ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ▸ if i wanna stay alive.

[lackluster]

WHO: Tartaglia & others.
WHERE: Around Stygia.
WHEN: November.
WHAT: Catchall for the month, mostly scenarios unrelated to the event. Plus some exploration and twerking.
WARNINGS: None as of now!

( ooc. just a closed log with the starters i owe for peeps! if you'd like a custom scenario with tartaglia, feel free to send me a pm or reply to my plotting comment so we can work something out.

Comments

sʜᴀʟᴇᴍ.

[lackluster]

[ After the harrowing events at the Gallows, Tartaglia thinks he could use a break or two. Nevermind that he seems to have caught a cold somehow even though he was born and raised in the harsh winters of Snezhnaya so someone like him shouldn't be getting sick that easily, but there it is anyway. An itch in his throat. At least it's ignorable for now.

He finds himself staring at the notice board once more, looking through the available commissions. Some of them he's already gone through but there are a couple that will still pay decent coin no matter how many times he does it. Maybe he could go fishing again? That's always a decent way to spend the time, especially when he needs to clear his mind.

Or maybe he can try asking around. Some of the locals could have jobs they didn't bother posting to the board itself so it might mean the rewards could be less, but at least it'll be something.

He'll continue to stare at the board while he goes over his options. Either way, he wants something that will keep him busy.

(He'd also like something that will keep his Shadow quiet, but he's doing his best to ignore it for now too. Just like the tickle in his throat.) ]

uwu

[prozaic]

Oh... Are you looking for a job?

[shalem asks that as if he wasn't keeping an eye on the local notice board for someone to help him out on a little quest of sorts. he can't deal with the badaliscus on his own, after all, and he's hoping this man might help-- fresh-faced restless are better than those who have been here a long time, because of the initial on his arm. which is why shalem wised up and wrapped it under his layers of clothing. if he doesn't want to fight... well, shalem will just have to find someone else. that's how this goes.]

You've been standing there a while-- nothing interesting, I take it. [well, he does know what's on that board, he's seen the jobs before.]

[lackluster]

[ When someone approaches him, Tartaglia turns to face the person, a bright smile already in place. He laughs softly. ]

Something like that. Am I really that obvious?

[ It's true that none of the jobs look particularly interesting to him. It doesn't matter how many times he reads over the board. ]

I've done most of them already, but if you have something different, I'd be up for a change of pace.

[prozaic]

It depends-- I might not be able to pay you, since this is for philanthropic reasons. [and also a good deal selfish.]

It also depends on your opinion of hunting dangerous beasts in the Shadowlands.

[lackluster]

I don't need to get paid.

[ Honestly, he's more wanting to have something to do. ]

What kinds of beasts are we hunting?

[prozaic]

[shalem pulls out his phone, and scrolls to a picture of the badaliscus he'd seen in the distance, the last time he was out in the shadowlands to check on his tethers.]

These. [he turns his phone to show the man.] They're quite dangerous, and both poisonous and venomous to boot. However, I've heard rumours of their dried skin being quite good for... certain skin conditions.

[no, he will not be elaborating on what those conditions would be. not here.

he's just happy to make it sound as if he's doing this for vanity, in case someone is eavesdropping, especially when he already has jewelry on himself, and looks like he has make-up. shalem appears soft, delicate, anyone would immediately assume he's vain.]

orv apartment

[midway]

[ While it feels as though Claude has been in the Netherworld for a life time already, there's still plenty to grow accustomed to and learn. He's discovered that temperatures in doors can be controlled by a "thermostat", and that the heat of stoves are controlled by knobs, not flames. For the most part, it makes sense. Input command, and the electrical wiring carries it through.

Or something. He's not an engineer.

But this "microwave" is new to him. He has in one hand a packaged mean that Joonghyuk had provided him, and in the other the air of confusion and loss. He can't quite determine how to set the temperature on the device, even after learning that the time went in first.

He's stumped enough that he does what everyman dreads doing: he asks for help.

Popping his head out the door of his suite, he catches sight of a lucky ginger. ]

Hey there, do you have a moment?

i can't believe they're about to blow up the orv apartment

[lackluster]

[ This lucky ginger is minding his own business.

He's just moved in, after all, so he needs to memorize the layout of the place just in case things happen. And apparently, things are happening right now but he'll remain blissfully unaware of it for the time being. He's more interested in how well this building is going to hold up during whatever disaster scenario he has cooking up in his mind.

It's hard to break out of a soldier's mentality, okay.

When someone tries to catch his attention, he was in the middle of inspecting one of the other new pieces of tech he hadn't seen before — it's like an "air fryer" or something — but now his eyes land on the other person. ]

Sure. [ Time to approach the guy. ] What's this about?

[midway]

[ Childe's paranoia is completely valid and right. Claude isn't entirely at ease being stuffed in a building full of strangers, but it does make pooling together resources and knowledge easier.

There must be someone in the building familiar with this technology that isn't Sooyoung, and while he can't gauge if Childe is from a world similar to his just by looking at him, he figures that two heads is at least better than one. ]

Just wondering if you're familiar with this device.

[ He gestures to the microwave, where the door is currently open and the meal Joonghyuk packed him is sitting inside. ]

I can't figure how to set the temperature for cooking.

[lackluster]

[ There are advantages to this arrangement, it's true. Not even Tartaglia himself can deny it, but still... Best to be wary, especially when he's still the new kid around the block. Who knows what kinds of shenanigans he'll find himself in soon enough?

(It turns out this is going to happen much sooner than he thought.) ]

Hm? [ One glance at the device, and then he shakes his head. ] I've never seen anything like it.

[ He peers curiously at all the buttons, pressing one of them. It beeps rather loudly, making him blink. ]

Maybe that's how we do it. What temperature is it supposed to be?

[ They're going to set this microwave to go on for 500 minutes at this rate. ]

[midway]

[ Well, Childe might not be able to help him solve the problem, but at least he's another body to blame when this eventually goes up in flames.

Which it probably will. ]

I don't really understand this temperature business, if I'm being honest...

[ At least, not in relation to cooking. He did routinely control heat while making poisons, but that was using an open flame. Either he had a big flame or a small flame, there was no device with which to set the exact heat.

He tilts his head. ]

Well, it's already cooked food so it doesn't need to be cooked at 100%. Maybe slightly lower than 50% just to reheat it?

[ He's going to set it for 50 minutes, yeah. ]

[lackluster]

[ Luckily, Tartaglia's only pressed one button, and that happens to be the number 5. He peers at the menu curiously as if the answer is suddenly going to leap out at him. It doesn't, of course, so that leaves him confused and unsure of what to do next. ]

But how do you lower it?

[ It's a rhetorical question at this point since he doubts the other person knows how to do just that. Usually, this sort of thing is much easier to do with an open flame but since that isn't available... ]

I wonder, could you do simple subtraction to lower the temperature?

[ There is no minus sign to indicate that this is possible. Hm. Well, trial and error, that's the only way to go. He adds another 0 to the number. It's now at 50 minutes, at least. He doesn't know that this is the case. ]

Does that look right to you?

🐟🐟🐟

[arrancar]

( the sporadic nature of powers in oblivium hasn't deterred grimmjow from improvising when needed during his fights with the restless here. to his delight, he has been able to encounter some worthwhile opponents or at least humans bold enough to face off against him, disregarding whether they have the wherewithal to do so.

there is a clear victor today, finally shattering the pattern of unwanted disruptions he has experienced with other combatants in the past two months alone.

he doesn't do it often, but he lingers behind this time. hovering above his fallen opponent, grimmjow looks down at him with a wide grin. )

Do you need me to carry you to the medic, boy? ( he wouldn't want him to die, after all. )

[lackluster]

[ Fighting against an opponent he had no chance of beating is more thrilling than it is humiliating. This is the most excited Tartaglia has been ever since arriving at the Netherworld, and he doesn't think there's anything else out there that can rival this feeling. It doesn't matter that he's hurting, that he has a few more bruises to deal with now— it was all worth it.

He laughs when Grimmjow looks down at him, not at all bothered. ]

No need. I can handle most of this myself.

[ Not that he makes any effort to get up, but lying on the ground seems really nice right now. Every part of him hurts— in a good way. ]

Was that your full strength?

[ Or does Grimmjow have more tricks up his sleeve? ]

[arrancar]

( that's the spirit, boy!

grimmjow is very much the same way. he considers defeat a stepping stone towards continual growth and a new challenger to beat. it's much more exciting when encountering a powerful opponent than it is a subpar one. he can take the loss as long as he can fight them again. )

No. ( his powers fluctuate. some days, they work wonderfully; other days, they don't work at all. ) Was that yours?

[lackluster]

[ It's true. Tartaglia is already thinking about what he will do differently when he fights Grimmjow again. He's hoping he would have figured out where his Vision went too so the odds might be a lot more even...

He isn't counting on it, but it wouldn't hurt if that's what happens next time. ]

Nope. I have no way of accessing more than half of my abilities right now so I'm closer to a powerless human. [ Closer, because he still has Foul Legacy up his sleeve, and he didn't want to rely on it during the first battle when he'd only been studying what Grimmjow can do. ] Maybe next time, we can go all out.

[arrancar]

Mine is on the fritz too. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

( it's a hard knock life out here.

he nudges his side with the toe of his shoe. )

You gonna catch more fish? ( he tilts his chin over to the abandoned equipment near the shore. )

[lackluster]

Just a side effect of being here, huh...

[ That's so annoying. But at least it doesn't seem like he's alone in this if someone as strong as Grimmjow is struggling with it too.

He glances over at his fishing supplies, then back at Grimmjow with a lopsided grin. ]

Are you gonna help me? [ Since you beat him up and all. ]

library

[paraselenes]

[ Considering how tumultuous the month's been so far—Sooyoung starting a housing racket, mass incarceration, a sudden psychological allergy to trees, lung terrariums—the library seems like a nice, uneventful change of pace.

Except no, something seems amiss here as well. It's always something in the afterlife—just as rife with mishaps as his days alive had been. But this one is fairly innocent, at least. The book he's checking against a list of missing tomes suddenly levitates from his hand, floating as casually as though it were just a sheet of paper.

It only comes to a stop by tapping against the back of Childe's head. ]

Ah. [ Was that... his fault? ] Sorry, could you hold onto that a moment?

[ Before it flies away again. ]

[lackluster]

[ There's never a dull moment in the Netherworld, it seems. Something as mundane as missing books is given heavy importance, as if the Academy's whole existence depended on them. They happened to catch Tartaglia while he was bored and restless (as he always is nowadays) so he agreed to help, and now...

A book is tapping against the back of his head, as if trying to get his attention. ]

Huh?

[ When he turns around to face Dimitri, he sees the book right upfront, and without thinking, he reaches to grab it and keeps it still. ]

Was that your doing?

[ Did Dimitri chuck this book at him??? Hello??? ]

[paraselenes]

[ He looks briefly apologetic even if this was, miraculously, not his fault. ]

I'm afraid it'd have hurt more if I threw it.

[ It somehow doesn't sound like bragging when he says it, though. As he approaches, the book flaps slightly in Childe's hands. Another swoops down, glowing gently as it levitates. It's one about how great being a werewolf is. Furry propaganda. ]

The books here are surprisingly mobile—I can see why some of them might've gone missing.

[lackluster]

Do you think the books just floated away instead of getting stolen?

[ It seems like a probable scenario.

The book continues to flap around as though it was trying to escape. Tartaglia doesn't allow it though, just in case this one is part of the group they're looking for. There's another book that joins in and the title is so innocuous. ]

Cooking with Grandma...? They have an odd collection around here, huh.

[ Furry propaganda, cooking with grandma... What's next? ]

[paraselenes]

[ He hums in response, thoughtful. It seems possible, almost likely, that the books simply wandered off on their own. But then why would the librarian treat it like such a mysterious thing to be tip-toed around? The secrecy seems frivolous.

But Seteth had always had a watchful eye over the books in the monastery library too, so maybe it's something about the flow of information. Either way! Nothing shouts ill tidings, even this totally innocent book about grandma's cooking. ]

It's as eclectic as the underworld itself.

[ A job is a job, though. He collects the book floating nearest to him, gesturing loosely to another one that also seems to want to roost on Childe's head. ]

They must still be valuable texts if the librarians are keeping such close watch of them, though. Could you collect that one?

[ The tome, Mnemotical Magic, looks like a perfectly innocent... picture book? ]

library

[pyojeol]

[honestly this feels like a lot of work so far just to get a bunch of stolen books back... And yet, Sooyoung accompanies Childe on this quest anyway -- in that she probably ran into him in the library and decided to stick around because why not, they have a bond cemented in dagger throwing and communal housing -- even as it grows more obvious that they're being led? Somewhere? case in point,]

...Okay. Why would anyone keep a map around if they were trying to hide a secret passage?

[Sooyoung hands said map over to Childe, shuffling over to one of the statues so she can stare at it critically, with all the judgement she can muster.

it just seems like poor planning?????]

[lackluster]

[ Tartaglia is just as confused, if not even more so. The secret passage is a cliche that doesn't surprise him as much as it should, but the fact that it's so... obvious is what's killing him. ]

They didn't really make any effort to hide it. You can tell some work had been done to it recently.

[ One palm is placed against the wall, making it easier for him to tell where the 'door' ends. He looks back at where Sooyoung is standing. ]

What are you looking at?