damnpire | Kenos Inbox

[ — the point where Communion violently begins is born from the sense of intimate connection developed between two individuals.

It is very obviously a burning, bright thing from Set, whose mind scatters into the corners of those he has forged some sort of companionship with — for duty, for responsibility, for fun, for solemn vow. What arrives is the briefest sense of rising disorientation, woven through with a burst of wrath and grief so white-hot that it might char flesh from bone within seconds, shot through with rapture and the whiplash of love. It rises like a dying, murderous sun ( like Meridian ) — stifling and acute and suffocating — only to be tempered within seconds, by the cool, crisp wash of the dark sea ( like Zenith ), tempered and soothed with all edges laid flat once more.

The Communion plunges into quiet and calm, like a great, purring beast, and ends as abruptly as it began.

d gets this because he's the anubis proxy and that gives him weird Rights im sorry ]

[ Eustace has been left with a lot of time to think while camping out at the Tree of Life, waiting for Dokja to dig his way back out of the dirt like some nondescript BL zombie. Namely, he's thought deeply about his actions during the last Oracle and how deeply embarrasing they were, and it's probably time to make amends for his actions as much as he would like to pretend they never happened.

So! Here he is, knocking politely at D's mental door. ]

Is this D?

[ BARGES INTO D'S MINDSPACE. ]

What are you doing right now?

[ What happened to hello? How are you? ]

[ Very suddenly, there’s a sense of Communion touching your character’s mind. However, it’s as if they connect with the mind of a shared Aspect, as they’re not able to block out the brief, but sharp memory that comes to them. ]

There’s a exhilaration of doing something just a little bit taboo as the Shard-Bearer shares an excited giggle with their friend on the dusk-darkened beaches of Springstar. As quick as they can, they take off their clothes and run into the surf, and they’ve never felt so free of their world’s restrictions than that moment.

[ ooc note — Just to avoid OOC confusion/misinterpretation, the details included in this memory are random and are not necessarily interconnected or plot meaningful beyond a surface level. However, your character is free to interpret this random memory however they’d like! This event will also be touched on somewhat during today’s NPC Communion Post. ]

[ So it's been like. Two weeks after Dokja's impromptu offer to D and subsequent move-in, and things have been....fine? They've been fine. True to his word, D has kept largely to himself, and out of respect for Dokja and Gray (who both seem to have no problems with this new living arrangement) Eustace has also kept largely to himself by being out of the house more often than not.

A perfect symbiosis (no).

But with the passage of time comes familiarity, and if Eustace isn't necessarily any friendlier with D he is at least more tolerant of the other man's presence in the household. He might not initiate lengthy conversations still but he's at least begun to include D in his personal calculations. Like today, for example, as he stands in the kitchen taking tally of their groceries. He should probably check and see if there's anything D needs from the market.

He knocks on the guestroom door (no answer), then peers around the backyard (only the chickens are there). Hm. Maybe the stable...? Time for him to head over and peer inside.

Whatcha doin' in there, bud.... ]

[Hayame's impression in Communion is... intense, like a blizzard howling bitterly cold and lashing at the stone of a barren mountain, anything warm or soft (or hurt or weak) only allowed to exist if it was hidden deep in the dark. It is part of why she does not like Communion at all. But for the initial contact... It is what she has. She... She has not been back to Springstar since-]

D.

[... "Dee"?]

It is Hayame.

[They have not spoken in "private", not simply the sharing of Communion space with many Meridians, since... Xanadu? Yet she is contacting him directly now. Naming herself, as if he might already have forgotten who she was.]

- Do you have time to speak?

[ It's been a few days since his revival and stumbled trip back home from the Great Tree. He'd been debriefed oh what had happened after his death - the Meridian victory, D's attempt at retrieving his Shard - and now that he no longer feels heaviness tugging at his limbs, it's time to pay a certain someone a visit.

He still doesn't look the picture of perfect health as he tracks down D within the confines of the house, faint dark circles still smudged into place underneath his eyes, but at least he's standing up straight, gaze and voice both clear. ]

Are you busy?

[On the shortest day of the year—or the longest, by Springstar’s calendar—Liem makes his rounds to play Santa himself, though without the red-and-white costume. For the past few months, his regular visits to Springstar’s community centre have been in service of crafting handmade solstice gifts for the people in his life. This time, unlike last winter, he’s prepared.

Some of the items he brings are simply handed over without fuss: a couple pleasantly spiced bars of hand-mixed soap and a pair of fat, equally pleasant candles. The last item he delivers, with a bit more care, is a pair of carefully embroidered leather gloves. They’re a bit on the thicker side, meant for wearing in cooler climates, though still slim enough to avoid being clumsy. Kind of awkward that D only has one hand now, oops, but… he can still wear one glove, at least.]

[ though once again, is it really a delivery if they live in the same house....

D, like Gray, will find a small wrapped gift sitting outside his door (because Eustace would also never infringe on his privacy and actually go into his room without permission) one day during the holiday season. Alas, D does not get a fancy cape but he does get a nice notebook and pen set for any notes he would like to jot down (or future short stories he would like to write????). There's also a little gift certificate to one of the stores in town that sells equine supplies, because unfortunately he didn't know what Erebus liked or needed. Sorry Erebus.

As per his usual habit, there's a note (unsigned) that simply says Happy holidays. ]

Edited (WHY DID THIS POST BEFORE I WAS DONE) 2023-12-27 17:58 (UTC)

[ Gray will also leave a somewhat large present outside D's door, or hand it to him in person if he happens to rise earlier than she does. The wrapping is all easily torn by one hand. It contains: highly plush slippers, a bag containing small cubes of English fudge, this whole damn outfit, and a card. The card reads: ]

D,

Thank you for always being patient with me, and for making this home a more pleasant place. I'm glad you decided to stay with us. I never expected to make a friend I could relate to so well.

I know eating food isn't easy for you, but just in case you'd like to taste it, I included a bit of fudge that was common to my homeland. It should be safe to feed to Erebus too. I also think I was given a parcel meant for him by mistake...

Merry Christmas! (If you don't have Christmas in your world, I can try to explain.)
Gray

[ On one side of the card is a simple brush drawing of Erebus, sparkling from a fresh polish. ]

[On the first day of the new year by the Kenosian calendar, a courier arrives with two packages for D's household. Within the one addressed to him is a long black robe that resembles the fashions she is used to from her own world. Close enough, anyway.

The courier takes out a note he had taken down that contains a message from the sender, which is revealed to be Hayame, reading it out somewhat in a rush (he's behind schedule). Something about it being tradition in her lands to impart gifts of new clothing for the new year, something about that it would honor her if she were to wear it, they'll be in each other's care for the coming year, yadda yadda yadda...

And then the courier rushes off to his next delivery!!!!]

[ I'm so grateful that D is a big nerd who probably would go spend some time in the huge library in Highstorm just for the sake of having access to books, otherwise I'd be dying trying to figure out how the hell to justify this incoming trainwreck. Anyway.

Despite the Tomes being located in Highstorm -- ostensibly his own home turf -- Gen's the one who feels awfully out of place there. He's never been the bookish type, after all. His career path had been decided as far back as he can remember, after all; studying was always a pointless waste of time for him, given he had a lifetime of manual labor awaiting him, and so he'd never trained himself to appreciate the joys of learning. The only reason he's here now is because recent events have placed him in a position where he needs to learn some of the finer ins-and-outs of blacksmithing magic, stuff beyond what he can just learn through practical experience and trial-and-error. It's a few hours now he's been hunched over a table with a stack of books, one hand tangled through his hair as he slogs through texts, teeth gritted and brow furrowed as he struggles to process all this new information ... aided by a liberal helping of drinks from that nearby kiosk, of course.

What's he even had to drink by now? Who knows! He'd just picked something random off the menu each time, but he's definitely had more than he should have by now.

But even they have their limit in how much they can aid his focus. (Or maybe they've just been making it harder, without his realizing it.) Hours in, and his gaze keeps drifting across the floor of the Tomes, skimming across the scenery and the faces of various strangers in search of a valid distraction. When he spots a face he does recognize, he automatically sits up straighter in his seat, suddenly feeling much more alert. (It's just because now he has an excuse to ditch these books, he tells himself. That's all. It's not like there's any deeper meaning behind why his pulse is suddenly quickening a touch.)

Does D sense the rancid presence of his thrall somewhere nearby? Or does the bustle of the holiday crowd block out that sensation for him? Either way, he's suddenly being accosted by ... a stranger. A tall one that he definitely doesn't recognize -- longer brown hair, soft green eyes, dark skin -- who suddenly wraps an arm over his shoulder and leans in close to croon into his face, ]

What brings you here, stranger?

[ It's Gen. He's just been practicing his disguise magic, and he can't resist the temptation to try and punk D a bit. (It's totally just a fun coinkydink that this gives him an excuse to get up close and personal with D, haha. No meaning behind it at all. Don't worry about it.) ]

[ He doesn't want to drag D into his own personal problems but at the same time D does living in the house and deserves a heads up, so! One fine ~~January~~ Emru day, D will be the recipient of a brief visit wherever he is. ]

D. [ The world's shittiest greeting. ] We're having a small celebration for Dokja's birthday next month. You're not required to be there, though I'm sure Dokja would appreciate it if you were there.

[ He says this but Dokja doesn't actually know it's happening yet?? It's fine, he's still probably in the right about this. ]

[Hayame's presence in Communion feels... different, compared to the last time they had spoken privately. It's hotter, like something afire, even though she had once been cold as ice, even when her voice was a scalding lash of,]

What in the sixteen hells do you think you are doing?

[ After a social interaction that was 100% Matt's fault, but also awkward in ways he could never have predicted, he packed up his pile of uneaten pastries and slunk away with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

One unresolved issue itches at him. Sebastian said he found it productive that Matt shoved him and D together, said he forgave Matt's meddling, but Matt didn't hear anything similar from D.

Matt's Communion has a sense of starry vastness, buoying as warm water. He's not fully in control of the landscape, to say the least, but he's endlessly curious about it. ]

Um, just wanted to say to you specifically ... I'm sorry.

BACKDATED TO LATE WARQU, PRE-BEACH.

communion. i know i said he was going to avoid d but consider: i want to tag you

communion, around evening on some oct day.