etrayalogs | Winter Catch-All

[Enki honestly could have taken better care of the egg, but he did enough of the job to make sure it hatched at all. Were this a normal egg, it would have hatched with minimal health issues, maybe not the strongest of creatures to break free of its shell-prison, but enough to have lived a healthy enough life! Still, the lack of warmth from Enki impacted what the egg produced regardless, and so when it begins to shift and show signs of cracking, there is a malevolence that radiates from it that should serve as its own warning.

Enki, however, is busy reading one of the manuals he found in the apartment. He didn't know what a microwave was before, but now he has a better idea of it. Though when the distinct feeling of yearning for blood enters his mind like a suggestion might his ear, he is immediately pulled from the page explaining defrost settings. His eyes falling to the egg that's cracking upon its nest of sheets and other unused bedding, perched safely upon the kitchen table.]

...Outlander—do you feel that?

[He knows Ragnvaldr is in the other room, he knows he can probably hear him.]

[With food plentiful and the weather cold, Ragnvaldr has taken to sleeping longer hours. His own egg is rather large with a strong eggshell, and he’s kept it warm against his body like a hen. So, when Enki’s eggshell breaches, Ragnvaldr wakes in a sudden manner to what he can only describe as a killing intent. He hears Enki’s words right as he fully wakes, standing from bed ready to deal with someone or something.]

[He picks up a length of wood that he keeps by his bed with nails driven through it. He comes through the bedroom door dressed in a sweater and loose boxers, gaze searching.]

Ja. [His eyes fall to the egg in the otherwise silent room. But he pauses before he acts. ]

What is it?

Edited 2025-01-05 22:19 (UTC)

What are you—

[Enki bristles seeing Ragnvaldr's large frame coming through the doorway, armed with that plank of wood. There's momentary distrust in his eyes as he watches him, as if he's concerned that Ragnvaldr has been possessed by that yearning for blood, but then when he stops and asks, he relaxes.

But barely.

He blinks his gaze between the egg and Ragnvaldr for a few seconds, the remnants of distrust still within him, before he settles it upon the egg as it cracks more. Part of the shell falling to the table top, and the feeling becoming more intense.]

I don't know what it is, but doesn't it feel similar to—

[And as if on cue, more of the egg breaks apart, and they can see a single purple eye staring back at them. It is...smaller than the eye they might have expected from Miasma, but what is inside of the egg is considerably smaller than the Miasma they know. More of the shell falling reveals this to them, and Enki finds himself lost for words.]

That eye…

… Was Miasma originally hatched, not forged?

[He sets the piece of wood aside to get closer without crowding the space. He sits at the kitchen table and looks down at the thing.]

Considering its more biological aspects, I do not know if we can claim it was forged in any way we are familiar.

[Forged by the God of the Depths, perhaps, but that does not mean that it was beaten into its shape through heat and hammer. Enki approaches, looking at it as the egg quivers and cracks, the rest falling apart as the miniature sword seems to take its shape and form from the remnants of the shell. It stands on its blade tip, that bulging eye looking around its surroundings before locking onto Enki.

It is not just his mind that fills with its demand:]

B̵̢̪̭̰́͐̈́͋̓́̆͊͊̉̎͝L̸̡̮̯̩̬̞̻̯̹̪̀̏̀̏̀̓͗̋̈́̓̀͑͘͘͜͝O̴̻̠̲̪̗͉͈̗̓̉̅̃̕O̵̡̨̡̘̝̻̝̤͕̩̺̘͑͋̏͋̌͗̓͛̿̑͆̾͜ͅD̸͚̫͖̭̝̪̼͊̇̓̑̀̎͑̐̎̓̓̅͝͝.

[Enki glowers at it. Here he had thought the cursed thing was left behind, but it just found a new way to burden them.]

...I should not be surprised, and yet...

Ah… It stood up.

[A beat.]

And what will happen if it is not fed blood? Will it weaken, or will it only become angry?

[on that note, Ragnvaldr fishes the egg out from his sweatshirt.]

[Enki frowns more deeply at the questions, though his eyes stay locked on the pathetic excuse for a sword.]

It might grow more aggressive. Wear at the mind to get what it desires.

[It has been nice not having to deal with the ever pressing darkness of the dungeons, his mind not feeling as though the yarn of it was fraying under the constant strain. Now there's this. He could abandon it, but that meant someone else might get their hands on it...who knows what might happen if they did, and if they wet its appetite.]

What of yours?

[He pulls his gaze from Miasma, looking to Ragnvaldr and his own egg.]

[It starts to crack as an egg tooth comes through right on cue. Ragnvaldr continues to hold it in both hands, watching in fascination. ]

It had been moving around all day.

[And then, with some more effort, it cracks the rest of the egg shell and pushes it properly apart. This was quick by any creature’s measure, but he had just watched a sword hatch-]

[Hes almost wary that something gruesome would hatch when he sees the wet sparse fur over pink skin, then relaxes as soon as he realizes he’s holding an incredibly newborn puppy.]

Look. A dog-

...

[Enki scowls at that. He isn't jealous, but somehow he finds himself annoyed by this. How odd all the same. A dog from an egg, and a would-be sword from an egg? What is this place? He's almost wondering if they are somehow still in the dungeon, or somewhere in Mahabre? None of this makes much sense...

As he peers at the dog in Ragnvaldr's hands he does notice something odd.]

Are those—does it have four eyes?

[They're slits, sealed from being newly born, of course, but they do not look like the usual wrinkles of being a puppy. He's pretty sure those are closed eyes.]

Ja, yes. I believe you are correct.

[He gently tilts the creature in his hand and peers at it carefully.]

This… This couldn’t be Moonless, could it? Ah… And without a bitch to nurse it. [He clicks his tongue.]

And here I am without a spouted bottle… Perhaps the shop has one. She is too young to be brought outside. Enki, I know you are not one for idle favors… but…

[He levels a pointed and intense stare at him.]

Just say what it is you want so I can reject it accurately.

[So he says...]

[He sighs. Grouchy bitch. But still. ]

Well, either hold her while I go fetch a vessel, or go in my place.

[He looks down at the pathetic creature in his hands. She’s simply adorable like this, without any teeth. ]

It is far too cold outside for me to go run your errand for you, and there is nothing you could offer me to make the trip a worthwhile excursion.

[He turns to look at Miasma, which has not stopped staring at him this whole time.]

Taking her with you is not an option, as you said, she is far too young for the cold. Your best bet is to leave her here.

[You know, while Enki so happens to stay here. Totally unrelated to the request to hold her while Ragnvaldr gets said vessel.]

Thank you, priest.

[He takes Enki’s hand in his own and places the puppy. He throws on his cloak and pulls on some thick tights for the weather he found at Roxx. He then tucks Miasma in his belt and turns to the door. ]

I’ll be back soon.

What—

[That all happened so quickly, and now Enki is down a cursed dagger and up a newborn puppy. He holds Moonless in his gloved hands, staring at her scrunched little puppy face, before looking to Ragnvaldr with wide eyes full of exasperation.]

Why are you taking Miasma?

[Moonless wiggles in his hands, and he pulls her in a little closer, just so he doesn't drop her.]

The dagger desires blood.

[As he sort of leaves the implication in the air. ]

And I am much better rested. I will only be a bit. Surely the Bongsin has a vessel.

[He puts on his boots.]

[Well, Ragnvaldr's got him there. He lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes his head.]

Be quick, I do not intend to play nursemaid to this thing for too long.

[Though as he says that, he does take a seat at the table, the puppy being held a little awkwardly in his bony arms. He looks to the sheets that were used as a nest for Miasma's egg. Once Ragnvaldr is out of sight, he certainly plans to wrap her in that to help her stay warm.]

My thanks, Enki.

[He gives him a warm smile as he puts his fur shawl over his shoulders and heads out.]

[It is truly not that long. Ragnvaldr gets some good milk and finds a bottle, heading back before long. It takes him maybe twenty minutes to round the bridge and come back from Bangsan.]

[He comes back, bag in hand with all he needed, plus a couple enticing things from the baby needs aisle. He takes each item out of the bag and sets them upon the table. Theres assorted toys, hygiene items, the bottle…]

Look at this clever thing. It feels so real.

[As he points the business end of the bottle at Enki. ]

[Once Enki had gotten Ragnvaldr to bring him an adequate amount of sweaters (five), and a fur coat which could stand up to the winter wind, not to mention the (green) knee-high snow boots, he finally set out to explore more of Etraya. In part, he wished to learn the lay of the land, where everything is located, and what he might be dealing with. The other part is he needed to figure out where he might place his Blood Portals so that he and Ragnvaldr could more easily traverse the area. It's a rather spacious realm they have found themselves in, after all, with different buildings and resources holding great distances between them.

He refuses to walk in the snow for over an hour every time he needs tobacco, or something else!

Which is why, now that he has made it to Kwik Trip, he has cleared off a spot behind the building from the snow. A mix between shoving the snow around with his boots and blasting it with a little bit of flame to achieve that end, he begins to use a strange weapon with a single eye to carve into the concrete some ritual symbols. The first part being a large circle with four lines coming off of it, and then a second smaller circle will come after. Granted, the first one is taking him...quite a while. He isn't the most physically strong, after all, even with his weird little demon blade in hand.

He is so focused, he doesn't seem to notice if other people are watching him. Or maybe he doesn't care? Either way, he doesn't look up, nor cast Kirk a single glance as he continues to noisily carve into the concrete. His winter clothes makes him look like he has the normal girth of a healthy person his size (5'9), but rest assured, that is the bulk of those sweaters doing all the work on this frail skeleton of a man.]

Edited 2025-01-06 02:03 (UTC)

[Ragnvaldr likely did not see the roll of Enki's eyes at his thanks, which is for the best, truly. Nor did he see how he wrapped the newborn moonless up in those sheets, a couple of them just to be certain she is warm enough. Also that if there's any accidents, it's... on those and not on him.

As Ragnvaldr returns, he will at least be able to see what Enki has done, though Enki will not bring attention to it. Instead, he watches as Ragnvaldr showcases his discoveries, eventually putting the nipple end of the bottle at him, which just earns him a stare.]

I wouldn't know, nor do I want to. Can you get that out of my face? Fill it and feed your mutt.

[As he says that, he flicks his eyes towards Moonless, then back to Ragnvaldr's face.]

Right. You wouldn’t know…

[He smiles at Moonless, bundled and unable to go much of anywhere. He pulls the milk out of the fridge and considers it for a moment. ]

Ah… this needs to be warmed.

[He clicks his tongue as he looks at the stove, then the microwave. He did not understand, nor trust the microwave. It sparked mightily the last time he used it to try to warm a bowl of soup.]

[The range he had eventually understood. The knobs were simple enough. So he fills a pot with milk and sets it low.]

[As the chill of outdoors wears off, he sheds his clothes into the closet, then sets Miasma on the kitchen counter.]

A shame it does not drink milk as well.

[So far, most of Kirk's days in Etraya have been spent in his lab and working on various projects. One of more pressing ones is his food supply situation. Technically, it could be worse but Kirk doesn't trust anything provided by Aurora or Echo. He would rather get his own food, so to speak. But he can only go so many days without blood before slipping into madness again so he's tried out the blood and artificial plasma from the hospital. It seems fine. He's also been making his usual artificial plasma using the ingredients from Etraya's stores, not that he has much of a choice in the matter. He's still weighing his best meal options with the assumption he might be in Etraya for a while.

Artificial plasma making is what brings Kirk to the Kiwk Trip once again. Unlike Enki, Kirk isn't very bothered by the cold. His body temperature is noticeably lower than a human's so all he needs on this winter day is a thin layer of thermals underneath his Batman suit.

He had just come out of the store with a bag of his ingredients when he smelled someone close. He turns his head towards where the source is and hears shoveling. He also sees steam rising up. Curious he quietly walks towards the rear of the building and peeks around the corner. With his infrared vision, Kirk sees a frail-looking man overly bundled in winter clothes. Kirk eyes follow where the man is focused and sees the symbols carved into the ground.

He frowns, now thinking if he should interrupt or if whatever he's doing will make things worse]

[Sorry he isn't one to go around touching titties, Ragnvaldr!!!

As the smell of milk hits the air, Moonless wiggles a little in Enki's arms, letting out a small needy whine. Enki's face contorts with a mixture of disgust and uncertainty. He is not one for rearing young life like this...

He does, however, look at Miasma as it balances on its blade, looking between Ragnvaldr and Enki with an imposing expectation. You can almost feel the demand it doesn't yet repeat:

B̷̭̈́l̴̨̹̬̥͂́͂̈̈͌͛͛̚͜ơ̶̪͐́o̷̧̼̭̳̖̟͇͖̭͖͔̟̙̙̿̌̈́d̸͍͖̜̿̓ ̶̹̩͇̜̝̼̎̌̏̈̎̿̿̊͠b̷̮̣̻̻͚̾̅̿́̆͌́̽̀̈́̿͝͝ͅļ̵̭̯̯̝̹̭͎̭͈̫̹̖̋̃̈́ǫ̵̡̝̩̤̜̥̟̪̲̜̒̒̾̋̀̑͂͜ͅō̸͉̻̱̹̱͙͍̣͈͖̮̂̉̓͌̇̏̈́d̸̼̘͇̣̪̠͖̼̩͍̅͆͗͒͗́̋̃͋̅̂́͘͠͠ ̷̝͚̞͍͖̲̮̼̌͌͘b̷̰̘̠̪͇̻̞̲̲͕͌l̶̢̡̧̗̟̦̩̇̓̅̓͆͘o̷͓̝͍͇̭̭͉͔͙̜̽ͅo̶̡͕͈̺̠̳̠̟͐̀̆̽̆ͅd̸̠̠͓̳̳̩̦̺͚̦̦̻̙͗̒]

It would certainly make this easier. I do not think it would appreciate the swap of bodily fluids.

[Ragnvaldr stirs the milk calmly before testing it upon his arm. He is very clearly educated on these matters. He fills the bottle, then pours the excess into mugs. He places one on front of Enki before relieving him of the squirming puppy. ]

[Bottle to mouth, she latches instantly. Ragnvaldr looks very pleased.]

She’s strong already.

[His smile only fades slightly as he looks up at the swiveling blade. ]

How do you intend to feed it?

[Enki takes a moment, his poor hands and weak arms tiring from the carving, but not only that...the weapon in his hands keeps filling his mind with its usual demands:

B̷͚̖̬͂̎l̷̝̍̽o̷̘̐͒̋̋ȍ̸̳̙͝d̵̘̿̍ ̸̝̘̭̦͌̓̀̀B̵͓̖̰̌̓L̴̠͠O̷͇͕̞̚O̴̙̼̼͛͑́͂D̷̢̬̳͚̕͝ ̷̨̘̫̒̈́͛̉b̷͎̠̱̋̋̉ͅl̸̢̳̪̦̓́ȏ̸̍ͅo̷̹̍͊͋d̸̼̓!̴̣̍̚

He stares at the eye as it stares widely back at him, but then its gaze flicks to Kirk with an almost excited fervor. At least, as much as a weapon can express with nothing more than a large eye. Enki pinches his brows together, his mouth thinning to an even tighter line than it usually is, and he reluctantly looks to Kirk. He isn't really in a social mood—not that he ever is.

His circle isn't complete, and the Blood Portal isn't even established yet, had he been a little faster, a little stronger...]

...Are you in need of something?

[He speaks with a light Italian sounding accent, and his tone is about as frigid as the snow around them.]

Winter Catch-All

Closed to Ragnvaldr! Late December Egg hatching time!

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Closed to Kirk; Early January

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