open | lights are on but nobody's home

[creidim]

Who: Luna Lovegood @creidim + you!
What: April catch-all + Luna falling into end-stage Corruption and eventually Beasthood.
When: The month of April.
Where: Gaze, The Farther Shores, Willful Machine + Trenchwood.

Content Warnings: Warnings in individual prompts; some threads will contain gore + character death.
Notes: Information on Luna's Corruption / Beasthood can be found here.
Beast!Luna art for reference. cw: animal skull

---

☽ god stood me up and I don't know why | general catch-all — april 1st - april 15th
cw: corruption-related body horror; themes of loss/grief

[ The month of darkness is met with a tense kind of worry. It's much like the month of October in Deerington, and for someone like Luna who has a couple of them under her belt — she's wary of what the month might bring. More for her to worry about, heaped onto her plate that is already much too full. The last six weeks have been difficult, dealing with Maul and Willow's death; worrying over Falco, over Peter and Paimon, and the difficulties of Moss King's games.

She still remains under the effects of Corruption from last month. She looks pale and gaunt. Her eyes glow in the darkness of the endless night: two eerieely pearlescent orbs, without pupils. Her hair hangs limp and oddly, doesn't look much like hair. Sometimes a clump of it that looks more like some strange appendage than anything else might twitch or sway on its own accord. Two deer antlers sprout from her forehead — not growing much more than a very young buck, but quite prominent all the same.

She's... not really had much of a chance to try and get on top of things, and there's plenty more to keep her occupied. John's gone. Much like Diarmuid, he's another person she loves dearly who's returned to the waters. He's left her his shop Ritual Gig over in Willful Machine. And of course, the place is no stranger to her. She knows how to help around, she's done that plenty before here and there. But walking into the place with him gone, she looks like she's at a loss for what to do. There's other visits in the first half of the month, where she'll be minding the shop. If anyone comes looking for John, they'll be met with an eerie but clearly upset-looking witch instead. ]

Oh, sorry— [ She distracted, startled by any new presence in the shop. ] Can I help you—?

[ She'll also be found down at The Farther Shores, staring off into the ocean for what seems like hours. There's been plenty of times she's sat here when Diarmuid left, wondering how he fares out beneath the waves. But here now, there's a deep grief to her as she sits with her knees pulled to her chest. Plenty of people have left her, she's used to people leaving both here and in Deerington — but it doesn't stop it hurting any less. Sometimes there's pains that one just can't seem to get used to. ]

☽ pretty face with pretty bad dreams | corruption — april 16th - april 21st
cw: hopelessness, corruption, body horror, magical violence.
note: luna can be encountered alone, or with the possibilty of Peter / Paimon @possessum with her. contact jhey @skeletals.plurk and i for plotting!

[ It feels like some kind of joke that the witch who loves magical creatures so much should find themselves so cursed by them. She's captivated by the creatures, curious of them — but that curious awe of hers comes with a steep cost. The steady foothold she already has with her own Corruption holds fast, and Luna finds herself drained of hope and swiftly falling into the deeper clutches of it.

As a result, she's far worse in terms of her state of Corruption. Her antlers have grown substantially; points grown tall and sharp as they reach up and outwards. The entirety of hair no longer looks like hair, but strange appendages that looks eeriely similar to that of Moon Presence. Her nails are sharp and claw-like, her eye teeth more pronounced and eyes glow far brighter in the dark.

But most disturbingly is her entire demeanour: those who know Luna will find her cold and indifferent. Her usual dreamy gazes now steely stares. For the times she's out of the house, she meets any interaction with an icy kind of aggression. She will react poorly to those who love and know her well, and actively hostile to anyone who doesn't. Peter and Paimon perhaps remain the sole people she won't actively mistreat, but even then as she travels about the city there's a cold, haughtiness towards them both.

She's quick to use magic on others as she goes about her business; jinxing others out of their way, even poor Trenchies themselves just trying to survive, trying to safely move about in their day to day life. Or even anyone who's caught staring at her worsened state of Corruption will be met with quickly escalating level of violence — some poor person might end up with a stinging hex to the face so they can no longer see. Or she'll jinx people's tongues to the roof of their mouths, hex people's knees to reverse themselves — just about anything to cause a satisfactory amount of misery.

And she dares anyone to come up against her; recklessly fierce as she just about goads people who might want to do anything against she does in retaliation to these perceived slights. Best to leave her alone. Not only will going up against her will end up with the very real threat of dark magic being used upon them, but if Peter's accompanying her, they may have a very angry demon against them, too. ]

☽ no end in sight // the rest you know | beasthood — april 21st - late april
cw: beasthood, minor body horror, possibilities of fatal injuries, magical distraction, possibile injuring via goring or mauling, mention of wild animal death
note: luna can be encountered alone, or with the possibilty of Peter / Paimon @possessum with her. contact jhey @skeletals.plurk and i for plotting!

— closed to clarisse

[ There's certainly no tipping moment that sends her over the edge. It creeps up on her quietly; spent too long in the ends of Corruption. Some slow-paced crawl to something that simply tips when the weight becomes too much. On a rare time she doesn't have Peter or Paimon sticking close to her side, that she's alone while she's out and about in Gaze — she feels suddenly sick and dizzy. Sweat starts to pour from her and she sways on the spot. Something ripples uncomfortably within her, like something's trying to claw its way out from her skin.

She staggers in the street through the dark. The cold, cruel demeanour suddenly breaks, a slither of herself peeking through once more and she gasps loudly. A tiny piece of fear. Whatever it is beneath her skin wants out, her heart beating too hard and too fast in her chest — like it might explode. ]

No, no, no— [ Stop it. Stop it. But she can't stop it, she doesn't know how. She doesn't think she can. She keeps moving forward, staggering on — bumping into people, trying to shove them out of her way. There's a ferociousness to her voice, but even Luna herself isn't sure if it's anger or desperation. ] Move, move—! Now—!

— ota

[ She goes on a full on rampage. There's little reason to her directions at first, simply tearing through the districts of Gaze and then Willful Machine. She's lost in a frenzy of herself, overcome with new sights and sounds and the wildness of herself. Something very raw and feral that careens into buildings and people with little thought.

Her focuses on others are random, for the most part — just whoever seems to get into her path. Those who know her well and have a good relationship might have a chance of stopping her in her tracks for a moment, but not for long. Soon enough the beast part of her takes over once more and she'll be escaping. Anyone she doesn't know well or isn't on friendlier terms will find themselves getting targeted. She'll be meeting them with sharp claws, sharp antlers, and wild blasts of accidental magic. The blasts can damage buildings, or set fire to them; she might shock or burn others who get too close. Best to stay out of her way.

After unleashing carnage around the populated areas of Trench and clashing against others in her path, Luna does eventually leave the city to move towards the quiet districts. She'll head towards the woods of Trenchwood, where it's less busy and there are less people about. She wants to get away from any Hunters and their sharp swords and deadly weapons. Despite all the anger, she is very much like a wild animal — she feels trapped by the buildings, aggravated by seeing people. She wants to be alone. Taking to the woods is a far better option for her, and just about everyone else, really.

She'll exist quietly out here, exploring and resting from her earlier fights, and will be very much placid if left alone. That's not to say she won't attack anyone who dares come near. She'll be tolerant of other beasts, if they're well behaved — and will share her space or latest kill of some poor hapless animal who came across her with them if they're in need of food. But if you're a person, odds are she'll be growling and snorting, her head lowering to brandish her antlers: back off. ]

☽ wildcard

[ something else in mind? i'm open to plotting! closed prompts available. contact @heolstor.plurk or heolstor#5725. plotting comment is here. ]

Comments

Pretty Face.

[strikefirster]

[Look. It might be because he's half buzzed after a night at the Racoon Room. It might be because he just doesn't like seeing people who can't defend themselves getting pushed around. But Johnny's blood begins to boil when he sees Luna hexing people in her way way from across the street.

It was shit like this that pissed him both here and home. The people with power flaunted it and used it to kick around the people who didn't have it. He... Wasn't much better himself but he was slowly learning the difference between "No Mercy" and "No Honor" and what it really meant to be a badass.

He tightens his grip on the bottle in his hand before he starts to cross the road.

"Hey bitch. Bottoms up." He announces his move before he strikes. He wasn't the kind of person to catch someone by surprise. Simple and direct. That was his style.

Once she knows he's there he'll throw the bottle with all he has at her face.

[creidim]

[ Luna notices his approach, her head turning to look at him coldly and she knows he's making a beeline for her. Disgruntled with her. She makes no move at first, even when he calls to her, anger burning in her eyes for a brief moment only too easily. Her gaze flicks to the bottle before he hurls it.

And when he does, she moves quickly — hitting with a spell that breaks the glass into nothing but fine dust mid-throw. The same can't be said about whatever contents remain, the liquid continuing its way and hitting her square in the face. Luna flinches back briefly, brow furrowing at the smell of alcohol. Oh, no. No, we can't allow that. ]

That was the wrong choice to make today. [ She casts a quick look to Paimon beside her before turning to face the man. Stepping out onto the road, with a sharp flick of her wand, she hits him with a knockback jinx to knock him over. It's relatively tame, considering he'd thrown a bottle at her.

She's just getting started with this one. ]

[possessum]

( Peter, and Paimon, know that Luna's wrong. And it hurts to see her like this — not only the physical evidence of Corruption that's only grown worse, but perhaps even moreso is the emotional way it's affected her. Changed her. This isn't Luna.

...Except it is. It still is; she's still there underneath. She can't help what this place has done to her; Peter and the demon both know that very well. And so despite the fact it's horrible (mainly for Peter; Paimon... less so) to witness what she does to people when they're out and about with her... they don't dare try to stop her. No, they're here to protect her; they know fine-well what the people around here might do to someone who's Corrupted. Until Luna can be returned to her usual self, they'll keep her safe.

Though it's mostly the demon fronting these days, something of Peter still remains as he walks with Luna through the perpetually dark city. It means that when the attack comes, it takes Paimon a second or two to gain complete control — those moments in which Luna changes the glass with magic — and the boy convulses violently, head snapping back with a loud snarl as Paimon wrenches his way fully to the surface, enraged. How dare he.... throw a solid object at her? (And he doesn't know what "bitch" means, but he thinks it's a disrespectful way to purposefully mispronounce "witch"....)

Paimon's whirling to face the man, teeth bared like an animal's and eyes swollen an inhuman black. The scent of human spirits are strong on his witch; she's been splashed by it. Even as she sends the man backwards, Paimon moves more in front of her, protective and livid by the disrespect. The words are a sharp hiss, commanding. )

You will apologise to her, on your knees.

ritual

[wwrench]

It's a poorly-kept secret that Wrench is no great fan of the dark. It's not the first time he's found his surroundings plunged into an eerie and perpetual sort of witching hour, but if ever there was a time to take the shelter that's been provided to him, now seems like it. And with John the latest in the string of vanishments that's haunted him for so many months now, maybe the tall man just wants to be in the midst of something familiar.

The warm little hovel at the back of the shop is more than he ever asked for. The mage has done far more than ever was asked of him to make it hospitable. For the number of times he's had to drag Wrench in here by the ear, John's made it a place he might actually like to stay. Except now, when it feels emptier than it ever has. Wrench lays amid a pile of fabric at the back, staring unblinkingly into space. At least until one of the visual wards John's concocted starts to glow. The little candle meant to announce his comings and goings to Wrench by virtue of the color of its flame flickers to life, but laps an odd and warning yellow. Someone else is here.

Barefoot and dressed down, he fishes his boot knife out of the pile of leather and fringe and pads towards the front of the shop.

[creidim]

There's footsteps, heavy ones of someone big, tall and yet light all the same. Not the sound of boots or shoes but feet all the same. It's... strange, unexpected. Luna looks up with a frown; she's not expecting anyone to be here — not right now, at any rate. She draws her wand, just in case. She knows at least it won't be Maul, considering John's wards making sure he is clearly not wanted here. They're thankfully still in place, she can tell that much. But then... who else could it be?

Wand raised, she starts to move towards the sound of his approach but soon finds herself stepping back again once he finally comes into view. Oh.

She recognises the man, although not very much. Seen him in passing a few times on her visits to the shop and waved once or twice in polite greeting, but no more than that. Luna blinks in stunned surprised, just staring at him for a long moment, taking him in.

(Oh, he's not wearing any shoes. That makes sense.)

"... Oh." Her wand is lowered, but not put away entirely just yet. With wide eyes, she slowly raises her other hand in greeting. But... what is he doing here—? "Hello."

[wwrench]

Scavengers don't seem very likely, but there's no arguing that John has more here that most would want. If Wrench were to find himself pitched back into the unyielding current of the ocean, he wouldn't leave behind the kind of plunder anyone would rush to get. It almost amuses him to think of someone fighting over his leather jacket. Maybe they'd strip his motorcycle for parts, but it wouldn't be anything like the frenetic desire he imagines might prompt some people to come see what the mage has left behind.

He sees the shadow before the person themselves, and only just has time to register that they seem small. Wrench regrips the knife in his fist, thumb steadied atop the guard, and rounds the corner. It's Luna's hair he notices first. The blonde waves are so light in color they seem transformed into a mermaid-pastel glow under the slice of green moonlight. His lips part in surprise, and he quickly pushes the hand that holds the knife behind his back. There's nowhere good for Wrench to stash it away when he's dressed like he's either coming from or going to bed, and the vulnerability of his situation makes him scowl his displeasure.

Hi, he waves back with his left hand, but his Omni is still back in the pile of his makeshift bed. So he shows the same hand, palm up, and shakes it back and forth as if to indicate something he's not quite sure of. Then, he points to Luna.

Farther Shores (I have no self control, and they should talk about John)

[frogfear]

[It isn't too difficult to guess where she may be able to find Luna. After all, Willow has spent plenty of time herself at the shoreline, just on the faint hope that perhaps someone from home may turn up. There are now several more names to add to the list.

John might still come back, she tells herself. She hadn't really believed she would ever see Tara again, after all. Checking the shore had mostly become a habit by the time she arrived, but it was enough to encourage Willow to maintain it each month just in case others arrive from home as well.

She settles in wordlessly next to Luna to watch the waves; a silent show of solidarity in their grief. The signs of Corruption are clear, but it feels unkind to point out the obvious troubling changes in Luna's appearance.

It takes a bit for her to break the silence as she tries to figure out the right words.]

It's hard to believe he's really gone... I'd ask how you're holding up, but, uh, I think I already know.

i'm ready to hurt tbh

[creidim]

[ It seems like between them, there are perhaps too many names on that list. Being here for so long — and in Luna's case: now the only one from her world here — there tends to be a lot of names collected of those they care about.

She's quiet for a long time, nodding briefly to acknowledge Willow. But they just sit for a while, letting the silence fall between them. Luna's not really sure what to say herself, sometimes there aren't the right words. But Willow thankfully has them. Her lips purse at Willow guessing how she might already feel, no doubt Willow feels much the same and after another long silence, she sighs gently. ]

He went with Herc. I hope they're somewhere nice. [ She sniffles a little. ] For barely being an adult, I'm already very tired of losing people.

[ Especially father figures. ]

[frogfear]

[Herc... Willow never knew him especially well, and she remembers even less of him without her memories of Trench, but she was still liked him well enough. Another name on an ever growing list of those who have left loved ones behind in this place.

At least there's some small comfort she can take in knowing they're out there together, somewhere. Hopefully, as Luna has said, somewhere nice. Or at the very least, somewhere nicer. It's better than thinking of John out there alone.

She gently sets an arm around Luna's shoulders, trying to offer what comfort she can. There's not a huge difference in their ages, and half the time Willow feels like she's barely an adult herself.]

So am I...

[She manages to quirk a little smile.]

Did I ever tell you, the first time I met John, I nearly pelted him in the face with a snowball?

No End In Sight

[frogfear]

[Clockhouse is conveniently located at the edge of Gaze, close enough to the forest that it's easy enough to slip away from the house and into the woods. Her ears are far more sensitive in this form, and they flick around to catch the distant sound of the commotion in Gaze.

Something is threatening her home.

She growls and twists, dropping to all fours as she turns back on herself to go face the threat, her claws gripping the earth as she runs. She tears through the streets, sniffing at the air as she goes to help her track the source of the chaos, heedless of anyone who might be unfortunate enough to be in her way.

The werewolf slides around the corner at the end of the street, and her eyes land on the beast. She rises up on her back legs to make herself look larger, and snarls a warning, bearing her sharp, white teeth at the creature.]

cw mention of injury via goring

[creidim]

[ There's too many scents, too many sounds — driving her half-mad through the chaos of new-found Beasthood. She charges at most in her way, not sure which way to go. Everything around her feels like a threat, a foe. Anger and fear and wildness all mixed into one.

Detangling herself from some poor soul who'd ended up on the wrong side of her antlers, leaving them twitching and groaning feebly on the pavement, she finds herself face to face with something new. Another creature. One that's angry, snarling in warning.

Luna lets out a long, low growl of her own. She's not afraid of the wolf. Her head lowers as she starts to stalk slowly to one side, moving closer — glowing eyes watching carefully. ]

Re: cw mention of injury via goring

[frogfear]

[The werewolf glances to the victim as she draws the beast's attention to herself; just a cursory glance to determine they will not interfere, or distract. It doesn't matter, they're in no position to do either, but it serves as a warning of how deadly those antlers could be.

She drops to all fours as she circles the beast, teeth bared as she stares intensely, looking for the best route of attack. Finally, she lunges for the creature's flank, aiming to make contact with both teeth and claws.]

Pretty Face

[imaglyphwitch]

[Right. This is going to be one of those months.

Luz knew it too, once night was their default. No way that this was going to bring anything good for anyone. Sure, maybe the nightwalkers might get a boom in business, but there would be negative things too.

She didn't quite know how bad corruption was, but once she heard some of the screaming townfolk around Willful Machine while in the sky, she knew she was going to have to investigate.

"Sorry Owlbert," she said to the motionless Palisman, "looks like we've got more work to do."

Once she touched a little lower, she followed where the screams were getting louder. It seemed to be focused on a person that, as Luz craned for a closer look, she saw had antlers and some weird looking hair that was kind of moving on its own. Luz took a sharp breath. Ok. Corruption, probably. If it was a group of people, she would have thought something else.

She swooped down, her hands in her jacket to get ready to cast, and turned up to face whoever was doing this. She might have had fangs and glowing eyes, and her gaze was definitely out of character, but Luz saw her just the same.

"L-luna?!"

[creidim]

It's by the grace of their friendliness towards one another than Luna doesn't immediately and automatically throw a hex Luz's way. But that's not to say she's exactly pleased to see a familiar face either. She's not pleased to see anyone, truth be told.

She turns away from the latest person to fall foul of her, wand still drawn. The poor Trenchie had been staring at her nervously as she made way through the markets, taken aback by her state of Corruption, wary of her. Trenchies known fine well someone that deep in Corruption won't last long before Beasthood takes over. But Luna hadn't taken kindly to the stares.

Her glowing eyes look up to Luz, a cold expression on her face. Being a friend, she gets a warning. It's not a courtesy she'll extend to many.

"Go away, Luz." she tells her. "Don't get involved."

[imaglyphwitch]

"I mean-" Luz gestured to the frightened people and the inflicted, "You kind of already got yourself involved in all of this, didn't you? I'm not really sure why you have antlers and fangs, but you sure are hurting a lot of people. Maybe you might want to change them back?"

Luz is definitely not dumb: Luna hardly ever looked like this, and even the way she was talking and acting now was very un-Luna like. She seemed to be out for blood, and Luz knew it was veery likely she might have to be subdued.

It was not something she was happy about, of course. Luz happened to care a lot about BOTH Peter and Luna, so this was going to be rough.

Luz shifted her hand to her staff though. It would be pretty stupid to think Luna might not attack her. Those eyes were ice.

i am here to chomp

[grice]

[ it doesn’t help that the sun hasn’t risen for weeks, so dark in the streets that falco must follow perle’s snowy glow as the pygmy falcon omen glides as white and mystic as a nearby star in slow drifts and circles to accompany his steps. he carries with him a cradled egg creature in his arms with the warmest of smiles— despite it all, argonaut has truly blessed him this month, hanging on his back and leaving faint, dusty glows in his wake. he was full of hope, he was better than he’s ever been during these months he’s situated himself in trench. he has mushrooms to make soup with. he has books to read, lights to put around the house as much as incense.

there was something in the polluted air regardless that hadn’t sat well with perle. she urged her boy, warned him with a mental nudge to quicken his steps and find an open building to run into, abandoned or otherwise until it was safe to come out. the streets were empty by the time falco begins the search for cover, and his little egg creature had chirped, quite innocently, at the illuminating eyes from within the sockets of a massive skull nearly one with the shadow just at an opening between the street edge of gaze and the mouth of dense trees of woodlands that eventually led to the boardwalk and crenshaw.

falco had frozen cold, and for the quick second his omen had to buy him time lost with his gasp, she grows in size and dives with wings wide and talons flared. she’d go right through the beast, and in the meantime—

falco bolts. ]

delicious

[creidim]

[ It's easy enough how quickly people seem to scatter from her, good in some ways and vexxing in others. She doesn't want to be around people, around the noise — she wants to be far, far away. But the wild rage of Beasthood is a ferocious force and it drives her to chase and attack; the cover of darkness is a blessing.

There's a low grumbling sound as she stalks towards the boy and his small ensemble, sharp teeth of a yawning maw glinting from the dull green of the endless night. And suddenly before she can do much else, the giant bird swoops in for her. Luna snaps up, trying to attack the Omen, but it's no more than a distraction as the boy makes a run for it.

He gets a good enough head start. The realisation that the bird is only holding her back soon comes and she catches sight of the boy fleeing and with a echoing roar, starts to give chase after him. ]

April 15th - The Farther Shores

[lightthedarkness]

[It took Usagi one week to be convinced to leave the house for more than just chores, it took Usagi another week to actually do it.

But eventually, old habits and the trouble of breaking them, lead Usagi back to the beach. Under the moonlight and with her powers, she is glowing bright, white, pale light along a dark shore, the waves crashing loudly around her and lapping at her ankles and calves. Something tells her to move and she begins walking, pausing when she comes across Luna, sitting in the sand, knees drawn up in a position Usagi was familiar with.

Without invitation, she watched her for a moment and then moved to sit beside her. She stayed silent, letting Luna have her silence if that's what she wanted. Usagi tucked some flying strands behind her ear, her hair whipping back in the wind.]

[creidim]

[ The silence is nice, nothing but the steady roar of the ocean — the sound of the waves lapping at the sands. The fresh chill of the sea breeze is soothing, despite the slight sting of it on her cheeks.

She sees Usagi in the corner of her vision, but her eyes remain towards the horizon where the water meets the air. She doesn't tell her to go, though. Her sitting down is fine with Luna. And for a long time she's content for the two of them to sit like that.

Finally though, Luna does bring herself to speak — her voice is soft. ]

John is gone. [ There's a pause as she considers, then offers clarification: ] He went back to the ocean.

No End in Sight - Let's go with the 23rd (So she comes back on May 1)

[threelayers]

[How did this happen? Was it because the two really didn't like each other? Oh no, it was much more basic than that. Neopolitan didn't even know that the lupine-deer... thing was Luna. This was nothing personal. She was just a hunter, and this was a woman in beast-state that nobody had told her was someone she cared about. So, she wasn't about to let her go tearing her way through Willful Machine with abandon.

She floated down into the street opposite from where Luna was charging, taking her umbrella and lifting it in a salute. Between the blink of an eye and the flutter of the parasol, there were two of her there, leaping to opposite directions and starting to race forward, eyes watchful for any number of attacks. She had to calm this monster down or bring her down before she could wreck the joint further.]

that works! ❤ (also i figured i'd let neo get a lil bit of ass kicking in)

[creidim]

[ If anything, she's trying to get as far away from the streets as she can — she doesn't want to be around people. Unfortunately it does mean a rampage, not knowing what way to go to get clear of everyone. And there's too many getting in her way; distracting her — and she's not afraid to lash out to those who try to harm her.

Detangling herself from a mess of market stalls, snarling in frustration from her latest obstacle — she looks up to the sight of not one but two women, identical, making beelines for her.

(Maybe there's something deep down, a kind of recognition. But it's skewed by the wildness, the anger and rawness of beasthood. Made worse than what it is.)

Another hunter, another one to try and harm her. She roars, jaws opening almost in warning. She doesn't know which one to go for; both are a danger, both need to be killed, so she may be left alone. She'll just have to take them down one at a time. So, she makes a leap at one at random as the woman bolts towards her, claws reaching out to try and catch her. ]

no end in sight | late April

[possessum]

( Peter's been trying to keep up with her as best as he can. He knows he's the only one who can reach her, really reach her — at least that's how it's supposed to be. The threat of Beasthood wasn't the only reason he and Luna made the blood pact, bonded themselves to one another, but it was the most pressing reason. They've both seen what Corruption can do to each other, and what Beasthood's done to others, and... that fear of losing one another to the darknesses of this place... it's been a deep, deep fear for them both.

And now he's lost her. Luna's... some huge, wild thing with horrifying teeth and claws and antlers, sharp pieces all over, like something out of a nightmare. Her initial rampage left him shocked with horror, watching her tear through the streets, slashing and slamming and blasting people and objects with magic. He'd tried, gasping, pleading, through the smell of things burning and screams, to reach out to her with their mental bond. But he hadn't been able to. She was too fast, too wild, and he was too mentally weak in his shock and horror to grab ahold of her, to break through.

Peter has been following her as much as he can, though he's lost her several times. He can barely make sense of how much time has really passed (hours? days? How long has she been like this?) or what's actually happened, losing himself to Paimon through all of this as the demon resurfaces to try and keep up with Luna on his own or protect her from various outside interference. There have also been long periods Peter has simply fallen completely unconscious, passing out right there in the streets, so deeply knocked out that even the demon's been knocked into darkness, this body unable to move at all.

It's like some unending nightmare. And through it all are many deep, aching fears: that someone will hurt her, the Hunters or other Sleepers... and even worse, the fear that he's lost her forever, that maybe the Bond won't be enough to ever bring her back.

The last time he saw her, she was escaping from the city out into the woods. That was hours ago, and he's lost a lot of time to Paimon, who'd gone after her on his own a bit before this. Peter wakes out in the woods, clothing scratched open in places, blood trailing along his cheek and neck. He's scrambling desperately through thick branches, but the perpetual darkness makes it impossible to find his way. When he makes it back out of the woods, he heads back towards the city, gasping. She's still out there somewhere, but he can't... find her. He can't. Not on his own.

Peter collapses outside of an old warehouse, shaking uncontrollably. He needs someone who can help him find Luna, and his first thought is John, and then there's a stab of visceral pain that leaves him unable to do anything for a few long moments. John's gone. He's gone. It's yet another hurt that feels debilitating.

Ruby. Ange. He knows Ruby has experience with monsters back home — he hates that "monster" is the word to describe the situation here — and Ruby wouldn't stop at anything for Luna. He knows that, too. And Ange's become someone Peter trusts with his literal life — Luna's, too. She and Ruby are both powerful, and a team, and it's a message meant for both of them as he calls, voice hoarse and just barely holding off a sob.

It's Luna, she's— she's turned into a beast, and I can't— I can't find her. Please help me, I'm so scared someone'll hurt her— Please—

He tells them where he is, outside of an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the city, close to the forest. And he waits in the darkness, knees drawn up to his chest and shaking uncontrollably, cheeks stained with tears and dirt and some smudges of blood from Paimon wandering around out in the woods. )

[entreats]

[ There's no need for consideration when that call arrives. It's obvious how frantic Peter is, just judging by his tone, and if Luna is in trouble.. then of course they're going to be right there. It wouldn't even be the first time Ange and Ruby had faced down a beast together, after all. Sure, it's still a little scary, since it's not like their powers don't have limits, but..

If a friend needs help, what else are they going to do? They can't just ignore it.

So it doesn't take too long for Peter to find himself in the company of the two girls. It helps that it's not like they're just going to run over. No, instead of finding sudden footsteps approaching him, Peter will notice a sudden quick draft, a wind filled with red rose petals and golden butterflies that suddenly forms into the shapes of Ange and Ruby, suddenly standing there right next to him outside of the abandoned warehouse.

And when Ange looks over and sees Peter's current state.. the scratches and blood and dirt and tears - there's only one thing she can do. She knows that they need to hurry up and save Luna, but she can't resist just a second of dropping to her knees and wrapping the other up in a hug, just like Peter had done for her when she had felt at her lowest last month. It's not like Ange is embarrassed about public affection when she's in the company of just her girlfriend and one of her close friends of all people, after all.

She'll leave the first moment of talking up to Ruby, instead just focusing for a moment on holding the poor guy tight. Ange can only imagine how worried he must be about Luna, and how much he must have tried to help her himself, if he's already in this state by now. ]

no end in sight

[laruetheday]

[ At first, Clarisse doesn't even recognize Luna—it's only when the Sleeper opens her mouth to try and warn people away that Clarisse's eyes go wide and she makes the connection. She pushes her way through the crowd to get to Luna and takes both of her shoulders. She can feel the heat pulsing off of Luna, a sickening feverish warmth that makes her want to wince and turn away, but she doesn't. She can't; it's Luna. Horrifying as this is, she can't abandon her. ]

Luna—Luna, hey, it's okay. It's me. You're okay. [ She isn't sure what to do, what to say, and defaults to talking to her friend like she's a sick kid or a feral dog. Soft, repetitive. ]

[creidim]

[ It's a strange feeling, teetering over the edge. Whatever it is that rolls around inside of her is demanding to come out, and with that she feels she might topple down into the darkness. She doesn't feel like herself, like it might slip out of her grasp. But then there's hands on her shoulders, a soft voice. There's faint recognition there, something desperate in her gaze as two pupil-less eyes look up at the older girl. ]

You shouldn't— [ She bares her teeth, two sharp fangs. She shouldn't touch her, it's not safe. She tries to push Clarisse off, her voice ragged and raw. ] I'm not safe.