unghost: myth_joshua ⦁ twitter (pic#12244788)
cairngorm ([personal profile] unghost) wrote in [community profile] awashlogs2018-09-22 12:34 am
Entry tags:

(no subject)

WHO: Cairngorm + various
WHERE: Around!
WHEN: Memory sharing event!
WHAT: Closed prompts for characters to get a glimpse into ~the land of the lustrous~
WARNINGS: crystal body horror, dismemberment

all starters will be in the comments below!
heartsteals: (and every thought i have)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-09-24 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're right - he isn't aware, and for a human, a head is an absolutely vital organ that can't be destroyed. He applies the same thinking to the gems. Incorrectly, it seems. When Cairngorm clarifies that they can rebuilt, and that Lunarians are the ones who stole Phos's head, he breathes out a sigh of relief.

(Does that change that Cairngorm broke their head? No - nor does it really ease the fresh memory of shattering it that Lupin now shares. But it means that it at least wasn't a fatal injury, and he can forgive lashing out in a moment of anger in a second.)

This is a lot to process in a few seconds, even for him, but he does his best to compartmentalize what he just saw for the moment, with his immediate fears of misjudging Cairngorm soothed, and focus on the new problem: he's hurt Cairngorm's feelings. It's obvious in every inch of their body language and in their poisonous tone of voice, and on one hand, he feels quite defensive - what was he supposed to think, seeing something like that? - but the much greater part of him is suddenly worried he's done something he can't take back. ]


Cairngorm -- You know I'm not going to think whatever I want. That's why I was asking you - I was confused.

[ He remembers now that he'd just been swinging by to check in on them; he hadn't made it further than their doorway before this all happened, and now, he stands his ground firmly there, hoping to block Cairngorm from running off. ]

Don't just run away. [ a beat. ] ... Please.
heartsteals: (for one dollar you can show me how)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-09-26 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ yeah, he doesn't think Cairngorm's ever been this mad at him before. Lupin still feels like he's missing something here (it's the fact that gems getting broken like that is apparently common), and he still feels like it's not fair that he's getting treated like the bad guy when he did just watch Cairngorm suddenly destroy someone's face... but, in the end, he cares more about not upsetting them than preserving his pride this time. Lupin sighs, rubbing his temples and looking awkward. ]

I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I just got... a little freaked out. I knew you could put limbs back, but the head's another matter entirely.

[ They were scared in that moment, though, weren't they? He can put the pieces together (no pun intended) from what he saw in the memory and what they said to him. They were suddenly in control of their own body, alone, for the first time; they were ragged from just being in a fight, he has to assume, and Phos was calling them by the name of their "sibling" who was presumably gone forever. And it was Phos's fault, too, somehow. Cairngorm is clumsy, Lupin thinks, and quick to anger. That kind of reaction isn't unbelievable. Even if it is a little alarming. ]

... I was scared you killed someone, is all. [ and that he was wrong about them - it wouldn't be the first time, he reflects sardonically, but he continues on, not budging from where he stands. ] I'm glad you didn't.
heartsteals: (a little gable)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-09-27 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe they don't die in the traditional sense - but what Cairngorm's described before actually sounds worse to him. There's no good term for him to use in place of "killed." Their insistence on clarifying that they didn't kill Phos convinces Lupin that they know exactly what he meant, anyway.

The shock is wearing off by this point; he overreacted, definitely. A rookie mistake to make for a master manipulator like himself. Being able to feel something so violent and alien shook him. Inwardly, he scolds himself for letting himself get that surprised by a memory when he knew they were being shared and knew that Cairngorm led a dangerous life back in their home... now being sloppy's landed him in this showdown against someone he'd much rather be laughing with. There are a few seconds of awkward silence; then Lupin's shoulders slump. ]


I know you're not. The only idiot in this room right now is me.

[ he's sitting here, worrying about morality - as if he doesn't know Cairngorm wouldn't hurt someone without a reason.

also, this is the only time he will actually say anything bad about himself, so don't get used to it!! ]


I'm sorry, Cairn. You didn't do anything wrong. This one's on me.
heartsteals: (now it's like i'm on a mission)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-09-29 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ Lupin had reckoned his apology had about a 50% chance of being effective, knowing how stubborn Cairngorm is. When they let him off the hook, he relaxes a little, offering them a crooked little apologetic smile - although the mention of "looking at them like that" makes him wince just a little bit. Despite his best efforts, he's not perfect. Looks like he's still got a ways to go when it comes to achieving that goal. ]

Right. I promise to only give you tender looks from now on. [ he's quick to cover it up with a quip of his own. Now that Cairngorm (probably) won't shove past him and flee out the door, he eases away from it, sticking his hands in his pockets. ] I was coming to check in on you, actually.

[ and instead he triggered a bad memory and stressed them out, but hey, he was expecting at least one of those things to happen when he showed up. ]

... Am I allowed to ask what Phos did? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm curious.
heartsteals: (and wished upon a shooting star)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-09-30 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ... Do Lunarians even communicate? That thing that Cairngorm had taken down hadn't even seemed sentient, exactly - although he supposes they've mentioned how the Lunarians like to take pieces of them and make them into jewelry, so there must be some degree of thinking going on in there. Still, Lupin finds himself siding with Cairngorm here. That's a risky route to pursue; even if it's not a bad idea by itself, they should have waited until they could corner a small one they could subdue easily, at the very least. ]

... So that's what happened, huh.

[ he's kind of surprised that Phos claimed to be Cairngorm's best friend, now - this obviously earned Cairngorm's ire, and they're not the type to release a grudge so easily, as far as he can tell. ]

If a human's head gets destroyed like that, there's zero chance we're coming back. That's why I reacted the way I did. [ a beat; he glances away, a bit sheepish. ] But they were okay afterwards, and you two even became friends...?

[ or MORE THAN FRIENDS, according to phos?! ]
heartsteals: (this speed's too much to stop)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-01 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Well, he knows it wasn't sudden... but he just keeps his mouth shut. If he complained every time Cairngorm said something that made him sound dumb, he'd never stop complaining. Besides, he's not going to nitpick when they seem like they're letting him off the hook for getting mad earlier.

Ironically, their commentary on Phos only makes Lupin think that they really are good friends. Ribbing them like that... Amused, Lupin raises an eyebrow. ]


Really? They were saying so many nice things about you, too.

[ and they were pretty nice to him, once they got past the whole Lapis thing... ]
heartsteals: (i'll make a killing from this change)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-03 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ is that humor he's detecting? Lupin smiles his lopsided smile. Look at that - Cairngorm has a sense of humor outside of poking fun at him. ]

Duly noted.

[ so he says, but really, he's just taking everything both of them say about each other with a grain of salt... Both of them have an attitude, to put it lightly. ]

They were. They said you were their partner. [ a pause; Lupin actually seems to hesitate, for once in his life, before raising an eyebrow at Cairngorm. ] And more than just friends...?

[ granted, Phos had followed this up with "best friends," but he still has to ask! He's so curious about this. Probably more curious than he should be - but he's trapped in Chroma, for God's sake, so he may as well indulge himself a little bit where it doesn't hurt. ]
heartsteals: (this speed's too much to stop)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-05 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Abomination?" That's a little harsh, don't you think?

[ sure, they're being totally serious, but that seems like a cruel thing to call anybody, even if they do have someone else's head attached to their body... Then again, what does he know? He smiles a little, shaking his head. ]

Well, whatever. I figured you'd say something like that if I asked. [ if he's being honest... he can't imagine Cairngorm admitting someone to be their best friend. ] You're right - that's what they told me. The way they worded it just threw me a little bit. I thought you two might have been lovers, or some gem equivalent...
heartsteals: (supposed to only be my rebound)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-06 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Lupin chuckles, shaking his head. The spoiler is that he was already 99.9% sure that they weren't A THING - the question had other purposes. And one of them was definitely to get that huffy reaction out of them. But that's a secret!! ]

Ha ha ha! All right, I get it, no love lost between you and Phos. [ he feels a little bad for Phos, to be honest... on the other hand, it sounds like they might have earned some of it. ] I'm glad you--

[ whatever he was about to say is abruptly interrupted. Lupin had forgotten, with how heated this discussion had become, that he should still probably be avoiding too much eye contact, and a reminder appears without warning.

At once, they're transported to a moonlit night in the English countryside (information Lupin's thoughts provide, though the name probably means little to Cairngorm.) There's a gaggle of soldiers wearing yellow uniforms gathered in the road, along with their cars, several of which are flipped over onto their sides; all of them have the muzzles of their long rifles pointed upwards towards a single, familiar figure perched atop the ruins of some old building.

"Fire!!"

The night air flashes as the soldiers pull the trigger; Lupin's body jerks as it's riddled with bullets, his silhouette vanishing from its starry backdrop. The captain of the soldiers, an older man with a long, curly moustache, begins to berate them for killing him when they should have captured him, but he's cut short.

"You cads... You... You've gone and done it. You've ended my brilliant life... Cut short... Too soon..." Somehow, his voice sounds out; somehow, he can be seen sitting up, then getting to his feet. They can do little but gape as he apparently returns to life, his voice trailing off into peals of laughter. For a bizarre moment, his form seems to swell like a balloon; then, suddenly, he explodes with a burst of blinding white light.

They didn't seriously think I'd just stand there and get shot, did they?
I guess they did. Even in England, the police are just so predictable.
Hold on for just a few seconds longer, my dear - you'll be mine soon enough.


Another series of bangs sounds out from amongst the soldiers and carriages as several more explosions are triggered, flooding the road with a white smoke that only grows thicker rather than dispersing. The men are in confusion; Lupin is not, and he cuts into the cloud like a shadow, making a beeline for one of the cars. There's a woman sitting there - a girl with tumbling brown hair and a face like a doll's, and before she can cry out in surprise when Lupin alights on the trunk of the car, he brings a finger to his lips, shushing her.

"Did I startle you? My apologies. Fear not - I'm not a ghost. That was just a trick. Now... Take my hand, mademoiselle. Shall we make our great escape out into the night?" He holds out a hand to her; she cringes away from it, shaking her head.

"N-no... Don't touch me, please... You'll die from the poison..."

Ah. That. I wasn't expecting the Horologium to be worried about hurting me.

"I'm aware of it. But that only comes from skin contact, doesn't it? And your gloves block the poison, do they not?"

The girl starts to make an excuse. Her voice is soft, fearful, not of Lupin, but of the world, of herself. She's very beautiful, Lupin thinks. He wonders how they could call her a monster. Just because of some pesky poison -- he doesn't pay it another thought, pulling her by the hand and sweeping her up into his arms as if she's lighter than a feather.

"I'll be all right. Trust me. See? I'm unharmed."

She stares up at him, bewildered. He grins.

"Relax, my lady. A beautiful face like yours is wasted without a smile to go with it. Now, leave everything to me." ]
heartsteals: (shows elegance and class)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-07 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ all things considered, that was a pretty all right memory to share. Lupin blinks his eyes a few times as he regains his bearings, rubbing his temples. It was an action-packed minute or two; even he needs a second to remember what he was actually doing. He's completely forgotten what he was going to say to them, but that's fine. It probably wasn't important, right?

Cairngorm's comment gets a rueful expression out of him, and he shakes his head gently. (He could defend himself on the dramatic bit, but, really, they're completely right, and he knows it. And is okay with it.) ]


... Well, they aren't usually. Do you remember the girl I mentioned to you before - the one with a jewel for a heart? That was her. Her name is Cardia.

[ once again, his tone softens a bit. He remembers that night clearly enough that revisiting the memory wasn't much of a shock, aside from the aforementioned action. It wasn't very long ago, of course - but, more importantly, it altered the course of his life. ]

That jewel keeps her alive, but it also makes her skin secrete a poison that destroys anything it touches, [ he explains, carefully. ] ... That was the night I first met her. That gem, the Horologium, could be used as a horrible weapon. I wanted to steal it before it fell into the wrong hands. I didn't know that "it" was actually a "she."
heartsteals: (he was no more than a friend to me)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-09 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
Good guess. You're right. She'd barely interacted with people before then.

[ she had her own circumstances - she'd gotten out of her home once before then - but Cairngorm is basically right. He's a little surprised at how readily they accept this information, of all things, when they'd been tripped up by things as straightforward as "chandelier" and "small dog breed" in the past... Then again, perhaps Cardia's existence seems more familiar to them. ]

She's really afraid of hurting people, and it seems like the man who created her told her to never go into the outside world, too. He told her all sorts of nasty things, and she believed him, of course. [ Lupin sighs. When he thinks about it, some of her problems aren't too different from Cairngorm's. Maybe he has a weakness for people like this. ] But she doesn't deserve to stay locked up - she belongs out in the sun with you and I. I'm planning on finding a way to cure her poison when I get back.
heartsteals: (one second i think i feel the lust)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-14 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ the more he learns about her, the less likely "curing" her seems. The Horologium doesn't just make poison - it produces energy that keeps Cardia alive, with that poison as a byproduct. Stopping the poison without also stopping her "heart" will be a delicate task, if not outright impossible, and at the moment, he has no idea how one would even go about doing that.

But he remains undeterred. ]


If there's a way, I'll find it. If there isn't, then I'll be the one to discover it. I promised her that I'd grant her wish, and I don't go back on promises.

[ despite everything, he sounds confident, if not resolute, as if he refuses to acknowledge even the possibility of defeat. He simply doesn't lose. He's not about to start now. ]

One of your people has the same problem, though... That's interesting. In my world, she's one of a kind.
heartsteals: (his kiss addictive like sugar)

[personal profile] heartsteals 2018-10-16 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
Well, sure... She's been able to use it for things like that on heists before. We've taught her a bit of self-defense. But...

[ this... may be harder to explain to Cairngorm than it would be to a normal person. He thinks most humans would understand immediately why it would be painful to live life never being able to touch another person; the gems, on the other hand, don't touch each other much at all. ]

She wants to be able to touch people. She doesn't like being isolated from the world. Even if it has its uses, for her, the cons outweigh the pros by a landslide. [ a pause. ] People aren't meant to be alone.