crescentview | [OPEN]

[OPEN]

WHO: Syrlya and You
WHAT: Syrlya gets cursed, and then has one bad day after another so he runs away to the hotsprings
WHEN: ~few days after the spring dance until last day of spring. Closed prompts through end of Summer
WHERE: The farm, around town, the hotsprings
WARNINGS: There is NSFW in these parts

[Do Not Agitate the Goddess (mute) | Edge of the Woods + His Farm]

[Syrlya gave it a few days, at least didn't confront the Goddess about her questionable habits at the dance itself. It doesn't go terribly well.

He marches away from the pond, his expression is twisted into a scowl and fists balled. Anyone who crosses his path in the immediate aftermath is met with irritation, and then a pointed turn of his face away as he marches down the path.

After a few hours he's had some time to cool off--though he's still sulking, toiling on his farm ripping up weeds and pushing new seeds into the dirt. If they didn't have to do this to eat, he'd let this goddess know right where she can--]

[Twice cursed (blind) | Other people's farms]

[Luckily, going mute only lasts for a day, and then it's back to normal. For a couple days, at least. Until he wakes one morning to the room being strangely dark, like the sun itself was snuffed out--no, but it isn't the sun that's the problem. It's his eyes.

The morning is a panic. A level of fear he doesn't often feel as he's suddenly lost the sense most important to him.

The first trip is a stumble to the clinic... unsurprisingly, when dealing with a talking plant it doesn't offer any answers except that they, at least, don't seem to be injured. Nobody there accuses the goddess, but an errant magical effect... Syrlya can only think of one person who is capable.

So, his option is to wait it out for now, see if it clears up on its own. That is... not optimal. But ultimately Syrlya can't find any better options.

Doesn't mean he can't try and do what he needs to. So, using a glittering sword as a makeshift walking stick (watch your feet) Syrlya strides out of the farmhouse.

Or rather, trips out of it, hitting a few walls along the way. And then he's on a truly blind path, tripping and crawling over other people's fences with no real idea of his orientation. Just where he thinks it is. The warmth of the sun isn't helping him as much as he wishes it did.

Anyway. Sorry if he tramples your flowers.]

[Make That Thrice Cursed (table) | The Town]

[The blidnness clears up after two days as if it never happened. So not a malady after all, it seems. So Syrlya goes into town to finish errands he intended to before the weekend. He's just headed down the street with a bag of groceries more varied than the limited vegetables from their garden... when it hits.

A plastic folding end table drops seemingly from thin air and smacks right onto his head. Syrlya buckles with a startled cry, his bag tumbling out of his arms and spilling to the ground.]

((His plotting post is over here if you want a more custom starter or simply something else!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He would rather not think of it. As long as they go horribly, that’s all he asks.

The question does bring him pause, face tinted red in his bleary reflection in his glass. His brows knit as he actually thinks on it- something he would probably only do seriously for Syrlya this point, as there are little others he would consent to discussing himself with. ]

…My sense of self. [ A bit vague, but after a moment as his brain catches up through the light blue of alcohol, he continues. ] My independence has always been important. I detested the idea of submitting myself to someone else’s whims, following their every order and vision of me, denying who I am. When an errant creature can steal your mind and slave it, it becomes one of your most important things.

[ His grip tightens.]

He knows this very well, and yet he sees fit to spit on it by attempting to dictate how I should act.

[Syrlya sets his glass down, propping his cheek on one hand as he listens to Adelis intently. That answer is... very fitting for him. Someone who has determined to carve his space out of rot and spoil, and--who Syrlya agrees, has the chance to achieve greater things than just squirreling away in a decaying land.

A lopside smile graces his face.] Then he's even more of a fool than he made himself out to be.

I agree, by the way. If you don't have your mind, then you don't have any life at all.

I thought that was rather obvious. I did say the maggots have finally eaten what's left of his brain.

[ That earns a scoff, but it...feels alright. He's had people listen and agree before, but he's never really been able to unload everything on his mind, used to bottling it up as he is. Then again, being over three glasses deep is probably doing him some favors. ]

...As I have come to believe. [ A smiling face echoes in his mind, an outstretched hand and a pleasant murmur- 'Your body, or your mind?'. ] But I simply cannot stand the idea of caving to weakness. When it rots you from the inside, body and soul, soon enough it will drag everyone else around you in a crushing wave of ruin. I simply chose to not let myself drown.

[ He sounds, vaguely, as if he's speaking from experience. ]

[Syrlya's gaze settles, quiet and thoughtful on Adelis. He catches that, as deep in alcohol as he is. How Adelis' focus pivots from the self to those around him. It isn't just the ruin in brings to himself--he is not an island.]

... I understand. [He looks down at his glass briefly, at the remains of wine in pour number three.] I nearly had my mind torn from me as well by one which would have twisted me into a puppet of their destruction. I saw many of my people fall to it.

[ That earns a bleary blink as he processes that, tapping a finger on the table. How familiar that sounds, huh. Perhaps quite in the same sense, but close enough. ]

...It feels easier to give in, I suppose. [ He does not know the full story, nor does he think he would be able to parse every little detail, but he has enough. ] Better than the suffering. A weak mind is easy to prey on, especially when they've little left to lose.

[ A reality, however sad or brutal it may seem to others not used to the crushing weight. ]

Find someone crushed under the weight enough, and they'll take any chance to lighten the load.

[Syrlya hums in quiet affirmation. He would generally call them "weak" minds--mordremoth's call had been intense. But it was the relief of giving in, of no longer trying to fight that greater presence, of having nothing else... that drew so many of his siblings back to Mordremoth's fold.]

It... certainly isn't an experience I would wish on anyone else. [He's sorry Adelis went through the same.

He downs the rest of his glass.] He really overlooked your best traits, like your strong will and determination. Even your pragmatism. You are the kind of person I'm sure would get anything done if you set you mind to it.

You are far kinder than I am. [ Adelis doesn't hesitate to say that, as it is the truth. ] I feel nothing but disdain. His weakness was his own cowardice.

[ The most specific he's gotten this whole time, but he's already back to nearly downing his 4th glass, the red reaching his ears. It's not as if he's in the mood to hide anything, anyway.

His eyebrow slowly raises as he leans on his elbow, peering straight at the other man for a few moments before deigning to speak again. ]

Keep flirting with me like that and people truly will get the wrong idea. [ Is he joking? Probably. ] Ironically, that's one of the very reasons he gave me for picking me up in the first place. Apparently, however, that doesn't matter anymore.

[Syrlya certainly doesn't argue. There are some simple truths in who they are.

He pauses while reaching for the wine bottle, listening to Adelis and only beginning to move again when he finishes speaking.] You really haven't heard much of a kind word said to you, have you? It's only an observation.

[He begins to pour the last of the bottle. Oh, he really went through this wine much quicker. But it's so much easier to drink.] If I were to flirt I would sooner sing poetry about... your eyes for example. Clearer than any ocean and just as dangerous should you approach carelessly. But if you can grant it proper respect, its cool depths are a welcome relief.

[... Yeah that sounds more like flirting and not just being perspective. He raises his glass for emphasis before taking another sip.]

[ ...Huh. He pauses mid-pour, before slowly tapping the bottle down on the table. He was expecting something more of a denial, or perhaps even a fluster, but doubling down? It's...surprising.

Not as surprising as how he continues, Adelis freezing for a brief moment as if he doesn't know how to react. Perhaps he would keep a cooler head were he not heavily intoxicated, but at the very least his face can't flush much harder. Another quick sip, for the soul. ]

...You and everyone else waxing bloody poetic. [ He is noticeably not making eye contact. ] The only ones with the time to think of such compliments are kindred and nobles looking for new pets and naive, lovesick youth.

[ The former, he's more intimately acquainted with. ]

Most people are disinclined to shell their kind words to street rats.

[Syrlya watches Adelis over the rim of his glass.]

... Well, how do you like it? Everything I've said I mean in earnest.

[What does he feel about receiving real, genuine compliments from someone paying attention to his value?]

[ This time, he takes more time to think about it- it's a genuinely bewildering concept, in his eyes. It feels odd coming from someone who...means it? Part of him doubts, but another has come to gradually accept that Syrlya is, of all things, not a liar.

He stares into the glass long enough his own reflection starts to blur, before he finally speaks. ]

...Well enough. I suppose.

[ A momentary pause, as he struggles with something, before something comes out as another bitter mumble. ]

A great deal better, [ he lifts the glass to his lips again, as if trying to drown out the thought. ] than being called a tantruming child.

Well, yes, that's just an insult. [He takes another sip.] But you said--Mishka noticed the same things I do. It still matters. I don't know why he feels the need to taunt you now but--it matters.

The hells it does.

[ It comes out more of a snap, and he turns his glare to the table, like he's trying to blaze a hole through the polished wood. ]

So lost in his little newfound affections and drunk off his luxury, it's a wonder if he has any bloody room left in his head to think. Not only that, but who is thinking so little of whom, when he sees fit to turn and fucking flirt in the midst of an argument?

[ There's barely anything left in the glass, but he throws it back anyway. ]

You heard it yourself, anyway. He thinks nothing of me, which is suitable for a coward who has never thought of anything but himself and the coin in his pockets. Be that he would choke on it, it would be a just fate.

[Syrlya hums. He's sure that isn't true--Adelis is important to Mishka. Syrlya's seen that already.

But does it matter when, his heart also trapped under walls, he lashes out instead?

He takes another swig of his some and then extends his hand across the table, palm up. An offering for Adelis to take it, should he desire.]

It isn't fair, is it? [It hurts, is what he means.] That he once saw your potential and now tears you down instead.

You will always be those things, regardless whether he believes in them or not--but that isn't the part that is the problem, hm?

[ Really, why does he care so much. It's not as if the cold bite of Mishka's words isn't something he's dealt with before, for all his years of enduring his critique and blood-soaked lessons. If anything, it's more familiar than whatever off-putting act of normality he's trying to put on in front of everyone else.

Especially, despite his efforts to deny it, when you consider the fact he once sought some sort of approval from him. To have the one person who saw any sort of worth in him once actively throw him off to the side, and turn his attentions without so much as a blink....

It's frustrating. It does twist something in the pits of his stomach, not that he would ever admit it. But what else could he expect?

He stares at the hand for a few seconds, squinting through his glasses as he clearly hesitates despite how inebriated he's getting. But, Adelis finally grumbles and shoves his hand near his mouth, biting the glove off with his teeth before slowly placing his icy grip in Syrlya's. ]

The problem. [ Yes, the problem. There's a lot of problems here, really, and he's not sober enough to bring up all of them, accent slipping as he speaks. ] Perhaps the problem is that I ever expected even the tiniest thing in the first place.

[ Lingering, foolish thoughts from the height of teenage idiocy, he supposes. Thank god he's clearly getting over that! ]

But clearly he and everybody else who falls for his insipid lies are more than enough. If he wants to rot, then he can rot. It will mean nothing to me when he does. Clearly, we were never close for anything of the sort to concern me.

Edited 2023-01-24 12:58 (UTC)

[Syrlya's fingers curl around Adelis' hand his thumb idly rubbing the back of it as Adelis spits venom.]

... he's an utter damn fool. [His expression twists. And with less care in picking his words than usual:] I'm sorry he's wounded you so.

[Because he has, left a fresh mark on Adelis heart in trying to push him to other people. However sympathetic his reasons, Syrlya aches for the grief that Adelis won't quite let out. That he did hold Mishka in regard--and probably closer than most people he would ever let so close to his heart. And Mishka treated it carelessly.

Hm. Maybe Syrlya should have slapped him upside the head before he left.]

[ He tenses, on reflex, at the light brush of the other's thumb on his skin- he's not used to comfort, to succor that isn't the cathartic slice of metal on skin or a liquid burn down his throat. Nobody has done that for him for nigh a decade, not since...

He focuses himself on pouring the last dregs of the bottle in his glass, opting to shove the memory away. He hasn't needed it since, and he doesn't need it now. ]

Hah. Wounded. As if I'd be hurt by him showing his true colors once more, rather than pretending to be somethin' he's not. [ Is what he tells himself, anyway, despite how much harder it is to deal with with his mind muddled by spirits. Still, he's nothing if not the determined sort. ] I've had shivs cut far worse.

[ Well, enough of that. He's wasted enough of his breath on someone clearly with his own priorities, so he opts to turn his attention his drinking partner instead. ]

But surely you didn't come all the way out here just t'listen to the ways I'd gut him given the chance. What, were the other applications not entertaining enough to warrant your scrutiny?

It might surprise you, but I really did plan to come find you after you stormed off. And I don't want anything to do with the rest of that blighted auction anyway.

[There's a twinge of irritation. His hand continues its gentle soothing gesture despite the way his expression falls.]

It has turned only into an embarrassment for anyone put to offer. And then Trahearne had the brilliant idea of putting me up on that board without my permission. You were wise to leave.

[ Blighted. He snorts at that- that's an accurate enough description. Still, Syrlya hadn't sounded as irritated with it before...then again, it's a little hard to focus on anything but the blowup and the flirting now that's near a whole bottle deep. Fuck, he's going to regret this in the morning.

That being said, it's a backseat thought as his eyebrows shoot up, surprised, before his face dips into mild disgust once more. ]

With the supposed fondness he speaks of you with, I would think he would know better than to sell you off to the highest bidder. [ No men over 6'0" can be trusted, apparently. The height comes from the lack of brain. ] And was it half as bloody degrading as mine was?

I don't know what he was thinking. [Syrlya sets the glass down and grabs the bottle to pour... but that's right, there's nothing left in it. He fixes the wine bottle with a glare as if it has betrayed him before he sets up upright again.]

I couldn't even tell it was about me until he admitted it. Though he did feel the need to mention my little dating experience, because I guess when someone looks back at my life the problem is I haven't had enough romantic partners. [He seethes, waving his hand in the air.] He really thought I would just--want to be bid on to go on a date with a random stranger!

[ Adelis watches, for a moment, as Syr's attempts to tip his empty bottle- his own is empty, too, now that he looks. He pushes himself to his feet with a harsh scrape of the chair, letting go of the other's hand to stalk to his cabinet and rip it open, pulling out another past half-empty bottle of whiskey from it's depths. Not too much, but whatever, it'll do.

He taps it on the table before sitting again, pushing it over wordlessly. ]

You're bloody joking. [ Dating experience? Really? Was half this island just full of braindead fucking morons? He takes another sip of his own glass, despite knowing he should probably stop by now. ] While we're at it, why don't they just start listing how many people we've shared a bed with? Since they're halfway there, already.

[ Because lord knows he's not ashamed about sleeping with people, but the last thing he wants is somebody to bid on it expecting him to put out by the description alone. ]

Pack of bloody fuckin'- idiots. Heads full of shite when they ain't empty as can be.

[Syrlya is all to eager to uncork the bottle of whiskey and pour half a glass. He takes a long sip, his face scrunching from the harsh taste but this deep in the alcohol he can't really care that much.]

It's only been you, and that I have no desire to tell him. [He doesn't need his kinky experiences judged.] He's certainly flitted around more people than I have, but that isn't because I can't.

[He grumbles, downing the rest of the glass.] I don't even know what's going through his mind lately. He gives me so many mixed signals.

[ Being a bro here, despite the full bottle of whiskey in his system, he's just...not going to comment on the fact he's one of those people ~~by the time this happens~~. He'll toss back the rest of his glass, before he opts to fill it again- although things are getting the slightest bit fuzzy now. That'll happen after a full fucking glass of whiskey. ]

Not all of us have the desire to throw ourselves at everything that breathes in our vicinity, but, oh, hells forbid you say that. [ Unlike some hoes around here...not naming names... ] Surely, we're more than happy to be sold off to someone we may not even know and spend the whole bloody day in misery.

[ Adelis definitely doesn't have a lot of advice to offer on mixed signals, though...romance is not his forte. He has a crush in denial and that's not working out well for him right now. ]

Either let him spit it out himself, or beat it out of him, in my opinion. I doubt he'll do anything, otherwise.

Would that it would help. [He grumbles into the glass.] I am trying to be patient with him as I know his death is more fresh to him than it is me. He may not feel anything at all and is just--scrambling for control. But I didn't ask for this heartache to be ripped back open after seven years.

[He knocks back the rest of the whiskey in his glass at once, coughing at the end. That taste and felt terrible. But it's grounding.]

[ ...Oh.

That's new information, on his part- he's not entirely sober enough to digest it completely, either, blinking rapidly as he soaks that in. He had been aware some people were in less than favorable circumstances before arrival, but being brought back from the dead is a new one.

...Being an ex-dead man himself, however, he supposes he can't talk, even if he was fully alive before he got here. There's another elephant in the room to be addressed, either way. ]

He can scramble for control where he likes, but he could at least use his bloody brain. [ Adelis scoffs- he's not the nicest person around, and he at least gets the irritation...just, obviously, not in the same way. Obviously. Feelings, he doesn't know her ] What he does with who is hardly my business, but he's asking for a foot up his arse if he wishes to say one thing and then act on another.

[ Like a certain SOMEBODY ELSE... ]

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