[OPEN] Insert Green Day lyrics here

[godsandbats]

WHO: godsandbats Kirk Langstrom and mostly whoever else is a night owl
WHEN: Throughout September until the next mission starts, mostly at night
WHERE: Various locations. See prompts.
WHAT: Catch-all post for Kirk throughout September and before the next mission starts
NOTES\WARNINGS: Please see here for potential content warnings. More specific warnings will be noted as needed in specific threads.

Kirk has come out of the last mission rather worse for wear. For those who know him, it means he’s quieter than usual, and practically a recluse holed up in the Tower of Justice. He has not bothered to take the initiative and talk to most people since coming back from the mission.

But you might be fortunate enough to catch him somehow, especially if it’s after sundown.

Night Flight:

Kirk tries to keep himself busy as much as he can in the Tower of Justice. But alas for him, eventually he has to come out for supplies. Hernan sometimes manages to get him to come out too to do errands.

So besides the fruit bats that come out of Wayne Tower, there might be a different kind of bat flying out of a different tower.

Maybe you can catch him searching for parts at the junkyard, doing a quick trip at the Kwik Trip, or visiting the hospital. Or maybe somehow you catch him in-between or somewhere else. Whatever the case, he’s wearing his Batman suit.

Night Reading:

Sometimes, the Tower of Justice's quietness isn't enough for Kirk. Sometimes, his mind is too restless for even that. On those nights he flies to the library and lets himself get lost in the stacks. Most of the time the books he takes out to read are science-related but at times, he gravitates towards art history and art books.

With his helmet and goggles off, his deathly pale skin and red eyes are visible and make him an unearthly figure in the dark, wandering around and reading in the library.

If someone else is also around, he'll look and turn his head towards where they could be. His senses are sharper than a human's and he's not sure if he wants company at this time of night.

Night Hunt (CW: Hunting of animals, animal harm):

As much as Kirk doesn't want to leave the tower, nighttime deer hunting is one activity he has no qualms about. It keeps his bloodthirst at bay and it scratches that primal itch better than drinking artificial plasma. It’s why it’s part of his rotation as opposed to just drinking artificial plasma or the blood bags from the hospital.

So every other night or so, he flies out of the Tower of Justice and towards the forest to hunt deer. He's efficient and not interested in dragging out his hunts longer than necessary but the sounds that are made during the hunts might unintentionally come off as frightening and disturbing. The blood all over his mouth and on the chest of his Batman suit when he feeds don’t help with the image either. The pointy ears of his helmet might look more like demon horns at times.

He means no harm towards most of Etraya's residents at least.

Flight of the Robin:

A bright-eyed adorable American robin is happily singing wherever you might be. He might be up in a tree or strangely, inside a building. If it's the latter, he must’ve flown in through an open door or a window.

Whatever the case, if you look at the bird he’ll look at you and keep singing. Get close enough and then he might suddenly act... odd. His body could stiffen, his chirps are weak, and suddenly he keels over! Oh noooo. Whatever shall you do?

Meanwhile, his owner is somewhere around, not yet realizing what his bird has been plotting.

Wildcard:

((OOC: Feel free to hit me up if you have something else in mind! My contact info is in the journal profile and I'm the game's Discord server))

Comments

Night Hunt (CW: Hunting of animals, animal harm)

[will_chase_balls]

On one of those nights, Dwayne is waiting for Kirk, and this time he's much more prepared, having strapped an axe to his back and carrying a cooler so it'll be easier to bring leftovers back with him. He watches the sky, listening and looking for his hunting buddy. His stomach rumbles and he lets his mind wander, fantasizing about the taste of a fresh kill.

[godsandbats]

Between his levitation ability and his suit's glider wings, Kirk hardly makes noise as he flies closer to Dwayne. As antisocial as Kirk has become since coming back from the mission, Dwayne is one of the few people he's content with still meeting. Dwayne was not a human and is not at all bothered by Kirk's vampiric nature. For Kirk, it feels... nice to know another person he doesn't have be anxious around. Dwayne so far has even been supportive of safely hunting with him.

Kirk smoothly lands near Dwayne when he spots him and the axe.

"Looks like you're better prepared this time," he says evenly.

[will_chase_balls]

Even to Dwayne's senses, Kirk's approach was undetectable until he was right there. Impressive, but it probably shouldn't be surprising considering what Kirk is.

"I am!" Dwayne says with a cheerful smile. "I figured things would go much smoother like this."

And since they're back in Etraya, it's easier to explain why he has an axe so he sees no reason to forgo the convenience now. The cooler he just hadn't thought of bringing until Gorgug suggested it.

[godsandbats]

"It should. It's different than being in a larger human city," Kirk says. "How was the rest of the mission for you?"

He wonders how many others had struggled as badly as he did.

[will_chase_balls]

"Well, a friend of mine made these 'nullifiers' that blocked the effects of the anomaly, so that was good. I tried to fight the guy the anomaly connected itself to. He's a telepath, apparently. That didn't go well."

Dwayne does not have any defenses against telepathy, his wolfiness only providing him with greater strength against physical harm and some natural weapons.

[godsandbats]

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kirk says. Physical attacks are relatively easy to defend and count against but psychic attacks seem much more difficult. Kirk can imagine Dwayne not having the easiest time with them. "Did it take long for you to heal?"

[will_chase_balls]

"Not too long, no. Long enough that I couldn't do anything else to help with the mission, but I was able to sleep it off."

So not great, but it could be worse. Still, he prefers a purely physical fight with weapons, teeth and claws. Speaking of which...he sniffs the air.

"This way," he says, guiding them closer to where the prey will be.

[godsandbats]

Kirk follows Dwayne, recognizing the behavior of a fellow hunter.

"You'll be fine to hunt though?" he asks.

[will_chase_balls]

"Of course! Besides, we're just hunting deer. I've been hunting those with my mom since I was young."

He's not worried about it in the least. This sort of thing is second nature to him at this point.

[godsandbats]

Kirk nods before he changes his vision to infrared and starts searching.

"Thank you again for this," he says.

[will_chase_balls]

"No, thank you! This is so much more fun with a friend!"

Then he pauses, cocks his head and, with a whisper, adds, "We're getting closer. I'm going to get changed real quick."

He sets down the cooler, and his body begins shifting into his wolfman form. He figures he can come back to retrieve it when they're done.

[godsandbats]

Kirk watches with fascination as Dwayne transforms and he wonders how it works. Magic probably doesn't exist in his world and he hadn't heard of anyone who can shapeshift.

"Whenever you're ready," he says calmly.

[will_chase_balls]

Once he's fully shifted, Dwayne creeps forward until they reach a clearing with deer. They haven't been spotted yet. Figuring Kirk is the stealthier of the two of them after his initial entrance, Dwayne turns to him and attempts to use hand gestures to indicate to Kirk that he should sneak to the other side of the clearing.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk nods and creeps to the other side. He makes as little noise as possible, careful not to disturb any leaves or step on any twigs that could startle the deer and give away his position.

It’s not much different from stalking a criminal prey. In some ways, it’s simpler. There are no morality questions to anguish over. Just a simple hunt for food, for basic survival]

[will_chase_balls]

[Once Kirk is in position, Dwayne jumps out of the brush, growling. The deer flee. He chases, herding the deer he's chosen for their meal closer to where Kirk is hiding.]

[godsandbats]

[As soon as the distance between Kirk and the deer closes, Kirk lunges. Using his full speed and strength, he tackles the deer to the ground. He then pins it hard before sinking his fangs into its neck]

[will_chase_balls]

[Dwayne then pounces on the deer as well, tearing into it. He feels it become still beneath him, and he begins to eat.]

[godsandbats]

[As always, Kirk has bitten hard into the carotid. Warm blood gushes out and Kirk is drinking it all in. The beast is pleased with tonight's quarry and is just focused on drinking as much as he can. As far as he's concerned, Dwayne can have the rest of the deer. He just wants blood]

[will_chase_balls]

[Dwayne continues to devour, stuffing himself until he's full. Then, he sits back, relaxing for a moment, and starts to shift back.]

I'm going to go get the cooler.

[godsandbats]

[With a bloodied mouth and his fangs on full display, Kirk nods]

I'm almost done here. Go ahead.

[will_chase_balls]

[Dwayne goes off into the woods, leaving Kirk with the deer for a few minutes before he returns. He sets the cooler next to the carcass.]

Let me know when you're done.

[In the meantime, Dwayne takes the axe off his back, ready to start chopping when the time comes.]

Let's just pretend I didn't accidentally switch to brackets a few comments ago...

[godsandbats]

Kirk drains just a bit more before standing back up, mouth still bloody.

"That was most of the blood," he says. "This should be easier for you now."

That's okay, I do stuff like that all the time

[will_chase_balls]

"Thanks!"

He starts chopping.

Then, between chops, he asks, "So what about you? You asked about how the mission went for me, but did things go okay for you?"

[godsandbats]

It’s not a question Kirk really wants to answers but he suppose it was only fair that Dwayne asked after Kirk did the same earlier.

“It was difficult towards the end,” he replies. “Besides the fight, did you have any issues?”

[will_chase_balls]

"No. Not really. I know some people were acting the opposite of how they usually act, but I didn't get hit too hard with that."

And another chop as he continues to work on the deer.