Event Six.

[awashmods]

If you see this hairy creature Your first choice should always be to run Otherwise you had better hope You have silver bullets in a gun.

he full moon hangs brightly over the Town, hovering so low that it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch it. It should be comforting. But as the howl of wolves fills the air, it's anything but. There are werewolves on the prowl, and their target is very clear -- the Town won't be able to last without your help. Welcome to Awash's sixth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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[passio]

[ dextera is leaving minato out there with them, and he feels so guilty, thinking that about his friends, but it gets worse if he tries to interact with them. all he can think about is how they’ve become monsters, and how unsure he is that they’re ever going to change back. ]

…

[ dextera nods slowly, and he keeps the door cracked, but there’s a knock on the wood from his side. a compromise, at least so he can see minato’s face. ]

[messianic]

[It's fine, Dextera--he can protect himself...!!

Mostly.

But he just leans against the wall, still within Dextera's sight but enough to take a bit of a load off for a moment.

But good... that's good enough for him.]

Are you injured at all? [He'll start with the logical option.]

[passio]

[ dextera knocks twice.

his body is fine, if not exhausted from all the time he’s spent running around, and now, the energy he’s been expending on being on-edge for the past two days or so. he can’t even sleep at night, he’s so scared—not to mention, amidst all this, the bogeyman has been wandering around to terrorize them even when the werewolves are dormant.

two fingers peek through the crack in the door, just as nervous as the rest of him, but his intention is clear: he’s asking minato the same question. ]

[messianic]

[He processes what Dextera's asking for quickly, at least, nodding quietly to himself.]

I'm okay. No injuries or anything.

[A slow breath in (he's trying to calm himself from the adrenaline of this week) and:]

Are you okay?

[It's a different question from "Are you injured", that's for sure.]

[passio]

…

[ what a question! the answer is a definitive, resounding “no,” however, and dextera isn’t the type to lie about that when he’s this deep in his own paranoia.

he knocks twice, hard. there’s no sense in pretending that he’s not okay, when he’s hiding away in his own house like this, not allowing minato to even come inside despite the dangers dextera is convinced are lurking at every corner. ]

[messianic]

[That's pretty fair. He's glad Dextera is being honest with him, honestly; this is a hard situation in every way. So he just breathes out a soft sigh.]

... Are you scared?

[It seems like such an obvious question right now, but he doesn't want to assume. Not for Dextera, who is already so quiet.]

[passio]

[ of course.

this one is less sure, though—he’s scared, of course, and he knows that, but he hates that he is. he doesn’t want to feel this way about people he knows are his friends. he doesn’t want to push people like minato out, keeping him at a literal arm’s length, because of this fear.

he exhales, miserably, and knocks once. he is. he doesn’t want to be, but it feels like his body is cold from the inside out for how deep the fear has settled. ]

[messianic]

[Mm... it makes sense. Minato's scared too, paranoid even, and he knows that's not like him. He's been through so much worse than this, and yet every time he sees a hint of a werewolf, he feel the adrenaline kick in and his heart rate speed up.

It's not natural, is it...? It can't be.]

I think that's... just to be expected. It's scary, not knowing who's been bitten, and if they're going to be okay or not. Don't... feel bad about feeling scared, okay?

[That pause before that knock was very telling.]

[passio]

[ the more minato talks, however, the more dextera is inclined to trust him. he’s not a werewolf. a werewolf wouldn’t talk like that—or would it? he’s not sure, but he wants to believe that minato is safe. minato is his friend, even now. they have a bond. they talked about this. ]

…

[ there’s the sound of a lock, and dextera opens the door a little wider. ]

Hurry.

[messianic]

[... Oh.

He wasn't expecting that; there are the words "are you sure" on the tip of his tongue, but--

Dex is scared enough. He's not going to prolong his agony by making him repeat himself. Instead, he nods simply and moves to slip through that small space left by the slightly open door, closing it behind him carefully.

Still... he remains by the door, blinking at Dextera quietly.]

... Are you sure this is okay?

[He's grateful, to be sure, but he doesn't want to scare Dextera more.]

[passio]

[ dextera isn’t sure, and he shakes his head quickly in response to minato’s gentle question. he could have just invited a monster into his home, throwing all the animals and himself into danger, and his mind is screaming at him for it—but it’s minato, he tells himself. ]

Scared.

[ as if it weren’t obvious. he’s trembling, his fingers twitching involuntarily, and he stills them by firmly digging his hands into the fabric of his coat. ]

[messianic]

[Minato looks at Dextera, at those trembling fingers...and quietly sinks to a sitting position on the floor right in front of Dextera's door.]

... I know.

[It's really, really scary, and even so...Dextera let him in.]

Do you want to check? I'm not injured at all, so....

[It'll only be the work of a minute to check Minato for bites. He doesn't mind.]

[passio]

[ would accepting minato’s offer be a display of how little he trusts anything right now? surely, yes, but he’ll feel better once he sees for himself that minato has no bite marks. he can’t check everything, but he only needs to see enough to trick his heart. ]

…

[ dextera follows minato to the floor, on his knees, and motions for minato to roll his sleeves up. if minato is all right there, then maybe he can convince himself the rest is okay, too. ]

[messianic]

[He doesn't mind.

Just the sleeves? Minato's not sure that's enough peace of mind for Dextera, though he suspects that Dextera's caught between a rock and a hard place--wanting to trust him, but filled with that fear.

So Minato just shakes his head quietly to himself, and tugs off his shirt. At least it's easy, since so much of the clothing here is lacking buttons or the like.

Dextera can see all of it--that he's not hurt at all, that he hasn't been bitten, because Minato's not at all offended by the request.]

[passio]

[ dextera understands what minato is trying to do for him, and he exhales, tears of relief—and regret—pricking at his eyes. he’s glad to see that minato is unhurt, unbitten, for more reasons than just altruism. ]

You look well.

[ he takes a deep breath, rubbing his hands across his face once he’s said his piece. ]

I’m sorry.

[messianic]

You don't have anything to apologize for.

[Minato says that simple, easily, shaking his head and tugging his shirt back on as he remains seated there, in front of the door--more a protective position than anything.]

I'm glad that you're protecting yourself.

Please...don't be too hard on yourself for it.

[passio]

[ minato is too kind, and dextera can’t help but think he doesn’t deserve it. he’s here, doubting his friends—hating them. sometimes, it gets so bad that he can’t think straight, and he’s scared of what he would do if he weren’t holed up in his house. the werewolves are a danger, to be sure, but dextera is afraid of his own desire to lash out. ]

It shouldn’t be like this.

[ his hands are moving slowly, still, as if weighed down by the terror he’s feeling—but at least he’s getting better at saying what he wants to. ]

Nothing is right.

[messianic]

[Minato watches Dextera's hands carefully, and quietly, he nods. Dex is right, after all. Nothing about this... none of it is right.]

You're right.

I'm scared too. Sometimes, I feel completely paranoid, and I... I know that's not right. I've seen a lot scarier than this.

[Something's messing with their heads again, as happens so often in this place.]

I don't know what to do about it, though... or how to fix it.

[passio]

I’ve hurt people.

[ not here, which he will soon clarify, but it makes it obvious enough why he’s put himself away like this. his fear, his weakness, has made him prone to violence—and that was toward people he considered his friends, too. he’s hurt people, even killed them, in a selfish bid to understand himself. ]

In my world—I got scared. I hurt friends.

[ “friends” is a term he uses loosely—but even so. ]

Not again. So I’m here.

[messianic]

[... Oh. Oh. Then these effects must be even more miserable for Dextera, having experienced that.. Minato grimaces, shaking his head a little.]

... Not again. You won't do it again.

[Minato draws in a slow breath, meeting Dextera's eyes.]

But it makes sense. Staying in here to be sure. You're not...doing anything wrong, okay?

[passio]

[ dextera doesn’t want minato to know too much. it was hard enough, opening up to noctis about being the one who caused the apocalypse—telling minato, of all people, that he’s a murderer for some petty reasons sounds like an impossibility. ]

I should help.

[ he knows that, and yet… ]

[messianic]

[... Should help, huh? But in the end, all Minato can really say is:]

You have to take care of yourself, too.

[And there's nothing to be ashamed of in that.]

You have to protect yourself--and that's helping people too.

[passio]

[ maybe so, and if minato were giving that advice to anyone else, dextera would quickly agree. for someone like him, that kind of grace is undeserved. ]

…

[ he exhales. ]

What about you?

[messianic]

[There's really only one answer Minato can give to that, and it's probably the expected one.]

I'm... doing what I can to help protect people. Back home, we fought monsters a lot--me and my team, that is.

So... since I have the ability, I have to try.

[That all said:]

But there's still nothing wrong with protecting yourself instead. That should always come first.

[passio]

[ dextera nods. he fought monsters, too. he has power, a useful power, and he isn’t using it because he’s scared. it’s not that he wants to leave his friends to die out there, but… ]

Please help them. [ he squeezes his eyes shut, head bowed as he signs his plea. ] I can’t.