you couldn't afford me (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
for8000amonth) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crescentview2022-12-10 01:58 am
for8000amonth) wrote in crescentview2022-12-10 01:58 am
| you put a fever inside me
▶ WHO: Adelis and you!
▶ WHAT: December open/Catch-all
▶ WHEN: Until January
▶ WHERE: All over
▶ WARNINGS: TBA
≫ The Hands-on Approach
[ he was hoping he'd be able to put off dealing with it for longer, but life is never kind, as he's come to learn the hard way. he's put a decent effort into the fields thus far, but as the days went on, it became harder to stand outside for long periods of time...especially under the blasted sun, which still made his eyes throb in pain. even it's warmth can't chase off the ice cold beneath his skin, which drains the color from adelis' features and leaving him pale as a ghost.
finally, he can't take it anymore. his pride be damned, he can't stand being nearly utterly useless. so he shoves that stupid card in his pocket, laces up his heels and attempts to make himself look presentable, and locks the door behind him on the way out.
maybe you're a neighbour, who's farm happens to be not too far. maybe you're passing by on errands, to and from town. or maybe you run into him in town itself, gaze latching onto the first tolerable(?) person to pass his vision. ]
...Pardon me.
[ he looks, well...not good. he's abnormally pale, circles dark under his eyes. while adelis holds himself up high, back straight and gaze sharp, there's an exhaustion clinging to his limbs that's easy to note. ]
I require your...assistance with something, if you've a moment to spare.
[ he's trying really hard to make it look like this isn't paining him to ask. ]
≫ Overdue
[ while not the sort you'd think to frequent the library, should you enter one day, you'll happen to see him with a rather tidy stack right next to him. the titles vary, all from various genres and tip sections, but judging by the scowl on his face, he's not having a particularly swell time.
there's an exasperated noise as he drops the one he was currently holding beside him, closed, with a soft thunk. ]
Useless. [ he isn't shouting it, but he isn't particularly keeping quiet, either, as he grumbles to himself. ] This would be far easier if I could parse half the bloody words they were using. 'Simple' my arse.
[ maybe he needs a dictionary. ]
≫ Wildcard
> want something in particular? want to fill out some bingo? shoot me a pm or dm and i'll write something asap.
▶ WHAT: December open/Catch-all
▶ WHEN: Until January
▶ WHERE: All over
▶ WARNINGS: TBA
≫ The Hands-on Approach
[ he was hoping he'd be able to put off dealing with it for longer, but life is never kind, as he's come to learn the hard way. he's put a decent effort into the fields thus far, but as the days went on, it became harder to stand outside for long periods of time...especially under the blasted sun, which still made his eyes throb in pain. even it's warmth can't chase off the ice cold beneath his skin, which drains the color from adelis' features and leaving him pale as a ghost.
finally, he can't take it anymore. his pride be damned, he can't stand being nearly utterly useless. so he shoves that stupid card in his pocket, laces up his heels and attempts to make himself look presentable, and locks the door behind him on the way out.
maybe you're a neighbour, who's farm happens to be not too far. maybe you're passing by on errands, to and from town. or maybe you run into him in town itself, gaze latching onto the first tolerable(?) person to pass his vision. ]
...Pardon me.
[ he looks, well...not good. he's abnormally pale, circles dark under his eyes. while adelis holds himself up high, back straight and gaze sharp, there's an exhaustion clinging to his limbs that's easy to note. ]
I require your...assistance with something, if you've a moment to spare.
[ he's trying really hard to make it look like this isn't paining him to ask. ]
≫ Overdue
[ while not the sort you'd think to frequent the library, should you enter one day, you'll happen to see him with a rather tidy stack right next to him. the titles vary, all from various genres and tip sections, but judging by the scowl on his face, he's not having a particularly swell time.
there's an exasperated noise as he drops the one he was currently holding beside him, closed, with a soft thunk. ]
Useless. [ he isn't shouting it, but he isn't particularly keeping quiet, either, as he grumbles to himself. ] This would be far easier if I could parse half the bloody words they were using. 'Simple' my arse.
[ maybe he needs a dictionary. ]
≫ Wildcard
> want something in particular? want to fill out some bingo? shoot me a pm or dm and i'll write something asap.
no subject
There's a snort at the question, although he's mildly surprised he took that better than most have so far. He sounds rather tired of it, in fact, so perhaps there's more people here than himself and Kaspar struggling in the light of day than he originally thought. ]
Hah. Four? Wouldn't that just be a bloody nightmare. [ Just one was enough to hurt his eyes day one, god forbid he ever have to see more than that. ] There isn't even one. Where I hail from, we live under the perpetual night.
[ The Moonrise, the Halfmoon, the Dead Night...quite different from things like 'afternoon' and 'dawn'. He catches that look, and gives M-21 a suspicious squint. ]
Keep staring and I'll charge you a fee.
no subject
[ Not that he could give a concrete reason for that. It feels like it should be true, though... which he can already estimate Adelis would have an appropriately caustic response to. There's a distinct resemblance to another glasses-wearer in M-21's acquaintance.
He looks away with a snort as he shoulders the door to the inn open for them and nods for Adelis to go in. He's not staring! He's just curious. Having just been chided doesn't actually stop him from looking back again as he tries to gauge Adelis' movements. Not that that's much to go on when he looks plenty human himself until a fight starts. ]
What, another drink? I'm buying anyway.
no subject
Well, we certainly never have. And perhaps they are myths to you, but unfortunately, Kindred are no such thing where I come from.
[ Caustic indeed. He's probably misunderstanding, but the topic seems to leave him particularly sour. Myths...can you fucking imagine? He wishes they were myths.
Now he really needs that drink, and he's even more grateful he's not the one paying for it. If this puts a sizable dent in M-21's wallet, he'll consider the scales balanced. Maybe. ]
I prefer money. [ Deadpan. ] But I suppose I'll make do with this.
[ He looks around after they enter, since he's never actually been in here before- it's...cleaner than most taverns he's been in, he'll give it that. He doesn't know what the glowing machine in the corner is, though, and he's not going to ask. He'll just pick the most secluded-looking table, because he doesn't feel like being too cozy with anyone else besides this one for the moment. ]
no subject
I've already got a tab here. Since you're settling, order whatever.
[ ...Although he might protest if 'whatever' gets a little overboard. He props his chin in his hand as he flicks a reflexive glance around the bar, but there's no one else nearby anyway. Good table choice. And not too near the karaoke machine, which M-21 would prefer to avoid like the plague. ]
So what are Kindred?
[ So much for waiting until Adelis is maybe placated with alcohol first. Patience never was exactly his strong suit. ]
no subject
Whiskey, then.
[ The strong stuff is better, anyway.
He pushes the menu away from him, like it offends his eyes in some way, before letting his gaze snap back at the question. No patience, indeed, although Adelis quirks his brow with a scoff. ]
And yet you answered your question already. [ Obviously. He impatiently taps a gloved finger on the table. ] Kindred. Nightwalkers. Vampires. Many different names for a parasite.
no subject
Got it.
[ He leans over to order for both of them — he's got no objection to the whiskey, and maybe just enough unwise hubris to feel like he needs to keep up with Adelis. He lifts his eyebrows a little at that scoff. ]
Yeah, but I said they were a myth. [ Not quite what he said, but it'll do. One corner of his mouth twitches up slightly. ] I mean what are yours like? Blood drinking and shadows kind?
no subject
He'll let M-21 do the work, since he is paying, and doesn't bat an eye at his similar choice. We'll see how well he can hold that, even if Adelis' own constitution isn't what it used to be. ]
And I said you were full of shite. [ Not in the same words, but the feeling was there. It comes off blank, leaning his arm on the table as he stares back with about as unimpressed an expression as a man can muster. ] But yes. Blood drinking is their usual staple. Shadows, however, depend on the Vampire in question. They're all painfully dangerous creatures, regardless.
[ Considering his last encounter with one was of the shadow variety, amongst other things...but he'd rather not think about that, for a few reasons. ]
no subject
He shoots Adelis a little smirk for that insult — was it an insult? He was, after all, full of shite. Maybe it's just a very blunt observation. ]
Something like that, we'd call an Infected. They can't even think anymore. All they care about is killing anything they can get blood from.
[ It's sinking in that he could say almost anything about his own world, and someone from a strange sunless society won't even know it's weird. Kind of freeing, actually. The whiskey arrives and M-21 pushes Adelis' glass over to him helpfully. ]
Sun's not a bad trade for getting away from that. Cheers.
no subject
And maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The smirk isn't returned, Adelis leaning back in his chair to cross his arms across his chest. For a guy who hesitates when explaining the simple things, he sure does like to be a bit smug, doesn't he? ]
Sounds much akin to vampire spawn. Vampires themselves are intelligent and cunning, but their victims, should they be left alone, become little more than ravenous parasites under their master's control...should they bother with them anymore, that is.
[ You learn a lot living under the thumb of undead masters, as it were- you learn what to avoid, what not to say where people can hear it, how to watch your back, how to lock your doors and never leave when the Dead Night rises....among other things.
The clink of a glass is a welcoming distraction, and he takes the offered one without a fuss. ]
I'll hardly argue with that, despite my grievances.
[ Cheers, bro. With that, he proceeds to take a hefty sip from the glass. There's a moment of deliberation as he stares at the liquid for a hot minute, before he acquiesces. ]
...Better than I expected it to be. Then again, I suppose it's not hard to be better than the piss they sell in most taverns.
no subject
He makes a noncommittal noise, weighing his options for a second. Freeing or not, it still goes against the grain to say something that leads so logically and inevitably back to what he is himself. ]
Huh. No shortage of problems where you're from.
[ Nailed it. But there's distracting alcohol here now anyway. He takes a leisurely sip of the whiskey and eyes Adelis for his reaction, apparently completely uncowed by any threats about being charged for the liberty. ]
...What, even the alcohol is bad there?
[ Damn, man. Although that raises so many other questions like 'whoa, you were really willing to pay for a drink'? M-21 takes another thoughtful sip himself. It's not as fancy as Frankenstein's collection, but that's true of most things. He's not exactly a connoisseur himself. ]
no subject
Whatever it is, M-21 clearly has no interest in elaborating, and so Adelis merely scoffs in turn. ]
A rather basic way of putting it, but I digress.
[ You could chuck half the people in this bloody town into the Mire and they wouldn't last a day. That much he's sure about. But the topic shifts, and he's more then glad to cease thinking about things he detests. ]
I fail to see how that's a surprise. Unlike back home, the drinking water here is actually clean.
[ That's not bleak at all, buddy. ]
It's either that, or that a few sips will likely have you out of your senses. There's hardly an in-between.
[ Listen, being out of your gourd enough to not think about your circumstances is the typical Ostoyan Relaxation. Not that he paid for that shit often, but you make do with what you have. Poverty things. ]
no subject
You could just be a lightweight.
[ Just putting that out there! But it's not very needling or anything, because he's seriously feeling some sympathy right about now. ]
You planning on going back to that? I thought everyone here would be pretty pissed to be kidnapped, but this place might not be that bad. In comparison.
[ A little rural, some goddess-related hazards. Could be worse! Not that M-21 has any intention of staying. ]
no subject
And so could you, but I'm hardly commenting on that, now am I?
[ He scoffs anyway, if only because he doesn't feel like bringing up the obvious. He didn't used to be a lightweight- all that poison training had an effect on his alcohol limit. Unfortunately, the cold settling beneath his skin has seen fit to rob him of whatever resistances he might have built up. Karma is a bitch.
The question earns a momentary pause, before he leans back in his chair, glass in hand. ]
Oh, I'm hardly pleased at being yanked about and being told what to do. [ Like most reasonable people... ] But I've little intention of going home. I spent half my life scraping together enough to finally leave, and if I'm able to do so without spending a single coin? I'll till the bloody land.
no subject
You mean like you just did?
[ What a smooth way to call him out without actually starting it? M-21 takes another drink pointedly, this time much longer. Has he actually tested how fast he metabolizes alcohol as a werewolf? Does he know if he was a lightweight as a human? No, but he's going to find out now. Argumentative people bring out the best in him. ]
Sounds pretty convenient when you put it like that. [ Except, isn't Adelis going to melt while farming? Hm. ] She probably could've gotten the people she needed just by asking. ...Or not. If a strange woman with a sickle showed up and promised to take you to another world and give you a house, I don't know anyone who'd jump at that.
[ ...It's not actually that much weirder than his own rescue, when he says it aloud. But he's going to ignore that, too. ]
no subject
I'd sooner believe it was a Kindred at my door trying to nab herself a new plaything or two. [ Unimpressed. And probably the truth- good things don't tend to happen on cursed land, and most would sooner assume the worst than try and take the best. ] Although, I'd expect more mind slaving out of that one.
[ After all, vampires were very persuasive, as opposed to the Goddess who is...not. In his humble opinion. Persuasive, maybe, only in the sense he has no desire to end up on the receiving end of humiliation like some people in this town. ]
But levels of convenience aside, seeing as how I've been rudely yanked from everything I've ever labored and scraped to own, I may as well make use of what I've been given. Especially since most of it is a considerable improvement, in more ways than one.
[ All my coin...gone... ]
no subject
He gives a little grunt of acknowledgment for that assessment, frowning into his glass. Is it weird that vampires have the same traits between worlds? Probably no weirder than humans being the same between both, if he really thinks about it. ]
At least the goddess doesn't do that. Probably wouldn't bother, when she's as strong as she is.
[ He hopes?? Soothing thoughts to get drunk to. Lulled by the fuzzy-warm whiskey feeling settling in to his stomach, he thinks with some sympathy of his own hard-won paycheck. ]
Yeah. That part's still annoying. ...And playing games with us with these stupid bingo cards. And the crappy leaky houses. [ Actually, he could go on listing his grievances for a while if he gets started. Instead he redirects his thoughts to something else Adelis said. ] So what'd you do in your world anyway?
[ What kind of jobs does a sunless vampire dystopia have? Maybe the same as anywhere else, for all he knows. You still need taverns, apparently. So there's probably still grocery stores and ordinary things. ]
no subject
It's a bit surprising, having somebody somewhat familiar with the idea of Kindred, even if they differ in some way. At the very least, it means not everybody lives in some weird form of relative sunlit peace. ]
No. I feel as if we're more simply beyond her notice, except when someone seeks her out or she desires to prove a point.
[ Which, really, suits him just fine...he could just do less with the curses and ridiculous bingo slots. ]
...All things considering, that 'leaky house' is still times better than what I'd pay for back home. [ Like, it actually has multiple rooms. And lights. And considerably less holes and cracks in the windows, which really says enough.
But we're not here to talk about Ostoya's class system right now. ]
...I dealt in information, mostly. [ Suspiciously vague, as always, but one doesn't simply up and declare themselves a member of a criminal syndicate. ] I always had little interest in scraping wood and mining rocks till my fingers bled.
[ So, murder! And some blackmail, some extortion...fun stuff. ]
no subject
He's not looking to get a cow dropped on him as they sit here drinking, so he lets it slide again. ]
Those your only options? Information broker or manual labor?
[ It sounds pretty crime syndicate to him anyway, but he's just biased due to knowing mostly shady organizations and hackers. Probably someone, somewhere deals in information for non-sinister reasons. Someone who would also say they're good at "siphoning information," thanks for the sinister points there, buddy. ]
Hah. That's a change, to farming. She really did pick at random. [ Well, ] Maybe she was looking for people who knew how to adapt.
[ This guy (who, M-21, a cad, still has not gotten the name of) definitely seems like the type to land on his feet. ]
no subject
Flavors of manual labor. Mining, logging, fishing. Depends on the territory you're born in, seeing as some are far more...survivable than others. [ A vague gesture as he leans further into the table. ] You can also become an adventurer, if you fancy death nipping at your heels more than it already does.
[ Ironic, considering his line of work. The Syndicate's symbol is a Hawkmoth for a reason- swift flight, and a short lifespan. Time is short among rogues, either due to the jobs or each other. Not that he ever intended on following through with that, of course... ]
At the very least, I'm not a stranger to physical labor. [ Another sharp sip of his drink, before he shrugs. ] If you don't adapt, you die or suffer. May as well make it easier on oneself. That being said, nobody having to look over their shoulder nigh constantly feels far too hopeful to believe.
[ It feels odd, to see the sun crawl across the floor from behind the curtains, or to sleep without the ever-present backdrop of howling or other numerous noises. People walk down the street and greet each other with smiles, which is not something he's used to seeing, that's for sure. ]
no subject
Risks and rewards. If everything is that dangerous, I'd pick something where I could at least fight, too.
[ But the way Adelis talks about it still paints about as bleak a picture as possible. With reason, obviously enough; darkness and monsters and scraping to survive. M-21 takes a long drink, expression flat for a moment. "Adapt or die" hits too much of a nerve with him. ]
This is how normal people live in a world like this. Nothing's hunting them. They might be worried about their rent, or their job making them work too much, their friends not answering their messages. Not whether they're going to live one day to the next.
[ His tone is thoughtful, the same sort of offhand delivery he'd used earlier to explain the technology. Maybe he idealizes "normal" life a little too much. But from everything he's seen here since arriving, he doesn't think he's misjudged it. ]