[ OPEN? CLOSED? ] as you die, you will understand.

[passio]

WHO: dextera + others! i’m open to anyone but please tell me by PM or at pavaal if they haven’t had at least like, one conversation.

WHAT: dextera forces himself to face all the people he bailed on after dying.

WHERE: the town!

WHEN: forward dated to late june, and probably the 1st and 2nd of july.

WARNINGS: death death death

[ for the first time, dextera wakes up from death to a sky that isn’t red. it’s all as grey as the world around him, and slowly, the memories return to him—the bogeyman, his brother, the feeling of his very soul being taken from his body. then, there’s a long expanse of nothing. now, his consciousness has returned.

he keeps out of the way at first in this sketchy body, staying private, staying safe with a friend he’s sure won’t tell—there are things he’s not ready to talk about, and faces he’s not ready to see. after a few days have passed, though, and his features reform, color returns, and his voice continues to stay just out of reach, he can finally be seen around town again.

he saw the post. he knows guren announced his death. he’s just hoping that no one will ask about it, if they see him. ]

...

[ as ever, he's silent. ]


( i'll be posting closed prompts in the comments for people who want them, otherwise... go HOG WILD. )

Comments

[scooptimistic]

[ This is honestly just how Maya is. She's at least trying her best not to squeeze him too tightly, but-- ]

I'd heard you died. Are you okay? Soreness? Lingering bruises?

[passio]

[ dextera has all of those, all the time, just because his life is that way—but from the death itself, no, he doesn’t think so. when he came back, even with the sketchy oddness of his body, he wasn’t in pain.

he wiggles away from her, just so he can see her face, and he shakes his head. ]

Okay. [ mouthed, in lieu of being able to use his hands. ]

[scooptimistic]

[ Maya will release him, still looking him over very carefully. ]

... You're sure? How are you feeling?

[ Death is not the best experience, she knows. ]

[passio]

[ dextera is… grateful, albeit awkwardly so, for maya’s concern. he doesn’t know how to convey like a normal person that death is something he’s experienced too often to worry about anymore. ]

Now, fine. I promise.

[scooptimistic]

Hm. Okay.

[ She'll stop frowning so intensely, relief brightening her face with her usual smile-- though Maya's also quietly resolving to keep an eye on him, just in case. ]

I'm just glad you're back. We'll have a lot more adventures ahead of us!

[passio]

[ maya looks better when she smiles, that much is for sure. dextera tries to smile too, even if there’s something sad and soft at the edges of it. he doesn’t want her to worry anymore. ]

I couldn’t leave.

[ a little humor, since maya seems like she can handle it. ]

[scooptimistic]

You know, sometimes you're just too popular for your own good.

[ And she smiles easily enough. He doesn't have to try too hard, she gets it. ]

Feeling well-rested, though?

[passio]

[ actually? dextera does feel pretty okay. ]

I slept [ wait for it ] like the dead.

[ yeah ]

[scooptimistic]

... This is why we're friends, isn't it?

[passio]

…

[ that blank reaction is… satisfying, and dextera covers his smile loosely with his fingers. not every reunion has to be sad. so he nods, clearly pleased with himself. ]

[scooptimistic]

If you're feeling lively enough to crack jokes, I'm sure that'll be reassuring to everyone else who was worried about you.

Honestly, it might help even more.

[passio]

I only know one joke.

[ that’s all he’s got in his repertoire, honestly—this one sad joke, appropriate for only when he dies. which is a lot, back home, but there’s no one to crack jokes with there so this is the first time he’s gotten to deploy it. ]

[scooptimistic]

Really? I know a few, but I can't say a lot of them are death-related.

[ Thankfully. ]

[passio]

…

[ thankfully! dextera doesn’t want to hear a death joke anyway, despite his own morbid one thrown out into the air, and he thinks it would be nice to hear something that isn’t the coffin man’s macabre sense of humor for once. ]

Tell me.

[scooptimistic]

Hmm.

[ a pause. Then-- ]

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?

[passio]

[ to his credit, dextera really thinks about this. a vampire and a snowman… cold teeth? that’s not funny. bloody snow? that’s really not funny, and a morbid image. there’s a long pause of silence, even for dextera, and then he gives in. ]

What is it?

[scooptimistic]

Frostbite.

[ Stop her. ]

1/2

[passio]

[ he doesn’t get it? ]

2/2

[passio]

[ oh! ]

Haha. Because snowmen are frosty. Vampires bite. I understand.

[scooptimistic]

Exactly! Now, when we get attacked by angry snowmen or savage vampires, maybe you can fend them off with a good joke they're sure to appreciate!

[ They won't appreciate it. ]

[passio]

[ dextera covers his mouth in another quiet, but sincerely amused, chuckle, and nods. ]

Thank you, Maya.

[ he pauses, and corrects himself. he shows her the sign for “crab,” since it feels thematically appropriate! it was their first real bonding moment.

then, into the sign, he includes the “M” of her name. ]

Maya.

[scooptimistic]

[ ... Oh. Oh, that's-- ]

My own sign?

[passio]

[ dextera nods. her name, tied to a memory they have together. it’s something that no one else could call her, but dextera is proud to use it. ]

Is it… OK?

[scooptimistic]

Yeah, of course! It's really cute!

[ She loves it. ]

[passio]

[ oh! she’s happy. in that case, dextera’s brief hesitance disappears, replaced by a smile. ]

Good. It’s yours.