned that all too well over the last couple years.]

Sounds like a plan- I'll take the first go I guess.

[She hands the other bullet casing over to Ange and then moves to run the palm of her hand very lightly over the blade of Crescent Rose. It doesn't take long for her to draw blood and pulls back from the blade to put her palm over the vial to let the blood drip in. She had to make an effort not to activate her aura and heal the wound right away. It wasn't impossible but it was something that was second nature to her and it took the effort.]

Better act fast before this stuff starts to crystalize.

[entreats]

[ Thankfully it doesn't take too long for Ange to follow up. After everything she's been through in her life, cutting herself open on the edge of Ruby's weapon isn't exactly the scariest thing she's ever done. So she can reach out easily to cut open her finger on it a moment later, letting the darkblood that's coming out of the wound flow down into the vial. ]

You can put yours in already with the rest of the stuff. [ Since Ruby's blood takes a lot more care and effort than Ange's blood - in multiple ways, since Ange isn't even thinking about the fact that Ruby has to consciously choose to let the blood flow like that. Even with knowing the other as well as she does, taking aura into consideration is still hard for a girl like Ange, who has totally grown up without the concept. ]

Once mine is full, I'll pour it in too. And then all we need to put in there is a part of us. I think the text suggested bodily liquids other than blood, but.. look, spit is going to be gross. [ That stuff is going to have to go on their faces! Ange makes A Face at the very thought. ] I figured maybe a hair might be the easiest and least gross option there?

[onekindsoul]

Got it!

[And Ruby takes the vial of blood over to the rest of the materials and pours it in. She looks at the contents and tilts her head briefly then shrugs and turns back to Ange.]

What? Spit is not gross- Spit is awesome!

[She is doing this just to bug Ange at this point but she quickly moves onto the other options.]

Yeah... Hair is probably the best bet there. Or finger or toes nails, I guess. But you know you didn't have to come up with a weird ritual if you just wanted a lock of my hair.

[She's got a big dumb grin on her face. Because she is a big dumb girl.]

[entreats]

Ruby!

[ Look at that. This is basically a talent, isn't it? Ruby knowing her so well at this point that she knows exactly what sort of stuff bugs Ange and what doesn't - exactly where the limits of that pokerface reach.

And here is one of those limits. Not that she's genuinely bothered, not in the slightest, but she's definitely starting to look more embarrassed about her. If Ruby is within arm's reach at all, Ange is already reaching out to grab a hold of the other's cheek and pinch it. (Not even too hard.) ]

I can't believe I'm trying to have some intimate ritual with you here, and you're making jokes about spit! [ H-Have mercy on her poor little heart, girlfriend! ]

[onekindsoul]

Ange!

[Ruby does know exactly how to press Ange's buttons and it was something she took a lot of pride in. If she found an oppurtunity she was absolutely going to break through that calm, cool and collected outer shell and poke at the ooey gooey emotional center.

It's why she takes the pinch and gently lets her hands rest on Ange's shoulder's before she starts to shake the heck out of her.]

I'm being completely serious about spit! It's awesome- Like the coolest most wettest thing around!

[She is still making jokes about spit.]

[entreats]

[ Ange lets out a groan. ]

I'm getting some serious second thoughts over here. [ Not really. After all, it's not like Ange already knows that there are sides to Ruby that make her want to groan with agony and secondhand embarrassment.

But she has already accepted it all.

Hence why all of this is merely just more and more dramatics to respond to what Ruby's throwing in the ring here. ]

Maybe we shouldn't do it after all. Maybe I should find someone else who's willing to create a spitless romantic bond with a cute girl like me.