(catchall / open)

[paraselenes]

WHO: dimitri and friends
WHERE: wheremstever
WHEN: all of october
WHAT: event starters and whatever else! feel free to ask me for one over at my plotting comment, or just wildcard me whatever, i love wildcards
WARNINGS: will update as necessary

October Event outside catch-all

• w/Vincent
  
• w/Toko
  
• w/Noctis
  
• w/Hibiki
  
• w/Zagreus
  
• w/Lottie
  
• w/D
  
• w/Aspen
  
• w/Claude
  
• w/Felix
  
• w/Set

Comments

FINALLY TAGS MITRI.. A MONTH LATER...

[philandery]

[ felix had warned him, in a very reluctant and vague way, that dimitri was different here. however sylvain's had a bit too much whiskey and other festival delicacies (n u t s), so when he manages to find the person in question he can't quite tell the difference? (he's seeing dimitri with an eyepatch, i would say i'm sorry but i'm not.)

sylvain takes no time at all greeting him with a friendly arm slung around his shoulder, and a broad grin plastered to his face. his breath probably reeks a little of booze, though he's done his best not to overindulge; a little caution goes a long way in this place.

still, not nearly careful enough if he's partially hallucinating in public. were he sober he'd be deeply saddened by dimtri's presence, but it's a party, and he's had a few weeks to compartmentalize the worst of his grief. we love bottling up emotions! a surefire way to solve problems and not make them worse down the road! ]

Finally found ya. Enjoying yourself, Your Majesty?

[ (the honorific, while no longer applicable, is pretty much a term of endearment by now.) also, dimitri probably can't taste anything, but hopefully he can at least soak in some of the festive vibes? ]

[paraselenes]

[ The party is fine. It has food and drink, and eventually Dimitri is able to find a quiet stretch of space to watch the proceedings rather than involve himself directly. He enjoys the ambiance this way, even if he indeed can't taste one bit of the pound cake he's snacking on.

But at least Dimitri's imbibed enough wonky food that he's not shocked with fear at Sylvain's presence, though he does stare wide-eyed for a moment, mind whirling to a decision on whether or not this is a ghost or hallucination or some terrible amalgamation of both.

He lowers his voice, watching him with cautious reservation. ]

Is that really you, Sylvain...?

[ It probably is, because the weight around his shoulders feels real and hefty, but one can never be too sure. Especially when you're Dimitri and have a skull full of brain soup. ]

[philandery]

[ It wouldn't be the first time Dimitri has regarded him with suspicion, and either way it goes right over Sylvain's empty head. He's feeling pretty good about the afterlife right now, enough tea and whiskey and whatever else in him to tide him over the worst of his regrets. ]

Who else would it be?

[ He grins and plants a hand on top of Dimitri's head, a single degree shy of ruffling his hair, as if sensing he needs additional proof that Sylvain is corporeal.

But really, it's been ages since they've been in such close proximity. Usually there's a war council table between them, or some five years of estrangement. It's nice not to care about any of that right now.

He squints at Dimitri, trying to recall what he'd been told. He's supposed to have both eyes here, isn't he? ]

Huh. Still wearing that outta habit...?

[ The (imagined) eyepatch. ]

[paraselenes]

[ After a moment or two, he makes the tactical decision to believe Sylvain is real. There's been enough strange effects floating about this evening to justify a little faith. Sylvain feels real enough that he wants to believe it.

Though that doesn't make his surprise ebb any. Now he just looks hapless and disheveled, some of his hair breaking free from his sad little ponytail. ]

Wearing...?

[ He has no idea what he means. He touches his scarf briefly in confusion? Yes, he's wearing his scarf still? Lamely, ]

Well, yes. It's a bit cold. [ ... ] Did you drink anything especially foul? Felix already gave me a fright earlier.

[ Felix scared him witless by being... chill. Maybe Sylvain drank whatever that was too. More gently, ]

You know he's here as well, don't you?

[philandery]

[ rather than a cozy lil' scarf, sylvain sees a mangy pile of furs pulled around dimitri's shoulders. he blinks, and the image doesn't budge. it's arguable if he even able to perceive the depression ponytail. (though, gradually... it comes into focus. weird. how did he not notice that before?) ]

Heh, did he now... Did you have some too?

[ Important Questions. he can't quite hide the amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes at the very idea. ]

Felix mentioned you to me first, actually.

[ some things never change, even in death... though, his expression sobers a little as he smooths dimitri's hair back in place like a mother hen. ]

...I just hope Ingrid isn't losing her wits, wherever she is. Or maybe she's finally breathing easy, now that we're no longer around to give her grief.

yjh ; oakwoods

[paraselenes]

[ Like the pied piper, Puck's mysterious song acts as a lure, drawing people into the clearing where he's situated atop a log. It makes sense that multiple people would arrive here at the same time, hunting the same trickster.

He's not exactly thrilled at the person who emerges from the trees at exactly the same time as him, though. ]

—You.

[ Despite sounding displeased, he reaches out and holds his hand. ]

[regression]

[ This trickster really is dying and reviving, having multiple pieces of the lantern, and luring people into the forest to indulge in the night. Degeneracy most sinful and Joonghyuk is sick of this attractive man.

His eyes narrow when he catches sight of Dimitri, gaze darkening like brewing storm clouds. This man... He holds his hand in return, vise-grip tight. ]

You.

[ Puck beyond goes YOOHOO, boys? May he have their attention? ]

[paraselenes]

[ Sorry not sorry, Puck.

Joonghyuk is as pleasant as ever. Which is to say, he's sour-faced and contemptful. Dimitri squeezes back as though it's a competition, enough that his hand is sore. ]

What is your business here?

[ Puck is also there. ]

[regression]

[ Joonghyuk takes it as a challenge, so his grip tightens more as threat and punishment. Stop that—yield. They're going to have the stupidest looking bruises.

In a tone that implies his answer is a waste of words: ]

You should already know.

[ The lantern. Puck, who is here, being ignored despite having said lantern. ]

naruto ; oakwoods

[paraselenes]

[ The deep woods are nostalgic in an odd way; the ghostly silent encampment he's stumbled across is pitched with decaying tents, their spines standing out as the canvas walls rot and grow moss. If he squints, it reminds him of another time in his life. The bodies here are more fetid than his memories, less charred, but just as lifeless.

Maybe that's why he feels obliged to haul up a corpse in his arms, the stink and rot of its caving flesh sticking wetly to his clothes. It takes time to gather the bodies in a place where the earth is loamy and soft enough to dig, but soon enough he has a good collection of them.

It's easy to fall into the task like a routine, even when another leaf slices past his face, blood slipping down from his brow. That is, until he hears someone else nearby. ]

...You ought not to linger, stranger.

[ There's a roughness to his voice, on-edge with this place's tricks, but it's a genuine suggestion. It's not a safe place to rest, or a pleasant one. ]

[acknowledgement]

[He slows, allowing the main hunting party to continue charging ahead through the treacherous woods without him. Though he originally joined them to search for the stolen lantern together, the shinobi senses his efforts might be better applied elsewhere. After wandering for a short period, he stumbles across the present scene: a young man ripe with the stench of death and decay, surrounded by corpses. Naruto warily scrutinizes Dimitri—trying to determine whether or not the lordling might have been responsible for killing these people. Judging by how rotted the cadavers are, he concludes they’ve been dead for quite some time.]

Could say the same thing to you, [he points out, drawing closer to inspect Dimitri’s work. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what his new companion is doing, yet Naruto questions it regardless.] You’re…gonna bury them?

[Inexplicably, he is reminded of his youth—digging graves for Haku and Zabuza, so that they might rest peacefully together, for all that Zabuza claimed they would not be going to the same place in the afterlife. After a moment of consideration, he drops to his knees and begins to assist Dimitri. With only one usable hand, his progress will be slower, yet it feels important to do this traditionally than to employ chakra-arms through special abilities.]

I’m Naruto. [Briefly, blue eyes assess the blood dripping from the cut on Dimitir’s forehead. He ultimately chooses not to comment, though Naruto remains poised to intercept any additional leaves that might sail their way.] Who’re you?

[paraselenes]

[ This person... doesn't look much younger than he is. Maybe one of the many combing the woods for signs of that missing lantern. He's taken aback enough by Naruto's abrupt presence to nearly fumble his practiced introduction. ]

Dimitri. [ ... ] Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.

[ What a place to get acquainted. His arms are already black with rot, his hands dark with dirt. It doesn't visibly faze Dimitri, but he knows that anyone else who can stay composed at the sight and smell is no average civilian. ]

Naruto. [ He restrains himself from speaking unkindly, even if his shadow rumbles low in his head, suspicious. ] Unless you killed these people, you needn't push yourself.

[ The atmosphere here is foul, not to mention that digging a grave out two palmfuls of dirt at a time is hard enough, much less one. No matter how capable this stranger may be, it is taxing on the spirit. ]

[acknowledgement]

[Well, that’s…certainly a name. Maybe it’s some kind of title? Regardless, Naruto only manages to catch “Dimitri” and quickly forgets the rest. Hopefully this guy’s culture introduces people with the given name first and family name last—like most of the Restless here (and quite unlike the Konoha shinobi or people from Japanese. From “Japan,” corrects Kurama helpfully.)]

Geez. [The blond tosses a wriggling worm over his shoulder, then continues digging.] You kinda seem to like stating obvious things while treating yourself like the exception. What’s up with that?

[There’s a forced nonchalance to his tone, one that may be difficult for a new acquaintance to pick up on. Between the Shadow and the atmosphere here, Naruto is hard pressed not to feel melancholic. But he’s trying to stay as unaffected as possible, nonetheless. As a shinobi, he’s been dealing with death since childhood. He can do this. It’s the right thing to do.]

Are you suggestin’ that you killed these people? I mean, you’re pushing yourself.

rosa ; feast

[paraselenes]

[ Rosa has proven to be nice company in the past, enough that he naturally hovers near her, like someone hanging out at a party and gravitating towards their friends in lieu of being surrounded by strangers. It's the natural life of a wallflower.

But rather than clinging to the sides of the room, he's hanging out with her at the absolutely massive spread of food. Amused, ]

It looks like you finally have an opportunity to enjoy your 'snacks.'

[ Beats eating squirrels? Or whatever she's been subsisting on. ]

[declass]

I guess if you complain about something enough, you will get your way.

[ that's not how it usually works, but in this singular moment, it is. granted, whether or not she'll feel the same way after discovering what the actual food here is like remains in question. ]

I wasn't expecting any sort of festivities though in a place like this.

[ everything has been so doom and gloom since their initial arrival. ]

[paraselenes]

[ no, she's right, complaining always works. ]

Me neither. But any collection of people will seek things like tradition and merriment.

[ Tradition provides structure, and festivities provide a bit of happiness, and it isn't so unexpected that even the dead would try to grasp a little of both. They might as well enjoy it, he thinks, passing her a plate to fill up. ]

It can't always be as grim as a grave here, or everyone is bound to lose their minds.

[ except for him, he's allowed to be depressed all the time ]

[declass]

Thank you.

[ no, dimitri deserves happiness and a hand to hold. rosa is allowed to be depressed all the time.

but that's true. it's already bad enough for most people that they're dead. and even if it turns out that they actually aren't, the fact is that it still means they were taken from their homes and put into an unknown situation based on a rather traumatic lie. it's bad news either way. ]

That's true. How can a place be that bad when there are so many cute rabbits around?

[ that's a joke.

she'll start picking items to put on the plate.

eivor ; maze

[paraselenes]

[ Cat and mouse is a game for children; to him, this maze reads as an exercise in hunting, stalking. Nothing about it sounds "fun," but people are energetic enough about it that he makes the mistake of being adventurous.

And so here he is, chasing after the nearest moving blur. While he's capable enough at hunting, he's used to doing so with hounds, letting them toss up a ruckus with their howls and bluster, flushing out prey that he can pin with an arrow or blade.

In this case, he has to be both hound and hunter. Stalks of corn plod to the ground as he swipes widely through them, intent on chasing anyone using them for shelter out into the open. He thinks he saw them (her?) run around here, anyway... ]

[ulfrkysst]

[Despite Eivor being an all around giant person, she is weirdly decent at being sneaky. She wouldn't be a very good Assassin's Creed if she weren't. Still, usually she is creeping around in a castle or the woods or someplace with literal hiding places instead of cavorting around a field of produce.

Dimitri cuts a swath through the corn and narrowly misses Eivor's shitty hiding place, so she decides it's now or never. She suddenly springs out, howling, intent on just barreling him over so she can run away.]

[paraselenes]

[ Well, that's certainly a battle cry.

Dimitri isn't one for subterfuge or sneaking about; his training was as forthright as knighthood, with a demeanor to match. So it's his benefit that he fights someone out in the open—as open as a corn field can get, anyway. ]

Guh—

[ He's sturdy enough to take a good tackle, but what he doesn't count on is that she means to flee, not fight. He's knocked back far enough that she barrels past him... and keeps going. Like this is a chase or something? Incredible. So he runs after her.

「 Only the guilty and craven flee first. 」

...Guilty of what? He doesn't know, but he's spurred on by the voice anyway, stopping only long enough to launch the 'spear' he's carrying towards her feet. ]

[ulfrkysst]

[Eivor sprints around the corner just in time, the spear only just grazing her heel. She is definitely not expecting someone to have brought a weapon to a cornfield maze, so it takes her a few, stumbling steps before her brain catches up.]

Are you mind-sick? [She whirls, expertly digging her foot into the ground to skid to a controlled halt. She hasn't got a weapon herself, but that has never stopped her before.]

If you are in want of a fight, I'm glad to help.

sooyoung ; feast

[pyojeol]

[nu i said i'd do it and i will deliver

okay ig wherever dimitri is sooyoung is now behind him giving him a backhug. i was gonna link a kdrama gif but it's more like a toddler hugging an adult bc their height difference is so stupid.]

This isn't my fault.

[paraselenes]

[ HELP

yeah she's a jetpack. he freezes in place as she koalas onto his back, confused and slightly alarmed? most people who come at him from behind are trying to murder him, so this is different.

after a second he relaxes though, voice only just slightly more emphatic than a deadpan. ]

...Whose fault would you say it is, then?

[pyojeol]

[dimitri ur attempted MURDERS

Honestly, Sooyoung wouldn't have blamed Dimitri for plucking her off and football kicking her to the next town over.

It's what she would have done? Or attempted to do... She's pretty sure if Dimitri tried to back hug her she'd be crushed under his weight. See, maybe there always is a silver lining in everything you find!]

It's whoever made those magic nuts.

[Actually, no. This is still the worst.]

I wouldn't have eaten them if I knew this was gonna happen! Also, you were like -- right in front of me!

[ASSIGNS BLAME TO EVERYONE EXCEPT HERSELF]

[paraselenes]

[ Who doesn't have an attempted murder or twelve under their belt! They're all dead, seems like a safe bet. But he does not punt her like a football, just sort of twisting around a bit to try and get a better look at her. ]

Ah, yes. My mistake for standing here.

[ JUST MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS... His tone is dry, though not with any genuine annoyance. ]

You can at least... make yourself more comfortable? Isn't it difficult hanging off of my back like this?

[ He'll shift around to give her a piggyback ride, if she prefers. ]