[ OPEN/CATCH-ALL ] the crickets still sing in october.

[passio]

WHO: dextera! and others!
WHERE: all around town, in a variety of places!
WHEN: october!
WHAT: an open prompt for quest 29’s skeletons (eating them), and whatever else comes up!
WARNINGS: he’s eating bones.

i. NO BONES ABOUT IT (OPEN)

[ dextera used to have a pretty healthy habit for eating bones—it used to be his thing, in fact, but lately he hasn’t had as much of a reason to eat them with all the color popping back up around town. they still provide some nutritional value to him, though, considering the way his body works, and what better to start hoarding for winter than by disassembling skeletons and biting right through their brittle bodies?

throughout the month, catch him doing this exact thing. sometimes he defeats the skeletons before chomping them, and sometimes he just rips the arm off one with his teeth like a dog. the latter, however, he’s only doing if he thinks no one is watching. ]

ii, but new. SEXY NUN COSTUME (~10/17 - 10/19)

[ dextera got this costume from carving a pumpkin, and it’s probably going to stay on him for a solid three days. he can’t hide in his house for the whole time, especially once the harvest festival starts up, but he also doesn’t want to be seen in it—so of course, people have to see him in it, because that’s the way rp works.

whenever he does have to leave his house, he tries to wear a coat, but the unfortunate reality of this outfit is that still leaves his habit, the jewelry, the socks, and the heels to see from practically any angle. a more discerning eye will definitely see upon looking at him from the front that he’s wearing a dress that was definitely meant for someone with breasts. he’s wobbly walking around in the first place, and it’s only by the grace of god that the few times he trips, the back of his coat is long enough to keep from flashing his ass to the world.

let him die! ]

iii. WILDCARD

( if there’s something else you want to do, just let me know by PM or on plurk @ pavaal ! )

Comments

[apocalypticist]

[ ryo is no fan of halloween, but the theme to the quests this months suggests it's october and he appreciates having something that corroborates with his assumption that it's around that time of the year. does that mean they're getting christmas-themed quests in two months?

that being said, he's quick to answer the door. he didn't expect dextera to come over, but the surprise visit isn't unwelcome. ]

Hey. What brings you here, Dextera?

[passio]

[ does he surprise ryo? does he explain himself immediately?

in all honesty, dextera is pretty sure he’s not going to get anything, but there’s a childish giddiness in his heart at doing something like this anyway. perhaps those are just nerves. a little of both.

he holds out one hand, pointing to his palm. ]

Please give me a treat.

[apocalypticist]

Aren't you too old for trick or treating? [ but since it's obviously for the quest, he supposes he should give him a little something. ]

Wait here.

[passio]

[ dextera is definitely too old for trick or treating, but give him a break, he’s trying to have fun and complete a quest at the same time.

for the most part, he waits right where he’s supposed to, but in order to mitigate the awkwardness of standing in ryo’s doorway, he… lets himself in, closing the door behind him in some vague hope that he’ll be able to stick around. not to snoop, not this time.

it’s on his mind, though. ]

…

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo disappears into the kitchen to find something small to give Dextera. He'd give him an apple or something similar, but the timing is a little unfortunate—he's actually in the middle of drying a bunch of fruit to stock up over the winter, and they need to be in the oven for at least another three or four hours. Possibly longer, since the ancient cook stove isn't in the best condition.

He picks up the walnut he had found a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps it would be better to give it to Dave to plant in the garden, but they have a decent variety of food and it's not like they absolutely need a source of walnuts. Dextera can have this one. ]

I hope this walnut will suffice. [ He says upon returning to the hallway, holding it out in his open palm. He hasn't noticed it yet, but a tiny seedling has begun to emerge and it's growing a little larger with each passing second. ]

[passio]

[ dextera reaches out to take the walnut, but he notices the seedling almost immediately. his fingers curl away.

he’s never seen a plant grow like that, so quickly or without some kind of assistance from soil, sun, and water. with his hand still hovering over ryo’s, he looks from the sprouted walnut to ryo’s face, searching. there’s surprise in his own expression, not concern, since in his experience, plant growth is a good thing.

just… not at this speed. ]

…?

[apocalypticist]

[ When Dextera isn't taking the walnut and looks to his face, Ryo glances down to his palm—and the surprise is enough to make him drop it. The walnut clatters onto the floor, and the seedling's unnatural growth stops when it's no longer in close proximity to Ryo's hand. ]

...What the...?

[passio]

[ dextera stoops to pick up the walnut, but it’s no longer growing. by this point, just by being in ryo’s hand, it’s managed to sprout quite obviously—but nothing happens in dextera’s. ]

…

[ on an experimental whim, dextera takes ryo’s hand back, and holds the walnut to his fingers. is it…? ]

[apocalypticist]

[ At first, nothing happens; this power has been dormant and hidden away by the amnesia for a decade, so it's a little unreliable. But then it begins to grow again, tiny leaves forming a whorl at the top of the hypocotyl. ]

Unbelievable. [ He did this. He isn't sure how, but it's definitely his doing. ]

[passio]

[ the power of life, the power to make things grow—it gives some context to the memory that they experienced together, of young ryo being offered a heart in a mysterious village far from this place. has he always had this power? did it disappear with his memories, when he washed ashore to meet akira?

dextera pushes the walnut back into ryo’s hand. ]

You didn’t know?

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo's thoughts immediately stray to that particular memory as well. He can already imagine the scenario that led to the ritual sacrifice; the strange boy who doesn't look like the others begins to manifest odd powers, making their crops grow, and the villagers revere him for it. ]

No. [ He shakes his head. ]

[passio]

…

[ dextera had come over here on a whim, intending to complete a quest and goof off for once in his life, and this is what he gets. some dark secret of ryo’s—what do they do with this? ]

Are you worried?

[apocalypticist]

A little. [ He glances at the seedling in his hand; it's stopped growing again, at least for now. He should plant it somewhere so it can thrive on its on, without this power sustaining it. ]

It gives context to the memory we saw.

[passio]

[ dextera is seeing more of ryo’s humanity every day, and with it, he wonders about all that demonic possession he and guren had discussed before. who is the real ryo? it’s starting to look like this is something that started much further back than it seems. ]

…

[ he’s quiet, for a moment. they saw that past, and then ryo got amnesia… and thus likely forgot these powers ever existed. which means they had to have been there before his memory was lost. which then means—what? that he was born with a demon, or that he isn’t human at all? ]

You don’t want me to tell Guren.

[ a guess. ]

[apocalypticist]

[ What does it mean? That's a good question, and one he has no concrete answer to. Perhaps he was born with a demon in his heart, or perhaps he wasn't human to begin with; the latter does not rule out the possibility of demonic possession, however. Demons can merge with any living organism and not just humans, after all.

If he weren't trapped in Chroma right now, he'd be getting on the next plane to Peru. He has to know himself and find answers to the questions that burden him. ]

That's right. [ Guren doesn't need to know. At least not right away. What would telling him accomplish beyond conjecture that won't get them anywhere? ]

I'm keeping this seedling, by the way. It's no longer a suitable treat.

[passio]

[ it burns dextera not to share something this important with guren, when guren has stressed the importance of helping ryo by sharing everything that he can, but it seems wrong to betray his trust. it’s not a matter of loyalty. ryo just seems vulnerable like this. ]

I don’t need a treat.

[ he’s worried, now. the quest is something secondary to think about. ]

[apocalypticist]

I see. You're worried about me.

[ It's said in that usual unaffected tone of his, but on the inside he's actually feeling a little relief in knowing someone not named Akira genuinely worries about him. He's not fully acknowledging the feeling, but it's there. ]

[passio]

[ of course dextera is worried. is it novel to ryo that he would fret over something like this? ]

You’re my friend.

[ whether or not ryo feels the same, that’s his reason. ]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo wants to tell him he doesn't have to worry about him, but that's not going to assuage his worries, is it? So he pauses for a moment, before deciding to change the subject. ]

...I'm going to plant this tonight. Do you want to come with me?

[passio]

[ dextera won’t push the friendship thing. ryo knows, and that’s what matters, so he goes along with the change of subject—that honestly, he’s surprised to be offered. ]

…

[ he nods. ]

[apocalypticist]

Come back here after the sun sets. [ Another pause. ] I'll have a treat for you then, too.

[ So don't forget to ask for one, Dextera. ]