fascinating rhythms [open]

[rudelanguage]

WHO: Knife (as Antigone and Pending), ota
WHEN: August/September, post-mission 10
WHERE: assorted areas (marked in prompts)
WHAT: quite a number of efforts to stave off misery and madness
NOTES\WARNINGS: mentions of blood/violence, some suicidal ideation


as pending:

o1. pantomime thread [location: leafless valley, richland]
[cords have been strung between a few pairs of tree trunks within this verdant area of Etraya, and hung upon them are assorted lengths of fabrics and clothing in various states of repair (or disrepair).

if this sight is not piquing curiosity enough already, perhaps then noticing the grungy half-orc moving amid them, picking at this or that, making alterations, mending, merging, manipulating...fashion is happening here.]



o2. the hurt dumpster [location: near ebbets field, dewpoint]
[THOKK.

TNNK.

impact sounds on metal ring out off-rhythm somewhere in the night. following the bouncing noise leads toward a trio of misplaced dumpsters lined up and painted with colored markings of varying sizes and patterns. the bodies of these receptacles have been dented and skewered - some implements still sticking within the body - and the perpetrator is some yards away, flipping a bread knife in his hand.

he catches it by the handle after a flip and turns his attention to whomever is encroaching, eyes glinting in the dark like some nocturnal animal's. they...seem chill, but inwardly Knife is screeching like an angry nocturnal animal.

Can I fucking catch a goddamn break here WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?

Pending is gracefully holding that thought to see what's up with this interloper.]

---

as antigone:

o1. binge after reading[location: kwik trip, nova city]

Scuze.

[peculiar scraping that had begun an aisle over has approached this one, and now a basket dragged across the linoleum is stopped near one's feet. it was hauled by the little gal, stuffed to spilling over, but she's still going. she'll get another fucking basket, watch her!

but first. YOU, tall one.

she points up.] Gimme some of that stuff up there. I can't reach.



o2. antigone of a fall [location: the library, alexandria; cw: suicidal ideation]
[she's already scaled this thing twice before and found the rooftop areas suitable for some magical mapping, so this is...sort of old hat. but while repetition is good for memory, it's also bad for the mood. this shit is just...killing time. killing Knife.

This doesn't fucking matter.

but she's doing it anyway.

except one missed handhold leads to a slip, a skid, and then the little kitsune is dropping from the side of the fourth story.

one of two things can happen. either:

-Antigone just lets it happen, and someone with the reflexes and capability sees and subsequently does a cool rescue (damsel strat)

or

-Antigone snaps the fuck out of it, twists herself and casts a Misty Step...directly onto someone to cushion her fall (this is advanced crash-into-hello tech)

player's choice!]

Comments

[maximumlegend]

[ Fabian doesn't look too offended by the question - but maybe it's because he's got an answer at the ready so quickly that his brain didn't have to think too hard about whether being asked that was an insult or not..

Instead he replies practically as soon as the other is done asking that question. ]

Me and some of my friends tried truly digging into one of these missions one time. We were in another place like this one run by a different entity, so we tried figuring out what was going on there. [ There's a shrug, but instead of just nonchalance there also seems to be something a little frustrated in the gesture. Something a little huffy. ] They made robots kick our ass.

[rudelanguage]

They who? [head tilt.] The ghost?

[maximumlegend]

Whatever was in charge of that place, I imagine.

[ It's not like they got much of an explanation for it.. Maybe that's why there's that faint frustration in the way he talks about it. Like it's a bummer in some way. ]

We didn't even find anything useful. It was a pain in the ass!

[rudelanguage]

So now what.

[again, rather toothless in inflection; Knife's working hard to keep their roiling frustrations internal rather than chew out some guy who bothered to answer questions. this is extremely generous and nice actually.]

cw: casual talk of violent urges i guess??

[maximumlegend]

[ The other is truly giving it their all here. Clearly. Truly.

But Fabian just heaves a sigh. ]

That is the question, is it not? I feel like I have exhausted pretty much every single possible avenue at this point. [ And considering how fatigued he looks as he says that? It might just be true. ] It sucks. I will stab something given the chance, but we are not exactly getting many of such chances.

[rudelanguage]

Shit might stab back. [though...this guy probably already knows, yeah? but can't say Pending didn't warn him. so nice, this half-orc.] But probably...worth the risk. I think. Yeah?

[maximumlegend]

[ He shrugs. ]

I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen? We die? [ Casual. ]

[rudelanguage]

[shrug.]

No necromancers, right?

[...

padme meme dot gif:] Right?

[maximumlegend]

I'm not a necromancer.

[ As if that's the biggest problem in this moment.. ]

Are you?

[ Clearly they are slowly ruling out all necromancers here. Big brained. ]

[rudelanguage]

No. [Doy!] Just sayin'. If we got those...we got worse things to worry about.

[what a lovely precursor to freaking out about everyone secretly being liches or some shit later.]

[maximumlegend]

[ Well, Fabian wouldn't deny that dealing with it would suck, but.. ]

Is that the worst thing you've ever ran into?

[ Considering it's so much at the forefront of the other's mind. It wouldn't have been for Fabian! ]

[rudelanguage]

[he grunts a negative, hunching behind the draped fabric to squint at something he's doing.]

Still pretty bad. [s'all he's sayin'! may as well think of as many bad things to come across in this ghost town, right? what the fuck else is he gonna do? throw a goddamn book-reading party at a cafe like SOME people around here? as if.]

For now...just empty spaces. Dead town, kinda. Metal slaves. Bad, not the worst.

[maximumlegend]

[ There's a bit of a slow blink at 'metal slaves', like it takes Fabian a second to catch onto what the other is saying here. He just didn't think of that wording! Even though he kind of agrees with the vibe those particular words are giving off.. ]

I suppose so. [ Could it be worse? Sure. Does it still suck? Yes. ]

Perhaps we should just make sure to inform each other if we see anything that can get us out of here, considering it doesn't seem like either of us are very keen on being here. You know, 'I help your escape, you help mine'? That sort of thing.

[rudelanguage]

[his head pokes up, just enough for wary eyes to squint over at him.]

You're gonna help? Me? [the tone is blatantly dubious.]

[maximumlegend]

[ Fabian shrugs a little. ]

Why not? You haven't tried to murder me.

[ He says it so casually. Like clearing that bar is enough all by itself. ]

[rudelanguage]

But I could. [like, maybe! if he wasn't busy!] You don't even know my name.

[beat.

wait.

...

???]

Do you?

[maximumlegend]

[ He blinks.

Not even a surprised blink. Not even an ashamed blink. Just the world's most neutral blink. ]

Well, you haven't exactly announced yourself to me.

[rudelanguage]

[Pending straightens out of his slouch enough for his face to clear the clothesline barrier.] But you were gonna trust me to have your back anyway? [Do you see what I mean? I'm not crazy here, am I?]

[maximumlegend]

Why not? As long as you also want to get out of this place, then our goals align.

[ Usually he would've said 'who wouldn't want to get out of this place', but he sure has met some examples that disprove that inherent belief of his.. At least the other seems to be on the same side as him about this. ]

And if you betray me, that will be a problem I will deal with then.

[rudelanguage]

...

[Pending stares incredulously. How'd this guy live this long. Knife can't fathom just off-the-cuff shaking hands with an unknown entity who just happens to say something agreeable. What if I was fuckin' lying? What then?

slowly:] You'll...deal with me. [Deal HOW?? You cast fireball out your ass or something?]

[maximumlegend]

[ Entirely unfazed by the look: ]

Yeah. You know.

[ He's mimicking stabbing a sword into the air in front of him.

Fabian is also definitely carrying a sword - it's hanging on his side, hanging sheathed on his belt -, which is probably why he's making that gesture. Still very casually though. ]

But I feel like that is not going to be a problem. I have never been wrong about a single person before! [ He definitely has been. Especially about hot women that turned out to be evil. ]

[rudelanguage]

[his lip curls with derision at the pantomime, eyes half-lidded. Yeah, right. Fuckin' TRY it.

...of course, that expression easily carries over to that boast. nothing makes Knife want to be contrarian more than confident statements like that.]

That's you. Mister...Never-Been-Wrong.

[maximumlegend]

Uh-huh.

[ Not seeing anything wrong with this. Nodding. Proudly. ]

But I am also known among some as [ - there's a small, but very dramatic pause here where he takes a moment to pose - ] Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Maximum Legend, Oracool of Dance, son of Bill Seacaster!

[ ...

The pose is dropped. ]

Though maybe I should add Never-Been-Wrong to that, now you mention it.

[rudelanguage]

Who can even remember all that. [Besides YOU, anyway.] Fey-bean animal seacatcher...

[maximumlegend]

Seacaster!

[ Look, there's so much wrong with the other parts of that name too.

But we can't fix all things at once, clearly. ]

What do you even think I am out there catching?! [ Other than Ws, in Fabian's incredibly humble opinion. ]