logs | (catchall / open)

[ The ruby wasn't even important. It's probably worth like five dollars. But it's the principle of how rude and forceful Joonghyuk is—he won't stand for people who throw their strength around. Especially when they're currently squeezing the life out of his hand.

And now they both look stupid, which is also Joonghyuk's fault. He makes a sour expression at the lightning, his hair standing up even more. ]

Yet you insist on remaining near me.

[ But Puck is uncrossing his legs and moving from the log he's perched on, and Dimitri's attention snaps over to him. Puck makes no motion to listen to Joonghyuk, looking amused instead, lantern dangling from his hand. ]

Set it on the ground and be on your way.

[ There's an irritated sharpness to his voice, the rumble of a whisper in the back of his mind. Not helped by Joonghyuk's presence, probably. ]

[ They really look stupid and his Shadow is chanting to throw Dimitri at Puck, but they want the lantern. He can ignore Dimitri—no, he cannot ignore Dimitri when he's foisting responsibility onto him? His head snaps back, incredulous and offended.

Let him give a reminder with a small rattle of their joined hands. ]

You are the one holding my hand.

[ Why are you blaming him?! Puck bats his eyelashes and offers his free hand for either of them to hold since it seems like a touchy night. "Indulge me with your time and I'll consider." ]

[ Part of him realizes he's being ridiculous, because he did start this. But he's also stubborn, and Joonghyuk has escalated this, so he's to blame as well. ]

You can let go any time you please.

[ And yet he hasn't! Suspicious.

Anyway, to Puck, ]

No. You will hand it here before I force your hand.

[ He's going to walk menacingly over to Puck with Joonghyuk in tow, i guess ]

[ Oh, he's so angry because Dimitri is reminding him that he doesn't want to let go for some reason. It is pleasant—a feeling he hasn't experienced in a while, which makes him hate this more.

The glare he's boring into the other man says "you let go," but he's getting yanked along. It comes with some resistance. Puck stays! Then asks what that means? Does Dimitri plan to kill him? ]

If he doesn't, I will.

[ It actually does feel nice, even if they're electrocuting each other and squeezing so hard that someone's hand might pop off their wrist like an overripe grape. Inexplicably and embarrassingly, it's nice.

He tries not to think about it as he acutely ignores Joonghyuk's death-glare and also kind of his death threat. ]

There's no need to come to blows so long as you're reasonable.

[ The tetchy edge in his voice doesn't promise safety though, and he reaches out to take the lantern wholesale.

...He probably should've used both hands to do so, though. Because Puck is letting the whole thing crash to the earth with enough force that it smashes to bits near instantly. Dimitri's breath catches and he jerks forward to catch it instantly, but there's no way he'd make it in time anyway. It's a foregone conclusion. ]

[ Joonghyuk also darts forward to try to catch the lantern as it comes crashing down. Unfortunately, no matter how fast two linked men can be, it is on the floor in pieces. He can rectify this, however, by grabbing Puck by the neck with monstrous speed that may wildly jerk Dimitri forward.

Puck for once out of my many threads doesn't poof away, instead grabbing onto Joonghyuk's wrist to try to slacken his grip as his feet dangle. ]

You are going to regret this.

[ His shadow whispers into his ear, tantalized by the violence: if you show weakness, everyone will target you. They will exploit you. You have to make a point. ]

[ He makes to crouch down by the lantern to see if it's salvageable, but there's no time for that. Instead, he's literally dragged along as Joonghyuk captures Puck before he can escape, as quick as a snare nooses itself around a rabbit.

He's fast, and strong enough to bodily yank Dimitri along with him. There's no way Puck is slipping out of this one; he answers with a nervous laugh, trying to negotiate with Joonghyuk as his voice goes reedy from a constricted throat.

Dimitri's tone, meanwhile, turns venomous. ]

You...

[ He was angry to begin with, but something about these woods stokes it, his shadow roaring to life like a riptide.

「 Kill him. They deserve nothing less. 」 ]

They died because of you! How many were consumed by these woods for your... mischief?

[ Anyway, he finally lets go of Joonghyuk's hand because he's going to punch Puck straight into a tree unless he stops him. ]

[ How could he stop this when he wasn't prepared? Puck is sent flying and crashes into a tree trunk with so much force that bark splinters off.

Something about seeing Dimitri full of rage and choosing murder in less than five seconds has him taken aback, though overall less enthused. His Shadow continues to goad him, but... ]

I wasn't expecting you to resort to violence.

[ His arms cross now that he and his hand are free. ]

[ Puck is definitely sporting a few broken bones now, judging by how crunchy his impact is against the tree. He's not dead, fortunately. Unfortunately? He breathes out, long and controlled, though it doesn't release the tension that's gripped through him as he'd like it to.

Too quickly, sharply, ]

As though you hadn't threatened to do the same.

[ He leans his weight back on the balls of his feet, glaring over at Puck as he groans. His Shadow urges him on, but something leashes him back. ...Dimitri hadn't meant to lash out so quickly. What was the matter with him? There's a moment of conflict, plain on his face as he wills his heart to stop beating so quickly. ]

...Though there's no point in killing him. [ He says, like he's debating the point to himself as much as engaging Joonghyuk in conversation. ] It won't fix the lantern.

You and I are different.

[ There's no poison in his words, merely stated as fact. Their stories are different, so the reactions should be different. It's fine if he quickly threatens Puck, but it's strange to see this stranger do the same after caring for a stupid ruby.

The lantern is broken much like Puck's bones, so he has little incentive to harm. There's the voice inside him that urges him to ratshake the hell out of Puck, though, but that's easily quelled with his interest elsewhere.

Efforts are put into mostly staring at Dimitri and observing his internal struggle. ]

It's speaking to you, isn't it.

[ For someone who got Puck in a chokehold immediately, Joonghyuk is letting the whole thing go rather quickly. Maybe they are different. ]

...What is?

[ Even if everyone supposedly hears their "Shadows" here, he's never openly admitted to the presence of whispering voices, and it feels odd to start now. He crouches by the remains of the lantern again, though there's no lingering light to find there. ]

We'll have to make up for this somehow...

[ He got bored hiveminding with his shadow is why, but he's also a fickle man. Sometimes the mildest reaction from him is threatening death. ]

A manifestation of one's darkness—one's "shadow" is how they call it.

[ Between the broken lantern and Dimitri, he's going to keep staring at Dimitri because his response to his question is Suspicious. ]

Blood and bone were mentioned earlier.

[ yjh learn anger management challenge ]

I see. Yes, I do think I've heard of those.

[ He's not trying to sew together a convincing lie; it's more dismissive than subtle, a sharp end to the line of conversation. They have other problems to deal with anyway. He looks up, then. ]

Do you have a blade?

[ This'll be easier if he does. ]

[ no like jindos he's psychopathic

Dimitri continues to be suspicious. Joonghyuk has some theories, not that they're important, but he has deemed Dimitri to either have a split personality like Fukawa or have an entity inside him like Kainé and that other girl.

These are both wrong, but no one is here to correct him. ]

You're planning to bleed?

[ he doesn't trust you with a knife ]

[ he really is a jindo

Dimitri's case isn't as dramatic as Fukawa's. He's just stock traumatized. But it's not something he's in a rush to clarify, so now they're left with misunderstandings that will never be cleared up.

More importantly, he nods. ]

Yes. It'll be easier with a knife, but I can manage without if you've nothing on you.

[ Joonghyuk strikes him as a jerk, but he's not going to insist he participates. ]

My impatience is why this happened. It's only right that I try to resolve this however I can.

[ Joonghyuk is quiet for a moment longer than usual, piecing together his headcanon and observations together. Violent man, violent for others, will deal death for the death of others—revenge boy. But a good? Boy?

... At the very least, he can understand focusing on what one can do in the midst of all the things out of their control. ]

You're a strange man.

[ Fished out of his pocket is a knife. He holds it out. ]

[ People call him strange often enough that he's unfazed. Also, he doesn't care what Joonghyuk thinks, as he's also strange.

It looks like they can work together when they need to, though. He takes the blade, handling it with ease. ]

At least it should end the compulsion to hold hands.

[ He seeks out a nearby puddle of bones, and without so much as a wince, slashes his palm open over them. He then squeezes his hand into a fist, as if impatient for the blood to hurry out beyond the initial splatter. ]

Here.

[ He can have his knife back now. ]

[ Does it end the compulsion... When Joonghyuk reaches to get back his knife, fingertips brush and linger for a moment. Not overlong since he doesn't want them clutching hands again, despite how the desire is there. Curse the nuts.

He polishes it clean before putting it away. ]

Give me your injured hand.

[ Open paw to receive paw. Now. ]

[ It doesn't erase the compulsion, but at least it's mostly impossible, unless Joonghyuk wants to get blood over everything.

Besides, Dimitri doesn't listen right away. No give, only bleed. He eyes him with a frown as he coaxes more blood from his wound. It's hard to say how much this ritual needs—probably more, rather than less. There's a fair amount accumulated, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. ]

Surely you don't want to clasp hands, still?

[ Nu, you're just going to bleed him out? Are the bones glowing and forming a new lantern shard? Frankly, Joonghyuk doesn't have that much care to collect them and has other reasons to be a good boy, so at most his attention flickers to the bone pile for a second before back to this.

Hand now. ]

No.

[ That just seems suspicious, though. Doesn't it. ]

[ they're supposed to get woozy from blood loss or something!!!! leave me alone. or rather, joonghyuk should just leave him alone so he dies here and i can be free.

i also don't know if these bones do anything, but after a bit they seem ambiguously sated and the woods around them settle from bristling their razor-sharp leaves and into an eerie quiet, their thirst slaked for now. dimitri continues to look suspicious, but by now he's too tired to argue.

so he just watches joonghyuk carefully as he extends his injured hand over, waiting to see what his deal is. ]

[ Thanks for the hand. He doesn't hold onto it and let the warm blood comfort him in this chilly night despite the compulsion because he's partially a neat freak and that's not a normal thing to do. He isn't that kind of freak.

What he does do is clean it with a piece of fabric he exchanged for his knife from his pocket, then the wound gets bandaged with a secure knot to keep it safe and covered. It isn't sloppy in the slightest, but meticulous.

There. Done. Dimitri gets his hand back and Joonghyuk checks to see if the lantern shard is Returned. ]

(catchall / open)

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cw: blood and stuff

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