gocirclegogo | "this is a sham," cries free! cast

"this is a sham," cries free! cast

[As usual, in the wake of the old turf war-church explosion, life continues. The relic that caused the problem is likely lost forever or otherwise nowhere to be found, but on the bright side, it's definitely cold enough this week to cool its molten remains, and it might still have some juice left. The interesting thing about modern London and modern Londoners is that they produce so much heat, snow usually doesn't accumulate. And then you have situations like the Thames freezing in the 60s, or the snow earlier this year. Three inches is enough to shut down the trains.

Today is a day not unlike any of those. There's a light blanket descending upon the city today. In its frozen form, it feels a lot less inherently disgusting than the water in the Thames, and smells a lot less -- not at all, even. Almost like it's perfectly normal water, but we wouldn't recommend trying to catch it in your mouth. Or ears. Or eyes. It's maybe better if you try not to absorb too much of it in general. Don't say we didn't warn you.

After all, freezing water removes some impurities. Not all. And there's no such thing as a rain of boiling water, maybe fortunately. If you wouldn't drink water out of the river or a local lake, why would you eat the snow?

Anyway. Trains can't run in weather like this. The city is in the panic you'd expect, but that doesn't mean you have to be -- if you've got somewhere to go, I'd recommend hoofing it immediately. If you were on the run from some religion bent on sacrificing you to resurrect their god, or a scientist trying to fill you with brain parasites? Walk faster.

But, well. That's up to you. Some local cults are out and about today offering safety from the weather and faster transportation (but it's probably in your best interests not to ask the details if you're not a member), for various prices. What do you do?]

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[Speaking of people on the run from some religion bent on sacrificing you to resurrect their god! Is a girl who exists in that situation constantly enough, but right now, it's the least of her worries. This weather is much, much more of a(n immediate) problem than the possibility of being captured, but with nothing running --

Well, there's no way she's making the walk back in this snow, is there? All the same, she'll die if she doesn't move. But it's difficult, and she's tired. In other words, today you have the option of running into what appears to be a ball of fluff in a misses dress huddled in what looks like a snowbank from a distance (up close it is, but her hair makes it look much larger), shivering so intensely she might as well be vibrating.]

[Yeah, with all of the general Londoners walking right past her like nobody gives a shit. So when a tall shadow looms over her, it might come as a surprise. Fear! Wait no, it's a woman in a long black dress. Not fear! Wait no, she's a Lunarian and may or may not reek of bitchy racist outer god. Fear again!

Then she simply takes her overcoat off and drapes it over her shoulders. Not fear again!] Stop.

[Definitely fear. Tall, imposing figure of a person that she doesn't recognize, who pings distinctly eldritch. The first bit is already enough to start alarm bells ringing, paired with her outfit -- suspicious feelings derived from imposing black-clothed figures are pretty justified! The rest just makes it worse. Sakuya gives a different feeling from the comfort she gets from Kido or Kano or Seto. If those three felt like pieces of her, this one only feels similar.

That's not really a good thing.

The cold has her brain sluggish on top of her body, but she's immediately preparing to use her eyes and run under cover of snow (that's the idea anyway but she's tired so tired there's no way it'll work), but Sakuya gives her that black coat before she even has a chance to scream.

It's not immediate, but it's nice. Nicer. Stop? Stop what? Not the shaking. She's still shaking, even as she looks up. But her eyes are pink, not red.]

U-Um...?

[For a quick moment when she looks up, it's still an imposing figure. Bright red eyes looking down in disdain and there's the distinct feeling she's being measured by something else. Whatever it is, it feels like moonlight and purity and it fades after a few seconds. Mary passes whatever test went down.

So now it's ice blue eyes looking down in disdain-tinted apathy. It takes a moment or two before the girl crouches to be at eye-level and loses the 'disdain' part of her expression.]

Stop shivering. It is not that cold.

I-It's -- s-sorry --

[It goes without saying the shaking never stops. That red is familiar, somewhat, but (fortunately, since that wasn't ever the point) it has the exact opposite of a calming effect: it's too bright, too pure, and reminds her too much of the day her mother disappeared. There was no blood. It just sticks in her mind as a red day.

And then it fades to that piercing blue and it's no longer horrifying in a way she can't place, only intimidating in a way she's long since become intimate with.

She's still shivering.]

I-It's -- really cold...!

[For a moment, the expression gets hard. Ice blue eyes hold a type of cruelty that red eyes can't match. The only difference is s a vague quirk of glossed lips to one side, as if in mild confusion when attempting to solve a logic puzzle about wolves and sheep or some other type of mundane annoyance.

Then comes a huff of air and a stern expression, an arm immediately tucking under Mary's and dragging her upright.]

Come with me.

[It is not an offer. Mary's now getting dragged down the street by a woman the locals part for. But hey, at least she has a coat???]

W-Wait --

[She digs her heels into the ground. No. No. She doesn't feel any ill will from this person, but she can't just go with them like this. It's not safe. Even if it is safe, it isn't safe and ahhh, she knew she should've just stayed at home today this is horrible she doesn't want to die what does she do but ahh it's still cold and she's still sort of sleepy but she has to fight the sleep this time if she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to live without them so they probably wouldn't want to live without her, right?

She doesn't have any choice but to use her eyes. But she hasn't just yet. A plain resistance'll do for the moment.]

[The scary foreigner actually has no problem with dragging Mary along - jesus, she's strong - but at the stuttered complaint she sighs. Lets her go and immediately turns around with her arms crossed, disdainful expression back in place.]

I am trying to take a suggestion I received to "have more sympathy". My current goal is to take you into my home where I have heating, sustenance, and other people to give you moral support. After it can be ascertained you will not freeze to death, I will give you a small amount of finances and promptly throw you out. This is what I believe is known as showing kindness to those in despair and seems to be something commonly done around the holidays to the downtrodden. If this is in any way unacceptable to you, please hand me my coat so I may return to my significant other and proceed to lie and claim I kept my end of the bargain.

[Followed by a vague incline of her head in Mary's direction, in a nonverbal "answer if you don't mind" fashion. Weird woman even for London standards.]

... I-Is that --

[Sakuya feels similar to her. She's offering her safety, potentially -- does that mean that it's okay to trust her, then? She can warm up and wait out the snow and then head home immediately. If this doesn't work (if it turns out for the worst), she can use her eyes and run. Dying of cold is better than returning to that place, even if she barely remembers it.

It doesn't matter. She won't go back. She absolutely won't.

... And she knows Kido and Kano and Seto will look for her immediately, if she doesn't return soon enough. They always manage to find her; they can do it in this case too.

So all that's left is the agreement.]

I-Is that r-really okay...?

[There's no movement for the stutter, for the time it takes for her to pull up the effort to finish the question, and Mary is given a single curt nod in answer.]

Correct. You would not be the first stray I have taken in. However, if you are capable of becoming invisible or phasing out of reality in any fashion, please inform me now as we would have to rewrite all of our defense runes to accommodate your presence, as to prevent you from being exterminated on the spot.

[A beat. Then an inhale and the expression warps a bit. Maybe, maybe, if you squint, it might be called "sheepish".]

...I apologize. I mean to say... It is really "okay". I would not offer were it not acceptable to myself or my household.

Edited (oops typos) 2013-12-23 10:57 (UTC)

I-I can't do stuff like that...!

[Or anything! No! She is just your average every day neighborhood white-haired pink-eyed eldritch-pinging girl who seems cold-blooded. No powers.]

If it's okay...

[Another curt nod, taking it was "I can't do those two powers" rather than "I can't do anything at all". There is no need to expound on this misunderstanding but it obviously was not a misunderstanding at all.]

I repeat, I would not make this offer at all were it not acceptable.

[Then there's the moment she leans back down to yank Mary down the street by her arm like some kind of socially-failing police chief. She freezes a split second into it and glances down at her hand. A beat, two, three, and the expression turns stern once more.

This time, Mary is offered a hand in a fashion somewhere between "awkward handshake" and "still nazi salute". She will get used to this 'sympathy' thing, gdit.]

O-Ouch --

[She knows by now she's not really in any danger, but that doesn't change the fact that being dragged around like this hurts, and is, again, like this entire experience, familiar in ways she really wishes it wasn't.

Really.

But the cold and Sakuya's quick realization mean she doesn't get much of a chance to cry out. Instead, it takes her a moment to even understand that her hand's extended. It's so stiff. Mary wonders for a bit, what sort of life did this girl live to extend her hand so stiffly?

But she takes it anyway.]

[It still takes her a few moments of staring at the hand in hers - reciprocation is a rarity judging by the look of mild surprise. Then at some point she realizes she's making herself look stupid and relaxes with an exhale.

It's a very minute relaxation, still standing tall and proper, only holding Mary's hand back as much as it takes to keep her attached. But at least it's not stiff robotic handshakes? It's only stiff awkward silences as they walk until she looks away pointedly and speaks again.]

I apologize for frightening you. I have not had much contact with normal beings in many years.

[There may or may not be a dusting of embarrassment here. She's not good at feels, oops.]

[See, Mary, this one is nice. She apologized and is taking you to a warm place with food where you can wait out the storm and then go home. Even her grip is relaxed enough for you to escape if you want.

She still has her doubts, of course. That nagging feeling in the very back of her mind like that Voice (but not that voice, it's her own voice if it's a voice at all. It's just a feeling, honestly), telling her this woman can't be trusted. She shouldn't go with her if she wants to see her friends again. Doesn't she remember what happened last time she went off with a stranger without permission?

But her hand is warm. Looking up at her, the expression on her face reminds her of Kido's, just slightly. The words, on the other hand, remind her of herself.]

I... It's okay...! Um --

... me too...

[Mary gets a glance back at that. Mostly blank, but there's some actual surprise in there. Because herself being considered odd and unused to society is normal. Her personality doesn't flow with time as well as it used to. But this girl...]

...Why? [Not judging, not hateful, not anything Mary's used to hearing. Just an idle curiosity while walking with a little kid you just met.]

You seem acceptable to human values to me.

Edited 2013-12-24 04:18 (UTC)

... I lived alone for a long time.

[Her expression turns slightly serious -- her voice is quiet and, for some reason or another, totally devoid of that soft, shy stutter or even the chattering of teeth. She couldn't help the latter, so it's a little strange, or, as usual, it would be to any normal bystander, which Sakuya is definitely not.

Our only explanation for her, though, is that it just is. Apologies! But as one of D'endrrah's chosen, it probably isn't difficult for her to glean that something is odd about the girl.

But it isn't this. The line between "descendant of god" and "avatar of god" is fuzzy and tenuous and we won't be exploring it today. Anyway. She doesn't want to talk about it with a person she just met, understandably, and her own memory of events isn't really the best. She woke up and her mother was gone. It was red. So she drops the subject where it is, and hopes Sakuya won't pick it up.]

[It's not hard to glean it. In fact, she knew from the beginning. D'endrrah's presence wraps around her like a veil, Kaguya's voice whispering in feelings and intent about snakes and loss. About cults and misery and how more information might further her Goddess's Will.

Mary might also feel the exact moment where an Old One is spiritually smacked upside the head by one of her daughters, and Sakuya gives her the faintest of smiles.]

Then for the short time you are under my care, I will guarantee you are not alone.

... U-Um --

[Ouch, intones the Snake, that voice in the background of her mind curled up comfortably, speaking in a voice and tone and feeling so familiar it may as well be her own. But she knows better and knows the distinction but It's always been there in recent memory. So she treats It like something distinct. Whispering:]

... Are you okay...?

[But It's fine, only remarking on a situation only It can sense. On a conscious level, anyway. It's not necessary for Mary to know that part, not yet. So It doesn't tell her. Still whispering to something Sakuya can't see (but can probably sense), she nods.

But her inner mind theatre aside, it is faint which makes seeing it difficult, but Sakuya smiles at her and makes her a promise she hasn't heard (heard the sentiment of) in a few years. It was never necessary to say it again, not with words, and that was why, but Sakuya is a new person making the same promise he did, the same promises they did, with her voice. With words.

Even if it's only for a day or two at the most (she won't let herself stay longer), it's nice.]

T-Thank you...

Um -- I'm Mary...

[The whispering isn't acknowledged. Ignored so hard and elegantly Mary might even think she didn't hear it. Except the Snake may get a glimpse of a gorgeous woman with black hair as long as forever.

Who promptly says 'yo sup dudes' and leaves to go continue being a NEET or whatever it is flighty eldritch goddesses do.

This also is ignored hard and elegantly.]

I am Sakuya Izayoi, head maid for the Scarlet Manor. You will be staying in one of our guest rooms until you desire to leave.

[And as a London resident, Mary will immediately recognize the name and all the rumors of vampires and how they housed Jack the Ripper and den of sins and tyranny, etc. Usual Victorian dramatics.]

[The word "manor" catches her attention first, immediately bringing to mind a fairy tale landscape. Excitement sufficiently stimulated, even through the cold. But then she arrives back at the first word, and then her name. There's no way she hasn't at least heard the stories, living with those three. Kano collects the particularly frightening rumors and recounts them to Kido for her cute anxious face. They collectively tell him to shut the hell up.]

U-Um -- is it true...

Sakuya, are there really vampires in your house...?

[The fun part here is that Kido worked part-time as a maid for said manor. Now a less fun part, most workers when told about creepy rumors of their masters are very quick to snap to rude defense. How dare you say such slander, etc etc.

As Mary will soon learn, everyone in that mansion really is weird.]

Yes. Two of them.

[Deadpanned. There's an amount of time here spent silent for a perfect measure. Just long enough to formulate mental images of tall handsome men and miserable piles of secrets, and then promptly scare the shit out of yourself.

But not long enough to be so scared you flee, because she laughs at the exact perfect time.]

The Mistresses of our home are the vampires. Miss Remilia only drinks three cups a day, and only from those who give her permission. Miss Flandre does not drink from the living. Both of them have the bodies of ten-years old children and have the attention span as such, so you will not be bothered.

[The bright smile here is somewhere between the balance of Perfect And Elegant Servant and Perfect And Elegant Sadist.] What other rumors have you heard?

[It really is like something out of a story. A manor with two vampire nobles, both of them young girls?]

Kano likes telling Kido stories to scare her... Do you remember the rumors...?

[She thinks on it for a good few seconds, then enlists Its help. Her memory isn't bad by any means, but It seemed to be awake even when she wasn't, so it's very helpful.]

Mm, I see. Thank you... ... One of the vampires was an older man. He would kidnap women and drink all of their blood... and Jack the Ripper lived there too...? And all of you had lots of sex.

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zenithrewinder - 2013-12-25 06:56 (UTC) - Expand

[How about a scarf wrapped around her shoulders and a very tall man next to her warming up a violin bow?

Man, even his music sounds warm. Fucking angels.]

[Touya's gotten used to having a fever constantly, and it's finally to the point that he just walks around radiating heat. He doesn't need a coat. Enjoy the human radiator approaching, followed by his two Pokemon.]

U-Um... Are you okay? Miss? [He's hesitant to touch, but he wants to help.]

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