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Entry tags:
- ! mod event,
- arknights: shalem,
- bleach: grimmjow jaegerjaquez,
- bleach: jugram haschwalth,
- danganronpa: fukawa toko,
- encanto: bruno madrigal,
- ennead: set,
- fe3h: claude von riegan,
- fe3h: felix hugo fraldarius,
- ffvii: vincent valentine,
- genshin impact: tartaglia (childe),
- genshin impact: the traveler (lumine),
- hades: zagreus,
- htwmho: rudbeckia de borgia,
- jjk: fushiguro megumi,
- jjk: itadori yuuji,
- naruto: uchiha sasuke,
- orv: han sooyoung,
- orv: jung heewon,
- shadow and bone: the darkling,
- stranger things: steve harrington,
- the last of us: joel miller,
- vld: keith
(no subject)
I. PUSHING UP DAISIES
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
III. TO THE RESCUE
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
► PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL ATTRACTION & REQUITED LOVE
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
if your character has heard of similar diseases in their home world, they're absolutely welcome to share their insight on the netherwork or anywhere else
the evolution of the disease can be as gradual, as fast or as severe as you wish it to be
a mini quest to retrieve ingredients for a cure will be available in december or january
by february, all characters should be cured
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
► Ironically, a magical barrier around the Gallows prevents magical/spiritual abilities from functioning. However, characters who roam free still can absolutely sneak in! Be careful not to get caught, though!
► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
Luckily for you, there are so many prisoners it's a difficult task for the Hierarchy to always keep track of all of them. Your brand, however, is a dead giveaway, so you might as well try and find a way to get rid of it; you might hear through the grapevines that the dead skin of Badaliscus can be used as bandages, and overtime, the brand will fully heal and disappear.► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
III. TO THE RESCUE
As you attempt to escape, or perhaps once you’ve successfully snuck in, you come across a terrifying spectacle: in front of you, impaled through the shoulder by a spear, a weary humanoid figure covered in blood. The body is being restrained by additional shackles on each arm and leg, which are linked to chains anchored within the walls. There's a guard nearby, armed to the teeth… and still you decide to free them.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
so you’ve chosen to free him, which in turn has generated a future plot point that’ll occur some time in february. some of you WILL see him again.
what he says to you is a clue.
you can answer his question OOCly right here. it’ll have some bearing on the way your character will be approached re: future plot point.
if you've voted no and would still like to participate, you could always allow your character to be convinced or reluctantly dragged by another!
ooc note
► As always, check out the Notice Board if you'd like additional prompts! Older quests from previous months are always available as well. You'll also find the Calendar right here.
► You'll find already answered questions just here, and if you'd like to ask new ones, ask them here!
► For fun's sake and similarly to the puck adventure, you may play it out in different groups or on your own, and still obtain the same results as everyone else whether your characters threaded together!
daisies b
Sometimes you're just leaning against a wall having a nice (terrible) coughing fit because apparently tropes can't just stay tropes in books and have to actually plague you in real life. The upside is that she's not alone in her afflication, a good number of her fellows also coming apart at the seams and spewing up blossoms wherever they go. The downside is that her current fellow also suffering happens to be the one she (accidentally) locked lips with not so long ago.
Heewon frowns as she wipes a stray petal. ]
We already did that.
[ She would like to forget that incident but unfortunately it's going to haunt her until the day she dies. ]
What are you trying to suggest? I'm not in love with you, if that's what you're talking about.
[ And surely this guy can't want to talk about his feelings?? (She will be surprised, maybe.) ]
no subject
even with the awkward footing of their first interaction, there's some semblance of relief (or is it comfort?) in seeing a familiar face. maybe this is only doubled due to their shared intimacy. or perhaps, that was simply the cough and other remaining feelings talking. callisto isn't sure if part of this was being reflective, or if the rumors on its cause and potential cures were simply entering and taking over too much of his head space.
whatever the case is, he releases something of an exhale when she speaks. ] Is it your intention to remove any and all romantic sentiments from the gesture? [ he puts on an act as if this effects him any. ]
My heart is going to ache, my lady. [ it really isn't, but he seems firm on making sure she knows this. ]
no subject
She considers for a moment just turning around and walking away, but truthfully he really doesn't look so great and she knows a small part of her heart would feel regret if she left him to hack up daisies now.
But she's still not about to let his words just pass so easily. She frowns again, rebutting his words with some of her own. ]
It's Jung Heewon, not 'my lady'. At least call me by my name.
[ The latter makes her sound like some sort of noble princess, which couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe it'd be a title more fitting for someone like Yoo Sangah, with her refined beauty and careful choice in words, but certainly not for her.
Sighing, she heads over to where he is, dropping a casual hand onto her hip. ]
So who's the person you're thinking of?
[ There's gotta be someone, if he's been infected too. ]
no subject
but, with that said, he does seem to take a few seconds to take in her name. he wonders if this a personal preference to her, or if it was a strange convention of where she was from. similar to her convention of believing a kiss was as simple as simply both parties desiring it. not that callisto had his horse in either race. ]
I appreciate your desire to be more personal, [ he opens his mouth, his lips already beginning to mouth off another "my lady," but he simply falls silent before, brushing his hand through his hair. he clears his throat, also to clear any clotted blood or petals. ] Heewon.
[ it sounded incredibly foreign to him. even more so once he uttered it, but he keeps his wits and confidence to him. that said, he only seems to lose it less than a second later. but, really, callisto didn't have any qualms about talking about himself. at least not in a context like this.
however, that didn't also mean he wouldn't be teasing or slightly contrary. ]
Are you normally this straight-forward? They say matters of the heart tend to be delicate, you know. [ he says this as if she were completely unaware of the concept. ] But, I'm not sure. Does it count if my thinking may simply be curiosity? [ yet... it's always driving him crazy, so. ]
no subject
Heewon is not fully learned in the ways of Callisto Regulus but she's quickly getting there. It helps that he hasn't actually tried to kill her yet, so her (mis)perceived idea of her safe status around him keeps her tongue loose and flapping. Then again, if he tried anything the entire ORV cast would hunt him down, maybe she's still safe?? 🤔
But regardless, she doesn't fear him right now, for better or worse, and continues answering him as she always has in the past, bluntly and without hesitation. ]
Yeah I am. Sorry, you're not that special.
[ But it's better for him this way, if she's comfortable treating him like any other guy.
A little bit of her previous annoyance melts away, her posture relaxing as she leans on one hip. ]
And love doesn't have to be delicate, or obvious. It can be anything and everything, or it can be something that's not obvious until it's too late.
[ Like with her own experiences. She frowns unconsciously at the memory. ]
Better to figure it out now, even if you're not sure.
no subject
that's a scary thought, but one he fortunately does not have to entertain. much like how heewon has already discerned his lack of real malicious intent or hostility, he also gets the feeling that despite her words, she seems to humor him nonetheless. from what he knows of her more fiery personality, he doesn't doubt she wouldn't just turn on her heels and depart had she truly despised him.
not that it would change his own actions of way of approach any. as always was incorrigible. ] How mean. [ since this is not the first, but the second time she's said this to him. he half-wonders if she were the sort who believed the more they said something, the more it would simply be spoken into existence? the superstitious type? whatever it is and despite his own words, he doesn't actually look hurt.
but, at that second bit, he does seem to give it a few seconds. seconds where he only seems to focus in on his own illness. regardless— ] Are you speaking from personal experience? [ ... ] Despite rejecting me, you seem like quite the expert on love.
You also mentioned freely kissing people as you please... [ not her exact words, but listen... ]
no subject
But also: I can't believe you're making me talk about my canon ship like this. Pain. ]
I didn't say that.
[ She mutters it more to herself than him, because this is not the hill she wants to die on. ]
And I wouldn't consider myself an expert. I'm not the greatest at it, actually.
[ Some of her ire disappears, replaced by an almost melancholy as she stares at the ground, a furrow between her brow and her lips pulled down. The sudden remembrance of the life she'd lived before this, along with the topic at hand, has her coughing again, a few petals spraying out before she manages to quell the worst of it. ]
I didn't realize it for myself until it was too late. I couldn't tell the person who liked me that I liked them back.
[ And then she had to drag his body around as a sword for too many months with the weight of that on her shoulders. #justorvthings ]
no subject
for once, making someone semi-speechless wasn't the result he wanted to yield, but then at the same time, the level of vulnerability he sees displayed is one that is rarer. while back at home he may have debated what merit there was in being this honest to him of all people, and he may have had to question her sincerity— here, there was no such notion. instead, he just kind of listens. ]
I'm surprised. You always seemed so fiery and confident. [ but, he supposed this only went to show that everyone had their own reservations of being here. of not being home, and beyond that, of the people left behind. not that callisto had very many intimate relations, but that isn't to state that he didn't have his own priorities and thoughts. still, despite her own words, he probably would have argued that it didn't make her any less an expert in his eyes...
at least she had an awareness of liking someone. though— ] So you just let them confess to you one-sidedly? That's cold. [ LMAO is his takeaway... sorry heewon, he's not good at this. ]
no subject
If they were closer (as friends, not physically) she'd be elbowing him in the side for that offhand comment. He's not wrong though, and the flush growing on her face is proof of that. ]
I didn't mean to! I just needed some time to think about it.
[ Kind of surprising, when she's always been ready to dive in headfirst into everything else. Maybe there is something different and unique about love, that turns even the hardiest of warriors into fools. Not just romantic love, but platonic and familial love as well. Isn't that why Kim Dokja had done everything he had, because he'd loved the characters in his novel so much?
She sighs, some of her ire cooling a bit. ]
And what, are you saying you would have responded immediately? If the person you liked came up to you right now and confessed, you'd say yes?
no subject
still, he supposed everyone processed things at a different pace. to be honest, he supposes even when he heard a confession, his blade was still at her neck. enough to slice her and supposedly cause "iron poisoning." a fact he still doubted, but decides against considering too deeply. instead, focusing on the present rather his past missteps (even if he had forgot them until quite recently). ] Who knows? But, I would argue if there was someone like that, hm... Maybe I would marry them right away?
[ it's a joke, maybe. but, probably not too far off from the truth. he did tease penelope saying they could have became lovers, right? still, he supposed only an absolute psycho could probably fill that space. that said: ]
Aren't you thinking too much? [ he's not saying it's unexpected but.... ]
1/2
.... ]
2/2
You what? Just like that?
[ Seriously, every time this guy opens his mouth she has to ask if he's for real or not. And each time, it really seems like he is?? But after so long (it hasn't been long at all) of his absolutely strange antics and proclamations, she now finds it funny instead of disturbing, breaking out into a fit of laughter that inevitably trails into more coughing of flower petals as the seconds pass by. ]
You really are a weird one, you know that right?
[ But after so long spent with others who are just as bizarre if not more so, it's kind of relieving in its own way. People do be crazy no matter where she goes. ]
So what are they like, this person that you like? Is it a guy or a girl?
[ 'Fess up so she can use the right pronouns. ]
no subject
Is it so weird? If someone were crazy enough to confess to me, it'd only be natural that I would be curious about them. [ or so he seems to already be leading into her second question. it was undeniable the confession back home had left an impact on him, enough for it to have remained even after the fact. almost like it ate at him. even he realizes how insane this all seemed, and yet... it was undeniable that it was just simply the truth.
with that said, there's a small: ] She's... [ a pause. ] mean? [ isn't that the last real conversation they had? while vinter may have had romantic words about her being someone who rarely smiled and how that smile left a deep and lasting impression on him... callisto was.
callisto. ] What about you? What was so good about them?
no subject
[ Wow, okay. Of every description she was expecting, that sure wasn't one of them. Is this guy a masochist? Is he the type to enjoy it when other people are mean to him? (She hasn't exactly been nice to him and he hasn't run screaming the other way yet, so maybe....?) Or is he just the immature type that thinks picking on girls is still an acceptable way to show affection? Who can truly say with Callisto.
Unfortunately he's not getting more out of her until he COUGHS UP SOME MORE DEETS!! ]
That's it? You don't like anything else about her?
[ That seriously can't be it.... ]
no subject
despite being a crown prince and being perfectly capable of being eloquent, especially in written communication, it does not mean his behaviors reflect this in the least. nor does it mean his estimations of penelope are accurate. not that he thinks he's lied at all. but, he does seem to see the error of his ways, giving something akin to a tired exhale. ]
No one claimed to have liked it. [ ... except, maybe in the context, that was more or less implied. still, he continues. ] As I said, she was simply someone I couldn't help but wonder about. Perhaps, the only woman who could confess to someone after they just stabbed an assassin to death. [ which could mean a variety of things? he could have been just as entranced at how fearless she's always been and how she's always taken action for herself. even he can't deny the way she pushes him away...
maybe heewon was onto something after all. ]
1/2
?????? ]
She confessed to you after you killed someone?
[ bro. ]
why did i wander off in between....help
Unfortunately, his description of his beloved Penelope gives her absolutely no clarity on this mental image she's started forming in her mind, except that now the blurry black figure is laughing maniacally while Callisto laughs maniacally next to her. Hm. Maybe she should recalibrate. ]
She sounds pretty tough.
[ Said in a pretty admiring way, truthfully. Heewon likes women who can stand up to men.
Ah, but wait— ]
Do you usually have assassins after you?
[ He said something about being a prince, right....... ]
i am crying... waits for heewon while at work
no, it was a feeling so foreign that he isn't sure he can adequately put to words. but, as much as heewon might have admired penelope for her grit, he thought heewon wasn't any less impressive in her own right. not that he says this flat out. granted, he's only sure she could have taken it offensively? (totally based on his headcanon of her alone). ]
Since I was young. [ a pause. ] Are you feeling bad by chance? [ uwu ]
no subject
But yeah, she feels a little bad? It's one thing to be forced into awful situations as an adult, to have to fight for your life and protect yourself and those you love from oncoming danger. But to try and kill a child because of the potential threat they might represent....it reminds her of Shin Yoosong as the Disaster of Floods, a child they were all told to kill lest she become the terrible future ready to eradicate them all.
Her mouth twists down, in both anger and sadness, as she stares at the ground. Her voice is uncharacteristically soft as she speaks, mostly to herself ]
I just think children should be allowed to live simple, happy childhoods, no matter what kind of situation they're born into.
[ Is it an idealistic and naive dream? Most likely, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to see it come true anyway, and it definitely doesn't stop her from fighting for it every second of her life.
A little of her usual snappiness comes back as she lifts her face to look at Callisto. ]
You seem to have managed for yourself though. Don't think knowing that will make me any nicer to you.
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whatever it was, it does give a bit of an almost ironic smile. to be honest, he does think it's rather unrealistic, but... a sentiment or desire was simply that, and he couldn't fault her for simply having her humanity in tact. ] In my case, I would state that I may have been quite naive back then. [ which he would say is his own fault. after all, an emperor had to be flawless regardless of age, and even now he doesn't think any differently. ]
I think if you were suddenly kind to me, I might find that more suspicious. ... perhaps, I might even consider you were after my life.
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Thankfully, she's learned not to be offended by his strange commentary anymore, and instead she just waves a hand dismissively. ]
Don't worry, I won't be nice to you any time soon. Not until you deserve it, at least.
[ Which basically means whenever he can stop being a weirdo. Although.....she straightens, tipping her head to one side to consider something. ]
I think if you stopped being so weird, that would also be suspicious. So we're even.
[ Isn't it so nice to see equality and man and woman on equal footing? Except right after she says this she starts coughing again, another spray of petals falling forth from her mouth. Way to ruin the moment. ]
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but, who knew how comforting the prospect of someone not being kind to you is. at the very least it at least solidified a sense of normalcy, and to be honest, he quite preferred her unfiltered honesty to anything else. ]
How characteristically strict of you. [ despite apparently being a kissing fiend?? in his eyes? though, whatever comfort he feels in this conversation is kind of short-lived considering her sudden coughing. fortunately, being who he is, he actually does have a handkerchief in his pocket, which he does offer her.
he swallows hard, attempting to focus on anything else, and hence, he gradually returns back to his previous inquiry. ] You never answered my question. [ what is good about your man!!
honestly, it's going to kill him not to know, if just because if he was rejected??? this person has to be amazing? but, who knows what really moves a woman's heart. ]