[He wakes up, and the fire's still going. Good. He breathes out through his nose, a slow, ponderous exhalation, and sits up, combing sand from his hair. He wants a smoke, now more than fucking ever, though a cup of coffee would do in a pinch. A shame he's going to have to make do without either.]
[Things prowling about in his dreams never did bode well. This is, in all likelihood, gonna suck down the road.]
[Lucky him.]
[He shouldn't be surprised to discover he isn't the only one awake. Insomnia's a hell of a beast, after all. But the tension claws at his shoulders regardless - an old instinct, picked up from the nights when he would open his eyes and discover that he wasn't quite alone in the room.]
[The thing they dislike most about the dream was Frisk's presence. The moment they awake, they're checking on their Partner- not difficult to do, when two children curl up in a cozy hammock. They should have been awake; they should have been watching.
If this was going to be a common occurrence, then perhaps it was best to start considering a more permanent place of residence. Something secure.
With a lock against both beast and man.
Entirely unsettled, Chara slips out of the hammock, zipping it up behind them as they leave Frisk to what appears to be a peaceful rest. Sitting down by the fire, it's not surprising when Tim awakens not even five minutes later, looking as haggard as before they'd bid him goodnight- earlier that evening.]
Greetings. Did you enjoy our little interlude? [Their tone doesn't hide the fact that they didn't, not at all.]
[Sleep is just kind of a fantasy construct at this point. He's pretty sure a good night's sleep is some kind of cryptid on par with Mothman; he just wishes Jay had spent his time chasing something like that instead of mysterious childhood nightmares.]
[What ifs and maybes don't get anyone anywhere. Not unless you have the power to implement them.]
[And he doesn't.]
[He huffs. They can already pick up on his answer, he's pretty sure.]
Yeah, it was a fun time. Really enjoyed that.
[But if it gets them somewhere, he'll take it. And what's more is that he's still got a warning fresh in his mind.]
[A mouse monster. Sounds like they ran into someone similar. And - another two from their world. Which brings him to the point he, unfortunately, has to consider. The other could cause some problems. They don't specify, but there's a knot in his stomach regardless.]
Apparently. [His tone is arid enough to desiccate oceans.] Our mutual acquaintance said he's got a mark out for any humans that come his way. Guess he's not too fond of them on principle.
[He doesn't contest that. Not the pronoun, not the definitive assumption of blame on their own shoulders, surpassing Frisk entirely. He'd hardly be the right person to press semantics.]
Figured it might be best if we all steer clear. [Frisk especially.] I dunno if he's the type to attack on sight, but...
[Why should they be worried? No reason for undue concern over one monster. Monsters are easy, right? The right intent is enough to cut any of them down.]
[And god, does he hate that he knows that.]
[He sweeps a hand through his hair, combing the sweat-stained drape of it back.]
We dunno what he might've picked up between then and now.
[Maybe he's preaching to the choir - but poking a sleeping dragon just because you can doesn't always bode well. He's relatively sure it won't come to that, not without some serious catalysts. But there's a very small pool of people who could.]
[Isn't it a lovely day? So cold. Much snow. Unfortunately, that doesn't deter graffiti artists with deliveries to make. At some point during the day/night, lil Kidwun might find their house defaced with two pairs of gloves on the ground underneath this fine piece of work.
[Who could have possibly done this dastardly deed?!?
Really, though, Chara is beyond pleased. They're even more pleased once they discover Frisk has received an identical pair-- and boy, will they be getting some use over the next few weeks.
The drawing is carefully folded and tucked into the mess of blankets and jackets in their hammock. Because it's a keeper.]
[Your mistake was assuming Chara is ever asleep. Still, there's a short pause as they sneak out of the hammock they share with Frisk and head outside, loathe to wake their Partner or Tim. Neither of them reach sleep easily, either.]
I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific- the red one by the mana pool, or the purple one near the waterfall?
[There's a pause as she tries to mentally backtrack those areas in an attempt to pick out the aforementioned flowers in her memory. Once dawn breaks, she's going to take a short trip there. She's gotta see it-these fabled flowers.]
It's a pink one-I drew a cat on the rock by it. That's how you know you're in the right place.
[The mysterious flower can be a story passed down from generation to generation as a fable of what happens when a person is vague as all hell. The moral? Stay tuned. ]
Yes.
[She sounds proud? Happy? Chara cracked the secret rock location in record time. It is somewhere between those locations.]
When you see the cat, you say 'greetings nya' and the flower will know you're safe.
[Then it's quiet. There's a shuffling sound, maybe movement? It's a flurry of indeterminable activity that she doesn't care to explain and simply requests-]
Okay, now you can 'nya' again and see if it works.
Alright? [Oh, ever mysterious Ren, they shan't question your divine command. Clearing their throat, Chara gives her a soft, but very heartfelt nyaa- and even if she can't see it, their free hand lifts into the air, curled up like a paw.
[It's dead silent, like the few seconds after an audition is over and only the audience is clapping, while the judges look stoically on. It's like that, because Ren's looking down at ESP, who she had managed to pull into her hands during that previous shuffling adventure, watching his reaction.
His ears perk at the sound. She holds her breath. The verdict is-]
Mrrooooww
[And Ren claps her hands together because that's a 10/10 if she ever heard one and follows with a quiet-]
[Chara very nearly leaps out of their skin. The verdict is positive (of course) but also- totally unexpected? It shouldn't have been. Of course she still has that cat.]
Purrfect. Do I get a prize,meow, or shall we save that fur later?
[Hot damn, they're good at meowing. That deserves some kind of extra credit and while her cat is silent for this part, she's more than happy to pick up the slack.]
[Spices didn't exist before the elves ergo they invented it! It's not that much of a stretch-they make a ton of items. Soap, trinkets, weapons. Why not spices?? Why not indeed.]
Yeah, it's in a jar and you put it on food, but not a lot or Taako will 'cry for a three hour wagon ride' again.
[Whatever that means. The point is, don't make him cry.]
[This is sound logic and they have no intentions of correcting it ever.]
Sounds like Taako really loves it, huh? [They have a better game in mind, Ren. It's called how many days will it take for Taako to start tearing his hair out if they cast that jar into the ocean.
Unfortunately, it's not a Rin-appropriate game. It's PG-13.]
[Taako loves it, that's right. That understanding must mean they get the importance of protecting this incredible red spice and she can teach them not to use too much when sprinkling it over food. It's good. It's fine. It's gonna work out perfectly.]
You should come over-
[It's the middle of the night, and she seems to recognize that as her words fly out of her mouth.]
[There's a 50/50 chance of her zooming around the camp for another hour or cuddling up next to ESP and Seto for awhile. Maybe roll over to Lup or Taako at some point. Magnus is cozy too. There are Options. So she won't argue with that, but-]
[Too bad she can't tell they're a filthy liar. That's fine, it's whatever. One day she'll find out and tuck them in until they can't breathe. Bet they'll sleep then.]
If Lup were honest with herself, perhaps she'd admit that she's kind of dreading this visit, a little bit. She's dreading what she'll find, knowing the inhabitants of this house. Tim, who'd had some shit to say about getting helped even as his guts had littered the jungle floor like some sort of necromancy piñata. Frisk, whose will can rewrite reality but she's not sure their determination was ever dedicated to surviving.
And Chara?
She's just not sure, what she'll find.
But if Lup were honest with herself, she wouldn't be suffering a bracelet of orange and purple blooms immobilizing her left wrist, and she wouldn't be coughing fruitlessly against the constant pressure in the back of her throat, out of breath just from the short walk here.
Not that that's gonna slow her down any. She's got a lot of stops to make and this stew isn't gonna eat itself.
In front of their door, she pauses, gives her vision a sec to stop swimming. She'd knock, but, well. Gonna do something better, actually.
All things considered? Not the worst death they've had. Not the best, not the least painful, but not the worst.
It's the length of it that's truly maddening. It's waking up to more pain and no end, to new lacerations on their skin and burning lungs as flowers continue to build and push on their insides, eventually forcing their way out. White flowers dotting every fresh wound, every cough- the constant burning on the inside of their arms, their back... Across their back. Their legs. Wherever the neighbors won't see. They're not in the best of moods by the time she comes knocking, suffice to say. She's lucky. The only reason she even gets an answer is because it's her.
[Just kidding. There's no preface to this. There's simply a strange lump left behind where they last fell asleep, and page ripped from...something, a journal perhaps, that has helpfully labeled it CHARA, as if there might have been any confusion.]
[The shirt that has been substituted for wrapping paper was not the gift-leaver's idea, nor did he provide it. But there's no way you can prove it was him, and he has no idea what you're talking about anyway. But whoever that guy was, he took special care in crafting the two objects inside.]
[The first took some time all its own. Every arch and angle has been cautiously smoothed down, so that no stray splinters might jut out. It certainly took some time to get the hole in the top right, so that some twine could be looped through it, but in the end, it just means it can be hung from or worn in any way that one pleases.]
[The second is a little rougher around the edges, due in part because of how much more surface area there is. The flaws there might be more visible, but every inch of it has been sanded down with extreme attentiveness and care.]
[Just in case there's anything that you want to keep, so it's just...yours.]
[Guess who knows? What day it is? A horrible child that's who.
Anyway, Chara will find a happy doodle of themself on top of one blanket, a 24oz bag of chocolate popcorn, and hey, they like a book called 'Kitchen' right? Pepperidge Ren remembers. And she did her best with another kitchen book. Enjoy that fun story. It's probably the same.
ALSO A BOMB WITH A FUSE AND DETONATOR. Right by the popcorn.]
Edited (FUCKING FORGOT THE BOMB) 2018-09-17 04:19 (UTC)
[It took a few days for her to come by. A combination of ignoring the inevitable and hoping that somehow Lup's words were wrong.
It took a few days for her to stop trying to reach them over the iStone-sending incomprehensible messages that were returned to her, pressing the 💣🎇 in every combination possible to get their attention, trying to talk to nothing but the void when all else failed. She tried to reach out to their heart once, maybe twice-it didn't work, so she stopped trying.
It took a few days-
For her to finally copy the flower they drew for her all those years ago-a treasure that she never removed from her bag. Theirs is much better, even though she tried really hard to keep the charcoal from smearing. But it was too difficult, and there wasn't enough paper for her redo it over and over just because she can't keep it together. So she ignores it, because she thinks they wouldn't mind anyway. The smallest line of words underneath the image barely legible, but they might be able to make out 'I'll wait for you' regardless. She thinks they might. They always seemed to get it.
It takes a few days for her to find the perfect spot under a tree, in an area they used to play in together, and-
It'll probably get rained on or torn up or eaten before they'll ever find it. The little star she etches on the tree is mostly for her own reference at this point.
She glues the picture to the bottom of the trunk, covering it up with some grass and flowers, like that's going to make a difference. But it doesn't matter-even if it goes away before they find it, she'll wait.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
backdated to after august storytelling so like 8/20
[Things prowling about in his dreams never did bode well. This is, in all likelihood, gonna suck down the road.]
[Lucky him.]
[He shouldn't be surprised to discover he isn't the only one awake. Insomnia's a hell of a beast, after all. But the tension claws at his shoulders regardless - an old instinct, picked up from the nights when he would open his eyes and discover that he wasn't quite alone in the room.]
...hey.
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If this was going to be a common occurrence, then perhaps it was best to start considering a more permanent place of residence. Something secure.
With a lock against both beast and man.
Entirely unsettled, Chara slips out of the hammock, zipping it up behind them as they leave Frisk to what appears to be a peaceful rest. Sitting down by the fire, it's not surprising when Tim awakens not even five minutes later, looking as haggard as before they'd bid him goodnight- earlier that evening.]
Greetings. Did you enjoy our little interlude? [Their tone doesn't hide the fact that they didn't, not at all.]
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[What ifs and maybes don't get anyone anywhere. Not unless you have the power to implement them.]
[And he doesn't.]
[He huffs. They can already pick up on his answer, he's pretty sure.]
Yeah, it was a fun time. Really enjoyed that.
[But if it gets them somewhere, he'll take it. And what's more is that he's still got a warning fresh in his mind.]
...you meet anyone, uh, noteworthy?
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[A smile; as always, it's not a very happy thing.]
One of them doesn't appear to be too much trouble; she has no idea who I am, at the least.
The other could cause some problems.
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[He grimaces.]
...robot?
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[Hilarious. Right?]
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[The correct pronoun would be 'we', but there's no need to drag Frisk into this.]
So no, I would imagine he's not fond of them in the slightest.
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Figured it might be best if we all steer clear. [Frisk especially.] I dunno if he's the type to attack on sight, but...
[But, fuck.]
[These kids got enough to deal with as it is.]
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[Though, that's hardly going to stop them smiling, is it? In fact, they seem almost cheerful, adding onto their words like some kind of afterthought.]
Should the worst occur, it's not as if he's any sort of challenge.
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[And god, does he hate that he knows that.]
[He sweeps a hand through his hair, combing the sweat-stained drape of it back.]
We dunno what he might've picked up between then and now.
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[And one hit from them to take him down.]
Again, we're getting ahead of ourselves. At this point, the ball is in his court.
We can only wait to see if he is stupid enough to serve it.
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[Maybe he's preaching to the choir - but poking a sleeping dragon just because you can doesn't always bode well. He's relatively sure it won't come to that, not without some serious catalysts. But there's a very small pool of people who could.]
[He knows that full well.]
Does he know either of you are here?
1/4 delivery
WHO COULD IT HAVE DONE THIS??? A MYSTERY.]
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Really, though, Chara is beyond pleased. They're even more pleased once they discover Frisk has received an identical pair-- and boy, will they be getting some use over the next few weeks.
The drawing is carefully folded and tucked into the mess of blankets and jackets in their hammock. Because it's a keeper.]
3/30 iStone super late
Did you see that pretty flower? By that tall tree?
[Descriptions are for scrubs.]
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I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific- the red one by the mana pool, or the purple one near the waterfall?
[Sorry Ren looks like they're a scrub.]
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[There's a pause as she tries to mentally backtrack those areas in an attempt to pick out the aforementioned flowers in her memory. Once dawn breaks, she's going to take a short trip there. She's gotta see it-these fabled flowers.]
It's a pink one-I drew a cat on the rock by it. That's how you know you're in the right place.
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I see. And this rock- would it be somewhere between the temple and your camp?
[Maybe if they play 20 questions, all will become clear.
Knowing Ren probably not.]
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Yes.
[She sounds proud? Happy? Chara cracked the secret rock location in record time. It is somewhere between those locations.]
When you see the cat, you say 'greetings nya' and the flower will know you're safe.
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You mean like, nya?
[Or just one with too many meme connotations for Ren to understand.]
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[Then it's quiet. There's a shuffling sound, maybe movement? It's a flurry of indeterminable activity that she doesn't care to explain and simply requests-]
Okay, now you can 'nya' again and see if it works.
[On what??? A mystery.]
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They're getting in character, is all.]
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His ears perk at the sound. She holds her breath. The verdict is-]
Mrrooooww
[And Ren claps her hands together because that's a 10/10 if she ever heard one and follows with a quiet-]
Nya! You did it!
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Purrfect. Do I get a prize,meow, or shall we save that fur later?
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You get a whole egg with dried fish spice.
[The greatest!! prize!! of all!!]
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Not that he has anything to worry about, since Chara shall be very generously donating their prize to cat-kind.]
Delicious. [Nope.]
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It's very good and when you put the pretty red spice on it, it's better.
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Let me guess; the pretty red spice is the elves' invention.
[Pls confirm Chara needs to know who to turn their nose up at.]
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Yeah, it's in a jar and you put it on food, but not a lot or Taako will 'cry for a three hour wagon ride' again.
[Whatever that means. The point is, don't make him cry.]
You can play with it too. I'll show you how.
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Sounds like Taako really loves it, huh? [They have a better game in mind, Ren. It's called how many days will it take for Taako to start tearing his hair out if they cast that jar into the ocean.
Unfortunately, it's not a Rin-appropriate game. It's PG-13.]
Sure, I'm game.
[lol.]
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You should come over-
[It's the middle of the night, and she seems to recognize that as her words fly out of her mouth.]
When the sun's up. Then we can play together.
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Agreed. Before then, however, perhaps you should consider sleeping.
[You, not them. Because Chara is nothing if not a blatant hypocrite.]
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Okay, are you going to sleep too?
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[Too bad she can't tell they're a filthy liar. That's fine, it's whatever. One day she'll find out and tuck them in until they can't breathe. Bet they'll sleep then.]
Goodnight.
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Goodnight, Ren.
8/12ish?
And Chara?
She's just not sure, what she'll find.
But if Lup were honest with herself, she wouldn't be suffering a bracelet of orange and purple blooms immobilizing her left wrist, and she wouldn't be coughing fruitlessly against the constant pressure in the back of her throat, out of breath just from the short walk here.
Not that that's gonna slow her down any. She's got a lot of stops to make and this stew isn't gonna eat itself.
In front of their door, she pauses, gives her vision a sec to stop swimming. She'd knock, but, well. Gonna do something better, actually.
"Knock knock!"
Did u mean, "two months later"?
It's the length of it that's truly maddening. It's waking up to more pain and no end, to new lacerations on their skin and burning lungs as flowers continue to build and push on their insides, eventually forcing their way out. White flowers dotting every fresh wound, every cough- the constant burning on the inside of their arms, their back...
Across their back. Their legs. Wherever the neighbors won't see.
They're not in the best of moods by the time she comes knocking, suffice to say. She's lucky. The only reason she even gets an answer is because it's her.
"Who's there?"
sept 15th
[Just kidding. There's no preface to this. There's simply a strange lump left behind where they last fell asleep, and page ripped from...something, a journal perhaps, that has helpfully labeled it CHARA, as if there might have been any confusion.]
[The shirt that has been substituted for wrapping paper was not the gift-leaver's idea, nor did he provide it. But there's no way you can prove it was him, and he has no idea what you're talking about anyway. But whoever that guy was, he took special care in crafting the two objects inside.]
[The first took some time all its own. Every arch and angle has been cautiously smoothed down, so that no stray splinters might jut out. It certainly took some time to get the hole in the top right, so that some twine could be looped through it, but in the end, it just means it can be hung from or worn in any way that one pleases.]
[The second is a little rougher around the edges, due in part because of how much more surface area there is. The flaws there might be more visible, but every inch of it has been sanded down with extreme attentiveness and care.]
[Just in case there's anything that you want to keep, so it's just...yours.]
BIRTHDAY
Anyway, Chara will find a happy doodle of themself on top of one blanket, a 24oz bag of chocolate popcorn, and hey, they like a book called 'Kitchen' right? Pepperidge Ren remembers. And she did her best with another kitchen book. Enjoy that fun story. It's probably the same.
ALSO A BOMB WITH A FUSE AND DETONATOR. Right by the popcorn.]
u kno
It took a few days for her to stop trying to reach them over the iStone-sending incomprehensible messages that were returned to her, pressing the 💣🎇 in every combination possible to get their attention, trying to talk to nothing but the void when all else failed. She tried to reach out to their heart once, maybe twice-it didn't work, so she stopped trying.
It took a few days-
For her to finally copy the flower they drew for her all those years ago-a treasure that she never removed from her bag. Theirs is much better, even though she tried really hard to keep the charcoal from smearing. But it was too difficult, and there wasn't enough paper for her redo it over and over just because she can't keep it together. So she ignores it, because she thinks they wouldn't mind anyway. The smallest line of words underneath the image barely legible, but they might be able to make out 'I'll wait for you' regardless. She thinks they might. They always seemed to get it.
It takes a few days for her to find the perfect spot under a tree, in an area they used to play in together, and-
It'll probably get rained on or torn up or eaten before they'll ever find it. The little star she etches on the tree is mostly for her own reference at this point.
She glues the picture to the bottom of the trunk, covering it up with some grass and flowers, like that's going to make a difference. But it doesn't matter-even if it goes away before they find it, she'll wait.
She can definitely wait.]
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