deercountry | april catch

Entry tags:

april catch - all

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts
What: some late march/early april logs, including some tdm stuff. i'm happy to attach something else on if anyone's interest in doing something specific
When: late march through april
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers, likely game typical beast gore/body horror, potentially ableism mentioned, claustrophobic imagery

open prompts.

fishers of dreams - the lighthouse, early april (tdm)

a. while awake

[if you've been roped into this lighthouse business too you may enter to find a man already there. he seems vaguely disgruntled by the business, offers vague greetings but otherwise sticks to scribbling in his notebook. it looks like schematics and formulae, but anyone with an eye for either might notice they tend to trail off and start in odd bursts.

viktor will offer to cook when evening falls (or whatever seems to be the right mealtime in this place) so maybe that is a better time to strike up conversation. the smell coming from the kitchen is heavy on whatever spices the place stocks, promising pain to anyone who doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing. worse if he finds the rotgut liquor tucked away, which he will pull out and offer despite smelling more like turpentine than anything edible.

these tricks of the eye though, flashes of people vaguely recognizable, he chalks it up more hallucinations. last month was mushrooms, so this? irritating, far more distracting, but it followed the pattern.

it isn't until later in all this he'll track whoever is with him down.] Did you see someone else come through? There, just up the stairs.

b. nightmare

[trying to reach the odd lighthouses is fruitless, the shadows converge and when the dark clears the area seems more closed in than before. it shouldn't be, he was just outside on the shore, yet now the dark sky seems to hang too low, lower still, suffocating.]

What now? This is another illusion of sorts, is it not? One this place is so fond of. [viktor sounds more irritated than anything, maybe defensive since the grip his has on his crutch is white-knuckle tight. in the distance seems to be a lighthouse, though the light is far and the area is so stifling, promising a tunnel that will close and snuff out the light entirely.

it's ridiculous of course, the walls are not that close, certainly not enough for this suffocating grip on the lungs and throat. there's no real explanation, less so when a few steps forward and the ground begins to dot with great metal cables, the distinct, sickly sweet smell of chemicals in the air. there are pools between them where the ocean should have been, this time shallow spills of what could be gasoline or something similar, slick rainbow puddles, oily and difficult to walk through without slipping or sinking.]

(ooc; for this one please, feel free to add your own character's nightmare in any flavor at any point!)

odds and ends - willful machine, early april

[viktor can be found around the vendors often enough, especially those specializing in scrap metal, tools or small machinery. for the most part he doesn't stick out, except for the fact often his massive omen often accompanies him, some sort of huge pink salamander/axolotl that he'll lean against or ask rather politely to help carry larger purchases.

he doesn't seem to notice or care about any attention, though the creature will blink curiously around. feel free to approach or find him haggling rather intently for such a stick of a man, accent thickening when it gets heated enough. maybe you want the same scrap? or are looking for something and he's standing nearby enough to notice a lost look and offers assistance?]

[one might also find him about by the sound of a nasty coughing fit. he stands with his back curled, a rag to his mouth as a makeshift handkerchief. it's a wet cough that shakes his entire frame, and when it's over his sniffs and clears his throat, straightening.

the cloth is stained in a pale color that catches the perpetual moonlight of april. paleblood, that he regards for a moment before folding the cloth in on itself with a small frown.]

closed prompts.

jinx - willful machine, late march

[viktor doesn't stay by the lamp exactly. he would usually but he hardly sees the point when this person he's meeting knows him by sight as far as he can tell. it leaves him feeling comfortable to wander within eyeshot mostly of the lantern, strolling down the canal docks to find a place to stand and watch the boats cut slowly through the water.

he likes it here, he thinks, in this district. the noise and foot traffic, the winding canals and dirty water, the boats bobbing to and fro - it wouldn't be a bad place to set up. a lab that will double as his home because he doesn't see the point in separating the two any longer, even if he can practically hear heimendinger's tutting about his work-life balance in his ear. it will be closer to the vendors, less of a hike to acquire what he'll need to start fresh. first a new brace for his leg and back, then some basic experiments into lunar energy to get a feel for it.

his lungs flare and burn, minor enough he manages to swallow it down without reaching for the rag in his pocket. he makes a note of the severity and timing, adds it to his growing mental list that seems to indicate his illness does indeed remain but is diminished. promising, if he's being optimistic, but at the moment he feels only a sense of irritation that now he doesn't know the timeline of his own life. one he might be shortening drastically with this ridiculous stunt.

a sigh and viktor goes back to watching the boats, trying to clear his head. he considers trying to message vi and ask her opinion of this but... no, he doubts he'll get anything. he's not sure if he disgusts her as a class traitor or amuses her in truth. better to just see for himself what he's gotten himself into like a fool.]

allen - willful machine, early april

[the 'grand tour' doesn't amount to much yet, the lab area just a large, empty space dotted with a few tables and a couple of desks, not even a chalkboard he's been keeping an eye out for or something that could do the same. one of the desks at least is littered with junk, at the moment tools and the starts of a knee brace, a table nearby with all the scrap he's managed to grab that could be useful in the future. one corner has a cot, maybe he'll clear out whatever other small rooms the place has later for a bedroom proper. maybe not.

viktor seems satisfied with it as he gestures around, and rio has commandeered one of the tables for her own to lie across.] A solid start, I think. I like this area, this eh... Willful Machine, that is.

[he'll never admit part of it is the boats. everyone's allowed a sort of childish interest, right? they're soothing, even if they lack the motors that fascinated him.] Have a seat, if you'd like. How have you been since the tombs?

wildcard.

[as i said, feel free to ask for anything else, including other tdm prompts, i am more interested in seeing the worlds built by others for the archway prompts so i didn't include any here. my plurk is

dichotomy or you can dm me here!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Gosh Viktor don't say ass board in public, they have an image to maintain?? Don't say it specifically because it makes Palamedes snort, which he must hastily hide behind his piece of bread so that he still seems fancy and refined.]

Careful; I'll start writing menus for your cooking, as practice.

[Will he make spicy stew sound weirdly horny? Just watch him. He's in the midst of deciding how much fancy butter he wants to slather onto this fancy bread when the waiter returns, and he's completely content to let Viktor handle this whole thing, so-]

Ah— that's enough. For now.

[He has to wait until the waiter has turned their back before he gives Viktor a strained look, like, what am I saying?? There should have been a guide.]

[he is blowing their own cover as fancy lads just to make pal laugh, which is sickening. he is satisfied though, the ass board served him well.]

You say that as a threat, while I would very much enjoy seeing just how florid you can truly be.

[wow him with horny stew, i guess. as the waiter walks away he reaches to place a hand over pal's wrist- hm yes, the earworm was better for how close they could get. when they weren't even dating. sigh.]

Now that we've ordered we might be able to interrogate him a little when he comes back. [the Plan. the wildly unnecessary Plan.] I'd suggest trying to sneak in the back but I am not sure either of us are in prime form for that, with the ah... additions.

[Palamedes adds 'horny stew description' to his mental list of things Viktor wants him to do... well, alright! He'll get to work ASAP!]

If you insist. That means you have to give the dish a name, but don't try too hard.

[hexstew. don't. anyway,]

As a last resort, I could pretend to get lost on the way to the bathroom. What should we ask him first? I've been thinking, 'Why so much red?'— I know the obvious answer, but blood here is hardly all red.

[and it's like. dark in here. what is this, a cheesecake factory.]

[viktor gives him a look that says he is very much thinking hexstew but is choosing mercy in this moment.]

I suppose I cannot use one of Chizuru's recipes then. [they deserve better than this.]

Oh, that could work. [well now they might be sneaking around, well done, pal. given how frustratingly unhelpful the npcs will be it's almost a guarantee.] Maybe we should start with asking if the stone out front truly is a blood stone, that seems innocent enough.

Though I would like to know why the excessive red as well. Where I am from it generally was an indicator of establishments of a sexual nature, which- [a glance around. this is not a horny cheesecake factory, so far.]

[Hexstew is banned. Palamedes gives him a look right back, wary and warning; please, no hexfoods. Please.]

Maybe your street food? Call it something with more staying power. [something Cool...

But oh, they're going to get lost going to the bathroom, great plan. Palamedes will walk straight into the kitchen and loudly wonder where the toilets are, and then they'll be banned from The Red on top of the school. Good times ahead.]

You're telling me that red is the sex color. [Well, he supposes it tracks? And yet it is not a sexy, sexy grey.] Alright. I'd also like to know about the octopus, if we're leaping straight into the decor. Let's ask back and forth, so we seem less like we're interrogating.

[Just like overeager tourists? It'll be fine.]

['his street food' makes him laugh, a short sound at the idea that fish and chips are his to name. hexfish and hexchips. maybe if he called it that in his other language pal wouldn't realize he'd been duped. tempting, though there really isn't a word for 'hex' in arcane czech.]

That is just fish and chips. Or if it's something on a stick it tends to be 'Mushrooms on a Stick,' like that. Not particularly interesting, though to the point. I suppose I can try to make it more interesting for you, because I like you.

[it's fine, they look so weird now they probably won't recognize them if they came back less monster-like. what, clearly i'm not a human plant or biblical angel, we're fine here.]

What other color would be? To be fair this place is far fancier than any brothel I've ever seen, so I suppose that should have given it away as something more. [the interrogation plan makes his lips quirk though.] Not a bad idea. If we can I'd like to ask if they know what this place was when it was created, though I doubt that's an answer we'd get from a waiter.

'Mushrooms on a Stick' is very... hex tier. [Possibly even worse. He's appreciating by the word, here, please make it a full sentence.] You can do better than 'Mushrooms on a Stick'; I'll make it worth your while.

[flirting about food, again... ahem.]

You did think it was a brothel until recently. It might still be, somewhere in the back? There are so many curtains. [Ones that he briefly leans away from the table to crane his neck to see, hm yes, there are mystery rooms in this place, that either contain answers or debauchery and nothing else. Definitely.] We could ask how long it's been a— place of entertainment. Narrowing the time frame. At the very least, we ought to ask how long the big red rock has been out front.

[.....and,] Why does there need to be a sex color?

I think it precise and gets to the point. [what a shocking opinion from hexman. but if it'll be worth his while...] Well, I could at least say it in another language, would that add to the mystique? You could even pretend it translates into something intriguing.

[yes, there are a lot of curtains, and viktor regards him and the fun new eyes that come into view when he leans like that. focus.] I suppose we can't just ask if it's a brothel. Maybe when we 'get lost' we'll see something damning either way.

Well, becoming flushed is usually red in color for mammals and part of sexual activity. [he folds his hands in front of him and tries to curb any amusement to be matter of fact in this new, weird flirting.] You may have seen a correlation there with our own experiments into the matter.

Well, if it's for the mystique... As long as it isn't hex again. Teach me some useful phrases sometime.

[What counts as a useful phrase is up to Viktor. Maybe teach him how to say "mammals becoming flushed," that one's very mysterious. Palamedes leans his elbow on the table, nudging his tiny bread plate out of the way - the one singular bite he took of fancy bread was delicious, to be sure - and considers. What if, instead of waiting around for the fish... no, he's focused.

If his monster glow seems to dim a little, it's because of how focused he is on the task at hand and nothing else, particularly not getting lost.

But, like,] When you let me keep my glasses on. Usually. [He glances down briefly at Viktor's green-tinted hands, hm,] I'm working on another hypothesis I can tell you about later. After this.

[Variables, and so on. Later, for sure.]

Usually people want to learn interesting curses. [which is useful, in a way. especially when no one knows what you're saying.] Sadly there's no word for 'hex' in it so I couldn't trick you. A shame.

[maybe if he just uses a word for magical or something... not quite the same punch. ah well.

viktor hasn't even taken a bite of his own bread before he got distracted so he can't talk.]

Well, I can tell you from my own observations you turn a lovely shade of red. [his lips are finally threatening to quirk. probably a good thing he doesn't turn inky, darkblood is weird. viktor would still probably be into it though.] Oh? Well now I am curious. We may have to skip dessert.

[but not potentially trespassing, that's too important. probably. ]

Curses aren't interesting. [He waves a hand, gosh, he can curse the ordinary way if he wants,] Teach me something sentimental. Then you won't have to worry about me ruining the pronunciation in public, as it'll be for you.

[Mm, now that focusing on the mission is completely out the window for the moment, he reaches for Viktor's hand again, eyebrows raising.]

There's a dessert, too? [so much food... have mercy.] How quickly can you ask questions without our waiter getting suspicious? Not that I'm undermining the importance of our goals, here; but.

[Well, but. One does not get too many opportunities to explore one's handsome plant monster boyfriend to the fullest extent. Ahem.]

Well, now you've got me thinking about passionate color palettes.

[that's incredibly sweet, making viktor huff in amusement and duck his head. wanting to learn little bits of his other language isn't something he was expecting and yeah, there's that terrible wave of affection for pal.] Sentimental- I could teach you some terms of endearment, if you wish to be truly saccharine. Miláčku, that is common.

[a glance back up at pal and ah, he wants sentimental?] Utápím se ve tvých očích, that is also a phrase people say. [drowning in pal's eyes seems appropriate and no, he is not offering what that means. take a guess from the soft look.

he is so wildly off track. how did they fail the mission of focusing so damn quickly.] There can be up to twelve courses in some venues. It's horrific. [a slight pause and he offers,] It would hardly hurt to make a return trip anyway. We'll look like valuable, repeat customers.

[uh huh. to be fair he wants to enjoy this odd new form of pal's while they have it, because he's assuming it's temporary. so. a fair enough reason to want to rush maybe a little.]

You're not going to tell me what those mean, are you? [But he can piece together from the look on Viktor's face that he isn't secretly telling him how to say something like 'tea is disgusting and coffee is superior,' so— mm. He'd love a precise translation, of course he would, but whatever it means, he decides he very much likes to hear Viktor say it.] Tell me the first one again? Milá—?

[Oops, he's decided the pronunciation actually matters very much, if he is to call Viktor this presumably sweet thing, please pause in the plan for a quick linguistics lesson. Ooh, maybe they can write a little translation cheat sheet, date activity—

Twelve courses, though. Miserable. Only the sappy language learning keeps him from outright grimacing at twelve courses.]

Repeat customers who make fun of the food and don't like the finery. [ehhh it's probably fine,] Twelve courses might actually kill me. Even three.

No, mystery is good for you. [mostly he's kind of embarrassed to explain some of it, it'd be easier if they were just bullshit or something dirty. that's a thought though, maybe he'll teach pal that. fun.]

Miláčku. [he sounds it out slowly, a touch pink at the ears despite himself. well, a touch green. plant man.] It means something like dear or eh, sweetheart? I suppose.

[twelve courses is something viktor agrees is the worst, even if he's still warm in tine from their discussion so far.] They give you sorbet in between some to 'cleanse your palate.' There are also specific silverware for each course that must be used in the proper order.

I'll have to start guessing. [Technically, a fun new project? No, that's silly; he'll be content with this other definition, for now. His personal brand of affection doesn't normally extend into this kind of term of endearment, but since it's the thing Viktor offered, well. An exception?

He glances down at the table, mumbling the word a few times over before he's satisfied he isn't totally mangling it.] In that case: you're blushing, miláčku.

[God, they get more saccharine the longer this fish takes to be cooked. Palamedes doesn't even know what a sorbet is, either-]

Stop, though, you're going to put me on the floor. Why? The food doesn't know what you cut it with. That is seriously... unhinged.

[viktor runs a hand over his face. he is not a nickname guy, or a pet names guy, or go on dates guy so god, how is he supposed to cope with this?] I already deeply regret this. [does he? does he though?]

Not a terrible pronunciation. [he lowers his hand to offer a small smile despite himself.]

You have to hold the utensils a certain way, and place your napkin a certain way. [suffer like he suffered learning this shit.] Your elbows can never touch the table.

[but hey it's their fish. viktor sits up a little straighter giving pal a quiet look. time for the plan of 'ask lots of questions to the waitstaff.'] Excuse me, we were curious about the facade of this building. Do you know much about it?

[the guy glances between them then shrugs, then offers a quick 'no sir' as if remembering he should be polite. hm. not promising already.]

You don't; you like me. [It's okay, Viktor, being a pet names guy is perfectly reasonable and mild when your boyfriend is a sappy monster who writes romance novels and love letters. This is mild. Palamedes smiles at him fondly, only a bit teasing; it's cute when Viktor is fussy about these things, what can he say.] I'll practice my pronunciation later.

[Ah, and he looks down at his elbows all over this table, humming. Well— well, saved by the fish; he sits up some himself, although his elbows are still there, shamefully. Ahem.

He glances at Viktor, very good first question!! And - and oh, huh. Well, that diverts the course a bit. He says,] Huh!

[Like this waiter being clueless is a revelation, and then, as it occurs to him,] How long have you worked here? Just curious. It seems- exciting.

[This one gets another unhelpful response, 'a few months, sir,' and Palamedes does his very best to nod like that too is very interesting. Oh.]

[viktor sighs like pal caught him in the very believable lie that he regretted anything about them. sentimental. they have an audience now though so any of that needs to be put on the back burner for harassing this poor minimum wage trench worker.]

Do you know anything about the history of this place? [he's already losing patience- look, no one said he was good at this aspect of things. there's a reason why jayce took over the social shit.

the 'not really, sir' makes him almost sigh. the look he gives pal is one of this guy is not going to help, we'll need to find another. the poor dude just looks between them, clearly wondering if he's allowed to leave them to their fish yet.]

[Good god, Viktor, don't actually interrogate the poor man. Palamedes gives him a look, like, please - he is merely doing his job. He gives him a little nudge with his knee under the table, ahem.]

Right; well. [to the poor waiter,] Thank you, that's all.

[There, the waiter is freed. Palamedes waits until he's walked off out of earshot before he gives Viktor another look, marginally more amused than the last. Sir.]

Your subtlety lasted thirty seconds. 'When is he going to employ subterfuge?' I asked myself. Let's hurry and eat this overrated fish; we've got places to poke around where we shouldn't.

[the waiter can't hide the 'oh thank god' look as he heads off, viktor huffing at the nudge. wow, it's like his impatience isn't helpful? unbelievable.]

Bah, subtlety is for when the person actually has useful information. We were wasting our time and his. [ok maybe pal has a point. regardless he is not upset that's over quickly.] I suppose it was too much to hope for everyone who works here would be helpful.

[still, poking around where they shouldn't? that'll be interesting. he picks up his fork, regarding the fish. fancy fish, it probably has sauces and artfully arranged mushrooms and everything. whatever people eat in the trench. viktor isn't particularly impressed but he never was going to be.]

[Oh boy, the huffy plant man and his weird eyeball date are going to get talked about in the break room for sure. Now they definitely can't come back here until these changes have faded. Palamedes shakes his head, but he doesn't bother to hide his little grin - at Viktor's huffing, not at the poor waiter.]

I wouldn't expect the kitchen staff in the Library to know the ins and outs of the dining hall's history. [A beat, while he sticks his fork in a mushroom and gestures with it.] They did, but I wouldn't have expected it. As a rule.

[Hmm. Bad example. Well, they only have to make this fish look like they enjoyed eating it, then they can go. He... nibbles at the mushroom. It's a mushroom, alright.]

It's very edible.

[they get one more shot when they're not monsters, to maybe not menace the wait staff. viktor will make more of an effort, probably. then again he's not planning on asking any of the wait staff anymore prying questions since they're probably just living their lives in hell town.]

He has likely lived here his whole life, surely he could know something. [but alas. he goes for a piece of the fish, a breath of amusement at pal's assessment of one mushroom.] Worth the price edible?

[a bite. he sits back, not particularly impressed but at least aware it's pretty well cooked, he guesses?] Well, it's less alarming looking than some of the fish you can get at the docks. I suppose that's the draw.

[Viktor, good gracious. Palamedes snorts and nudges him under the table again, for his criticism. Be nice to waiters.]

I think slapping a whole fish on a plate is alarming no matter what the fish looks like. [Blood and bones and corpses, normal, but food that looks at you? Weird. He prefers fish that's fried in sticks, he's decided.] The mushrooms are decent, there.

[He's not super interested in the mushrooms, looking back towards those mysterious curtains from earlier, and then in the direction the waiter walked off in. Hmm.]

We have options for getting lost. [He wiggles his fork again, gesturing vaguely at each.] What do you think?

[fine, he'll be nicer. not to the fish though, it's good but like most fancy food he finds it pointlessly extravagant.]

Oh decent and edible, quite the feat they've managed. [he tries a mushroom, which is a mushroom.] I can see you getting distracted, try to finish a little more at least.

[not that he isn't distracted as well, following pal's gaze. he nods towards the mysterious curtains with-] Better not to run into the waiter again, and I would like to know where those go. [priorities can sometimes be curiosity, as a treat.]

[Oh, caught. He makes a face, but dutifully finishes one whole mushroom and even obtains a piece of fish to think about eating. Ahem.]

I had bread. [he had one bite of bread. actually, he's going to pick up the abandoned bread and have more of that, this fish is on pause. sorry fish.] Alright, though; curtains it is. Depending on what's back there, we may not have to pretend to be lost for a while yet.

[Maybe a simple 'oops, wrong room' will suffice? Who can say.]

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