o5 . bone house mingle!

[necrolord]

Who: necrolord and CR!
What: Several teens move into the horrible necromancy mansion, and sometimes they bring their friends.
When: Early March.
Where: Bone House in Gaze.

Content Warnings: Skeletons, discussions of death and grief, violence where marked, vomit where marked. Note all the usual warnings of this character.

Comments

OTA- Early March

[peripheries]

The first few days

[The day after Kaworu arrives in the bone mansion and the afformented "salt water dinner incident", he almost completely vanishes, unable to do nothing more than sleep as his soul tries to readjust to the waking world.

Afterwards, he seems little more than Paul's shadow, only following and doing what the older boy tells him. He moves slowly, awkwardly as though he struggles to navigate his body within a space. There's a struggle to say upright, weak on feet like a newborn foal.

Currently, he's sitting on the couch where Paul deposited him, gentle running his hand down the back of a giant lizard that's sitting next to him with its head on the boy's lap. He seems more aware of what's going on when his fingers brush the lizard's skin and then like he starts to slip away when the contact vanishes. He coughs wetly and sea water, with a haunted radiance, drips down his hand.

If someone enters the room, he'll slowly turn towards you, like he has to exert great force simply to turn his head and raise his eyes. He blinks. Is that Paul? No...]

Who are...?

Later days

[After a few sessions with Teacher, Kaworu begins to resurface as a person. He no longer sleeps all day or follows Paul around. Instead, he explores the house with a playful curiosity, asking everyone what they're doing at all times, devising ways to help Paul climb onto the roof of the building, practicing his piano playing and more...

Then the pollen sets in. Suddenly, his nose and eyes are leaking all the time even though he's not crying and constant sneezing interrupts nearly everything he does. A constant state of miserable itchiness.

So, like any normal angel trapped in a human's body who has never experience hay fever before: he collapses onto the floor in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a box of tissues and sniffling extremely dramatically so everyone CAN PLEASE be aware that he's miserable.]

I hate this. Just... throw me back into the ocean. This is worse than death.

[He caps that thought by blowing his nose extremely loudly.]

later days

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon has joined Kaworu on the floor, because she is a drama queen and also it looks pretty comfortable! This primarily has the effect of draining Gideon's sinuses back into her throat, which she will occasionally attempt to snort back up into a tissue. Lovely. ]

Yeah, it really is. My death was cool and epic but this shit? This is the grossest way of not being able to breathe.

[peripheries]

I think I've sneezed over 50 times today. There has to be a limit, right?

[He doesn't mind the snorting. He's not really in any place to judge which is unusual because normally he loves judging people.

Shinji-kun (the lizard) is hanging out next to them and goes over to inspect. Kaworu offers him a tissue to eat which he (thankfully) does not eat.]

Did you die here? Or back home?

[lipochrome]

Yeah, if you sneeze sixty-nine times, your nose falls off your face.

[ And that's on that! Gideon reaches over to scritch the back of Shinji-kun's head.

Gideon appreciates that Kaworu is keeping things casual, here. He's not getting all twisted up about her death. It allows Gideon to keep her cool in turn, and she always prefers keeping her cool. ]

Back home. [ It wasn't really home, though. ] I was dead for about nine months before I came here.

How about you? Was the fuck-off sea monster your first time kicking the bucket?

[peripheries]

[...

Immediately reaches up and pinches his nose as he rolls over closer to her and Shinji-kun.

He doesn't have a lot of people to talk to about this. It makes most people uncomfortable, sad even, and he hates the idea of people looking at him like he's something to be pitied.]

No. Before I arrived here I was dead as well.

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon catches Kaworu pinching his nose and grins, not unkindly. ]

Don't worry, dude, I was just joking.

[ She does that. Gideon is the worst. But hey, death twins! That's not... a good thing, really, but at least Kaworu gets it. ]

Well, now you're a pro. [ at dying?? yikes. ] Really unfair that we gotta go through allergies on top of all the death. It's like the universe hates us, specifically.

[peripheries]

Oh. I see. Joking is a way humans bond, right?

[Instead he'll just sneeze into his hand instead. Gross! There's definitely a wet sniffle there before he huffs.]

It isn't fair! If we've endured this, we deserve better from the universe!

[lipochrome]

Yeah. Jokes are good for all kinds of situations. Cheering people up, getting them to like you, that sort of thing. If you're really good at jokes, it can help people think you're hot.

[ ew! Gideon passes Kaworu a crumpled-up tissue, and then lifts up Shinji-kun and sets him on her belly. Good lizard. ]

Right? What the fuck, universe?

[ It's safer to complain like this, when it's half a joke. When she's not really asking for better. ]

[peripheries]

[He takes the tissue and wipes his nose and his hand before scooting closer to her and Shinji-kun so he can pet the best lizard in the entire world.]

...How do you get really good at jokes? Do you practice? What is a good joke?

[Petting Shinji, thoughtfully.]

I never really expected to end up in a place like this. To still... be.

[lipochrome]

I do practice, actually. When I was a kid, I used to write jokes down that I thought were funny, and then I'd practice them so I could tell them really good later. A sense of humor's like muscle, you can build it if you keep practicing.

[ It's all well and good to talk about jokes, but when Kaworu says he never expected to still be... Well, that strikes a nerve, one Gideon didn't even was vulnerable.

Softer: ] Yeah. Me neither.

[ but that's depressing as hell, so she follows it up with: ]

You wanna hear another joke?

[peripheries]

I'm glad you are.

[He says easily, without thought about how it's a weighty thing to say. He's glad because he likes Gideon. She's funny and strong and tends to Shinji-kun better than most people.

Also she suffers allergies like him which is a misery no one else in this house understands.

He leans forward, eagerly.]

Yes. I want to tell good jokes so people think I'm hot.

[lipochrome]

[ Kaworu might find that easy to say, but it still takes Gideon by surprise. People don't usually tell Gideon they're glad she's around, save for a few exceptions. (She does not think about Paul telling her things would be different here, and does not think about what different might look like.) ]

Oh - thanks? I'm glad you are, too.

[ Gideon is surprised to find that she means it.

Thankfully, Kaworu wants to hear a joke. Those are so much easier to talk about! ]

Right on, dude. Okay, here's one called a pun. Puns are always funny.

Do you know why skeletons are always so calm?

[peripheries]

[He smiles at her when she says that. It's good, he thinks, when two people are glad for each other's existence. So many humans (and himself) spend so much time wondering if their lives have value to others, that it's something that should bring relief.

He leans closer.]

Why? Because they're dead and have no emotions?

[lipochrome]

I mean - yeah? Like in real life, yeah, that's why. But if I just told you a real-life fact, it wouldn't be a funny joke. [ Gideon pauses, thinking. ] Unless you're from the Sixth, maybe.

It's because nothing gets under their skin.

[ Gideon waits for Kaworu to chuckle, at the very least, hoping that she won't have to explain this joke. It's pretty straightforward, she thinks. ]

later days

[terriblepurpose]

[Paul stares down at Kaworu. It is a long stare. It is significant. It portends.

When this has no effect, Paul turns his eyes towards the ceiling, and heaves a sigh of long-suffering forbearance.]

No, Kaworu.

[And at that, Paul turns on his heel and exits the room. If Kaworu is feeling well enough to ask to be thrown back in the ocean, he's well enough to pour his own de-congesting herbal tea while uttering horrifying reminders of recent events, thank you.]

[peripheries]

[Of course it wouldn't have any affect. A stare like that requires shame to work.

So instead, he gets denial and abandonment. Rude! He sneezes in Paul's general direction and uses a little Darkblood telekinesis to flick a used tissue at Paul's retreating back.

A fair response to unfairly refusing to recognize his suffering. He deserves so much more sympathy than he's getting right now.]

the first few days

[necrosaint]

[ Her footfalls are softer, her presence smaller, and yet lots of people do initially confuse Harrow with Paul, so Kaworu wouldn't be alone here! ]

It's Harrowhark. [ Normally harsh, Harrow's tone is surprisingly modulated as she can tell that the boy is suffering. Her voice is gentler, quieter: there is a soft, almost nurturing quality to it.

The Black Anchorite speaking, the Reverend Daughter ministering to the sick and dying. ]

Does your chest hurt?

[peripheries]

Ah.

[That makes sense. He wonders a little why he couldn't tell it was her... it was though his mind and eyes simply could not perceive her in unison to allow him to recognize her.

The soft, almost gentle tone, is soothing, grounding. He shakes his head.]

Not pain... more like it's hard to breathe.

I CUT THE BREAKS. WILD CARD BITCHES CW: Home Invasion???????

[strikefirster]

[Johnny was still on the hunt for more students to train. Luckily he had a new lead thanks to Gideon. Some nerdy kid who she had been helping to "train." That was something Johnny Lawrence could work with.

The morning seems peaceful enough until there's a loud crash as Kaworu's door is kicked opened. Johnny enters the room spikes a bundle of fabric at Kaworu who was likely just sleeping innocently.]

Rise and shine, nerd!

[Don't mind him as he continues toward the bed to grab and flip the mattress.]

Life has come to heel kick you in the balls. Time to learn how to kick it's ass right back.

[peripheries]

[At the sensation of touch, unfamiliar touch, Kaworu flings himself haphazardly away from the offender. Wrapped in a comforter and with horrible bed head, he sinks down ready to strike at the man here flipping up his bed.

(Is he here to hurt Paul?)

He won't try to kill him. Not yet, instead he just watches, breathing heavily.]

Who? Who are you?

[strikefirster]

[The fact that Kaworu is ready to defend himself is a good sign as far as Johnny is concerned. It would have been more annoying if this hadn't startled him or he had started crying.

He might be a fighter, Johnny could work with that.]

You can call me Sensei from now on.

Gideon told me you needed learn how to man the fuck up.

So I'm here to teach you how not to be a pussy.

From now on I'll be teaching you karate.

[peripheries]

...What?

[Kaworu is halfway to preparing to splatter this invader across the walls with his AT Field before he hears the name "Gideon". Still, crouched in a defensive position, he looks over the man.]

Karate? [Martial arts. He knows that much but-]

You don't look like someone I wanna call "sensei".

[strikefirster]

[He definitely did not look like someone Kaworu wanted to call sensei. ...Except he was wearing a karate gi. That was something.]

Yeah. Well your buddy on the top bunk does.

[Johnny drops the tough guy act for just a second to point to Paul who he is pretty sure is still asleep and gives a little wave.]

Isn't that, right? Hi Paul.

[One of his star pupils right there.

And then it's back to business.]

Well you're going to. Because all your friends are doing it and you don't want to be a loser, do you?

[terriblepurpose]

Hi, sensei.

[Paul is more than half-asleep, propped up on his elbows with bleary eyes, hopelessly bed-mussed hair, and bright red lines from the folds in his pillowcase printed across his face.

He could interpret a lot into his condition, if not for being in it. He could trace out the intersections between exhaustion and security and trust. But instead, he just smiles, fuzzily, and waves with the knife in his hand.]

Kaworu [which comes out softly slurred, all vowels and hush] it's okay. He's a good teacher.

[And, on that note, he drops his head back against his pillow and falls back asleep, knife still in hand.]

[peripheries]

Paul!

[Kaworu snaps his name in a huff. Paul never wants to sleep when Kaworu wants to take a nap together (he's got insomnia and terrible purpose or whatever) and now he won't wake up?!

Jerk!

He wiggles further away from this man, back towards his bed.]

I don't really care about what humans are doing.