damnpire | Kenos Inbox

[ The book cafe is an excellent topic change, and one that Dokja eagerly grabs on to. His eyes light up, brightening even further when Eustace finally takes his seat, and now he's surrounded by people he's quite fond of.

Maybe everyone else is being stiff and awkward, but Dokja is genuinely enjoying himself. ]

Come by when you have the time. It's not too far from our house, and...

[ Pause. Actually, ]

Where do you live, anyway?

[ Eustace's ears are always welcome in a thread. And the guy attached to the ears is always welcome at Gray's table, so she looks at him with a brief smile as he sits. His presence is as a space heater to her soul.

Anyway I'm sorry because Gray has nothing to add to Dokja's question, so she continues to chip away at her soup. She also has a bit of that crooked sliced bread, just because it looks so sad and Dokja worked so hard on it. ]

[ Can't believe I have to sit here and write another tag of Eustace eating soup. And yet that's exactly what he's doing, spooning himself chicken noodle soup while he sits silently and listens to Dokja lead the conversation. He never agreed to help out with the whole friend-making thing, technically, so it's not like he's breaching any contract here.

Still, it's a little awkward for them all to sit around like lame ducks waiting for their turn to pipe up so he (once again) sends out a little Communion message, this time to Gray.

Has dinner been okay so far?

If only he could be normal and say these things out loud. ]

[Suddenly, the feeling of being an outsider dawns on him as easily as it always had on the Frontier. It's as if... he is an anomaly situated between the found family of good people. Even Eustace's ears don't feel as Othering as being a ghastly, dark-coded half-vampire at a kitchen table.

He wonders if maybe he should politely take his leave, thankful at least for the opportunity for a bit of normalcy he doesn't think should be afforded to him.]

The housing provided to those Harmonizing with Meridian.

[He doesn't say this with any sort of tone to imply he finds it not enough; in fact, it sounds like he may think this is too much for him actually.

This is a man who usually sleeps in a barn, or the outskirts of a town because the humans within fearfully refuse to entertain his kind.]

[ YOU GUYS CAN ALSO HARASS D ABOUT HIS LIVING SITUATION

But it's okay, he'd seen this coming from a mile away because what else would this dinner entail with two stoics and a Gray. Dokja takes it all in stride, not bothered one bit as he sits up a little straighter in his seat at D's reply.

Normal people would call a house meeting for what he's about to do next, but normal people Dokja is not. ]

You should move in with us.

[ Gray responds to Eustace's Communion after a briefest of pauses, in which she decides not to state for the record that Dokja has been very weird about this. ]

D seems very nice. His horse, too.

[ She stops think-talking (thalking) in time to hear Dokja's offer to D. Gray blinks and straightens a little with surprise, her crooked bread slice still in her mouth, but the idea isn't offensive to her. And this is still Dokja's house in the end, so it's his right to invite whomever he likes. He's really generous, isn't he...

Gray glances around the table, trying to gauge the reactions of two most stoic people sitting here, before finally speaking. ]

Um... Slow Dancer's old stable is still in good shape, so Erebus could stay there.

[ Do it for the horse's comfort, D... ]

[ When you the player are gungho about an idea but your character is so reluctant.....sad.

Which is to say that Eustace's soup spoon freezes in midair once he hears that casually stated offer, any relief he might have gained from Gray's reassurance about dinner sailing right through the window. The awkwardness of dinner suddenly seems like such a non-issue in the wake of this news. ]

'Move in'?

[ Hello?? They aren't running some sort of orphanage here. And while D seems like a perfectly polite young man, Eustace is unfortunately crotchety and set in his ways, and the idea of a stranger just invading a place he finally feels comfortable in has him tensing in dismay.

No offense D, it's not you it's him. 😔 ]

[Somehow, these dingdongs have managed to make D looked surprise more times than he's ever looked surprised in years probably. Why in the world would they ever want someone like him around?

See, Eustace is right. (Also, he understands Eustace might not want the dude Eustace smooched just in the house. Awkward.) He errs on the side of Eustace's mild grumbling because while it may be Dokja's house, they are all together in it.]

Your offer is kind, but I wouldn't want to intrude. The housing has enough for me.

[Well... not... a stable... but... it's fine.]

Move in.

[ Dokja reaffirms as he sits back in his chair with his arms crossed. His soup is abandoned as he takes on this very stubborn stance, and only Gray is on his side here, he sees, but he assumes Eustace is just being his usual difficult self. ]

You wouldn't be intruding, and we have an extra room.

[ Soon to be extra rooms plural if what Dokja has planned comes to fruition. After losing close companions left and right throughout these recent months, he's come to realize the importance of keeping an eye on those he has left and, rather than address his separation anxiety, his solution is to hoard people at his house. ]

And Gray's right. We have a stable. I think Erebus would appreciate that.

[ Dangles horse bait in front of D... ]

[ Are her parents fighting... Dokja seems to value D as a friend so she'd assumed Eustace felt the same, but apparently they aren't quite as close. It's hard for Gray to tell how D feels other than surprised, so she isn't sure if she should support Dokja in being insistent, or respect the possibility that D might not even want to move in in the first place...

Tactfully, she decides to go the back route and nudges Eustace with a shy bit of Communion. ]

Mr. Dokja seems really invested in making sure D is taken care of... Maybe he doesn't want D to feel lonely?

[ In his heart, he knows that Dokja's offer isn't an unreasonable one, made even more clear as Gray does her best to diffuse his ramping tension. He doesn't answer her immediately, though there is an acknowledgment of her words as he stares back into his soup.

He doesn't sound very happy when he finally relents, after finishing his current spoonful of quickly cooling soup, but what else is new with him. ]

It's your house.

[ Which is maybe not the most enthusiastic of agreements but it is a concession of some kind. Unfortunately (I am using this word so much, I hate this guy) that seems to be his only concession to this conversation, as he immediately goes back to drinking his soup in silence. Truly he is the worst conversationalist out of all of them. ]

[NOT THE HORSE BAIT!!!!!!!! Now that he knows the horse has a name, he feels a little more concerned about its well-being--more than usual.

The hesitation is mostly consideration. His rusty eyes glance briefly between the three of them. He does not want to inconvenience Eustace's space, but he also feels bad rejecting kind hospitality. Whether or not he's with other people doesn't bother him really. He's always been alone as a wanderer.

The damn horse...]

...I'll stay out of the way.

[ GRAY IS TRULY OUR ONLY HOPE

Dokja, blind and stupid that he is, only puzzles over Eustace's reaction for a moment before D finally agrees. And then the smile on Dokja's face widens, and had D been in shoulder clapping distance, he would have ended up with a hand smacking him in satisfaction. ]

Hey, don't worry about useless things. [ Says the man who worries about useless things. ] You can start moving what you have whenever you want, okay?

[ And then returns his attention to Gray and Eustace!! Eustace who he still doesn't realize he's upset!! ]

We can clear out the guest room in the meantime.

[ Things still feel a little tense to Gray, but this is a start... and Dokja doesn't seem to notice (or maybe care), because he's already happily ushering things along. Gray can only hope that as they spend more time together, Eustace and D will reach a peaceful understanding.

She looks back to blissfully(?) unaware Dokja. At least someone is completely happy in this situation... but honestly, she's happy that he's happy.

To D: ]

Will you need any extra space? And if you need help moving your things...

[ Maybe he has...... a couch he loves. ]

[ It's Eustace and Dokja who need to reach an understanding first. But alas they will not, because they're both stupid.

The other three seated at the table seem to be doing just fine without his input, so Eustace will continue to drink his soup in silence. If he gets pulled into moving a beloved couch then he will begrudgingly comply, but until then he will keep to himself.

Once again, I shove this man into a dumpster. ]

[Eustace is suffering, and D is feeling as awkward as Gray in being socially aware, and DOKJA is simply LIVING HIS BEST LIFE somehow being ignorant. Wow.

D worries they will go through too much trouble than needed for him.]

Just a room is fine. I don't need any help, but thank you.

[He is going to show back up literally with the same things he has currently both on himself and the horse outside. He has zero other belongings than what he can carry.

Now he has to think about how the heck he's going to repay them for this hospitality. Maybe he will keep leaving money under Dokja's door... Or do the equivalent of a cat bringing dead rats back to make sure the humans are eating.

He sort of glances between Dokja and Eustace, and then makes a point of looking at Gray. Teenagers, even 10,000 year old ones, are crafty.]

Would you like to meet Erebus?

[THEIR OUT!!! Time to see how fast Eustace or Dokja runs away from talking.]

[ D is being so Aware right now while Dokja simply vibes in his seat. He's nodding along, head empty, but as soon as he hears D asking Gray if she wants to meet his creepy horse, Dokja quickly looks to Gray, his eyebrows raised as he quietly waits for her answer.

It's clear what he is trying to telepathically tell her (he could literally telepathically tell her), all his efforts for this dinner coming down to a single moment where the teenagers will bond together without his interference. It's what he'd hoped for, it's what's happening now.

Of course, it's a total misunderstanding of what's actually happening, but Dokja is fully prepared to give himself credit where it really isn't due.

AND THEN POOR EUSTACE... me writing this tag like i wish dokja was a better boyfriend ]

[ As it turns out, Gray actually is interested in meeting Erebus properly and not by shouting out a window. Talking to animals, whatever their temperament, is a blessedly straightforward thing. Much unlike this dinner vibe.

Not noticing Dokja's overinvested stare, Gray nods in response to D, her hood punctuating the movement. ]

I'd like that.

[ Escape and a chance to talk... and to let Eustace and Dokja talk (OR NOT). D might be surprisingly clever. Gray feels it's a bit rude to leave before she's finished with her food, but since it'll save D from his food as well, she'll take the risk.

She has a last look at Eustace and Dokja. ]

Um, then if you'll excuse us...

[ (They will not talk.)

But at least someone's having a good time here, saving this dinner from ending up as a complete disaster. The imminent dispersing of the dinner party members has Eustace relaxing slightly in his seat, a little bit of vigor returning to his movements as he polishes off the rest of his soup. He still feels unsettled by the events of the last twenty minutes, but at least he too can take a brief sojourn outside after this to collect his thoughts.

He glances up as the two teenagers prepare to depart to the stables, expression softening a little as he looks at Gray. ]

Have fun.

[ He thinks D's horse is just a regular horse and not a creepy cyborg one....he would not be saying this if he knew. ]

[Suppose D should officially meet his own horse which he wasn't aware had a name some twenty minutes ago. Life is full of surprises.

Carefully, D scoops the black cat on his lap up and gently places it down on four feet by the chair. It arches into a drowsy stretch. The black fur blends into his outfit, but he will knock it off at the door and away from the table.

When he stands, he takes his hat in one hand and pushes his chair in.]

Thank you for the meal. [WHICH HE DIDN'T EVEN EAT!! GRAY HAD TO DO IT. To Eustace:] It's good to meet you again.

[And not being lovesick.

D doesn't want Gray to feel as if she should lead the way when he is the one who made the request, so he turns from the table, escorting her to the door where he can put on his boots. And his hat. And pat this cat fur off. GOODBYE TO THE TWO MEN WHO SHOULD TALK, BUT WON'T.]

[ She will have fun, thank you Eustace. This may be a creepy cyborg horse, but it isn't any more hellish than Slow Dancer.

Gray gets up to follow D to the door, where she similarly ties up her boots, pats her cloak down, and tugs her hood more deeply into place. The goth aesthetic demands no less than immaculate presentation. Before she heads out, she'll turn and call out softly to They Who Refuse to Communicate. ]

I'll be back soon.

[ To maybe finish her soup if it hasn't been fed to Raisin by then.

Gray quietly closes the door behind her. And then the teens are gone... ]

[ Good bye, teens... They grow up so fast...

Dokja offers a smile and a wave. They're not going too far, after all, and the backyard is a perfectly safe place to hang out. Also, there are plenty of windows to spy out of, should it be necessary, but he thinks the two of them will get along just fine.

Which leaves him with his own barely touched soup, and Eustace. ]

They've got similar temperaments, don't you think? [ He muses, his gaze drifting upward in thought. ] I think they'll be good company for each other.

[ Dokja blathers on, totally oblivious to Eustace's turmoil. ]

[ The teens were so nice and thoughtful leaving the adults alone to talk and for what.

Dokja blathers on, oblivious, and Eustace continues staring into his (empty) bowl of soup, solemn. At least things are slightly less awkward than before.

And while it would be nice if he could act like a normal human being, instead of continuing the conversation at hand and offering up his own opinion (irrelevant, because whether Gray and D get along is not up to him) he asks a question of his own. ]

Do you like him that much?

[ D, that is. In a platonic gen way and not romantic but hey! If that's what it is then Dokja should live his best life. ]

[Regret making D not know a sock as he puts his bare feet into his boots. He opens and holds the door for Gray until she's finished talking to They Who Refuse to Communicate, and he eases the hat on his head again only once outside.

Springstar is hell for a lil dhampir guy.

Erebus has not moved from where he was left in the backyard; he seems to be vibing with the chickens still, and is as out of place as D with his gloomy and fearful aesthetic. In addition, he's been forced to hold onto D's ridiculous pauldrons, cape, and scarf, as well as his sword. The energy here is an intimidating warhorse surrounded by fat, gentle fowl. He does lift his head to regard D and Gray with red eyes, and his tail flicks in a surprisingly organic way, so it must be one of the few natural things left about him.

With little reason to fear the horse, D approaches and takes the front of the reins. Erebus very rudely ignores D to stretch his neck and lean his head out to inspect the girl who had kindly spoken to him before at the window. D just... lets this happen because he is an emotional masochist.

D does say, though:] Thank you for learning his name.

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