↳ abandoned cabin

　　　↳ ᴇɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ. ↰

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: manners - ashnikko

"Because we have a relationship built on humor," Monarch answered, with a smile that said he was the only one finding most of what transpired humorous and Avra was just suffering whatever he decided to inflict on the nymph. "It was quite amusing, especially when he fainted, but it only served to make our good doctor a little irate." Ceren was never too appreciative when Monarch, or anyone else in Vos, did something that meant he had to, in his words, play doctor—as far as Monarch was concerned, it was a serious affair, no playing involved.

"You and me both," Monarch sighed. Sympathetically, he patted Felyx on the shoulder. At least there was another cannibal around that wasn't cannibal by choice. Basil ate people occasionally and for the hell of it. Monarch couldn't eat anything else without it just making him hungrier and pushing him toward a bloody killing spree. "Although as far as everyone else is concerned—I eat people because it's fun, not because I have to. Makes things easier if I'm perceived as a dumb animal." Why was he telling this creature this? Maybe Monarch felt a connection to him. The whole cannibalism—and Klahan trying to purify the poor kid—thing probably.

The murder butterfly nodded gleefully, his grin wide. "Or something," he answered, quite unhelpfully. "But for all intents and purposes, you can consider Sterling adopted by Akaedi." Sterling's story wasn't particularly interesting, in the pixie's opinion, nor was it something he would consider worth hiding—but at the end of the day, it was Sterling's story to tell. If he wanted to let the new arrival know all about his dragon family and his reasons for coming to Vos that was up to him.

@♆　Monarch Being squeamish.. he really would make a terrible cannibal if he couldn’t handle the mere sight of a little blood. Eating would take him forever, and end up annoying Achak more than the creature already always was. He shook his head to himself. He got to see limbs and blood and gore whenever he wanted a snack, so a little bit of blood to seal himself into a gang was no big deal. “A severed leg? Poor him. But why would you give it to him if he’s not going to eat it? But I guess it was probably funny,” He admitted, a light smile on his lips. He’d wait a little while and meet some people being he started handing out severed limbs as presents. If there was anything left after he’d been eating, anyway.

The cheerful continuation made Felyx blink quite like a deer in headlights. What kind of people was he getting himself involved with here? Dragging people into the sea because they upset someone in the gang. He wasn’t sure if he was worried, or impressed and relieved to be joining up. “Ah, I won’t leave any leftovers. I don’t really get full,” He said, scratching the back of his neck with a light smile. “Oh - I won’t take anyone else’s food. I can’t eat.. conventional food, so I’ll just stick to people,” He promised. A whiny baby dragon who’s leftovers he shouldn’t eat.

Felyx was doing his best to add all of this to memory, noting it all down in his mind so that he could make a good first impression. Offending the group of people he was giving his blood to might not be a good idea. While he didn’t know exactly what it would all entail, it was going to be an experience. “What is a baby dragon doing in a gang? Doesn’t he have real parents? Or - did Akaedi just adopt him or something?”

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: obliviate - lovelyz

"Good," Monarch replied, "being squeamish would make your life in Vos miserable. We already have one member who's squeamish—well, he isn't entirely squeamish. It's weird. He's weird about things, but he's the loudest complainer whenever someone leaves body parts in the fridge. I made him faint by giving him a severed leg once. Good times." Monarch's smile showed his sharp teeth. "Oh, it didn't happen to me," he shrugged, "but it did happen to a member of Vos, and we don't take kindly to that. We've been terrorizing the bastard ever since he had the audacity." Monarch tossed his long hair, adding cheerfully, "One of these days Akaedi is going to drag him to the sea and tear him to shreds to feed her his blood and it will be free entertainment for all of us!"

Monarch nodded. It was good that Felyx was going to try to avoid getting gutted. If he brought someone into Vos who was an idiot and tried to get himself killed by the officers by not following the rules, Akaedi would probably be cranky about it. And Monarch was already actively making the Mer cranky with his choice in lover.

"I eat in the house," Monarch shrugged. "I just don't leave leftovers, but when I do, I put them in the refrigerator and the others tend to whine about it. Oh, and if you ever have the urge to eat food—not that I think you will—don't eat Sterling's leftovers, because he will whine and whine and whine and none of us want to deal with him being a royal pain in the . He's bad enough when people don't take his food." The pixie shook his head, thinking of all the times Basil stole Sterling's leftovers and then everyone in the beach house had to hear him complaining about it. Sometimes, Monarch questioned having a best friend that excelled in causing misery to those around him by getting under the skin of spoiled baby dragons. "But you can't be mean to the baby, because Akaedi's basically his mom."

@♆　Monarch The creature nodded as the other spoke. Relationships had never been successful for him, but for a partner to slowly change their views to better ones, that surely must be a positive for a couple. “I’m sure he’ll get there eventually.” He dwelled a moment on the thought of what made a monster. Was everything that wasn’t human a monster? No, definitely not. Some creatures were very lovely people. He’d met many a lovely person like that, whom he hadn’t wanted to eat, and also many humans who he wouldn’t like to eat. But then, there were also humans that were monsters.

Felyx stretched his back, a couple of minor clicks following, but nothing painful. He’d long since gotten used to a few minor noises from his bones as he moved. They broke sometimes too- but usually not from anything too bad, and they would fix up quickly. Achak couldn’t have their host getting all broken and rickety, or Felyx wouldn’t be able to hunt, and a hungry creature evil was never a good thing. “That’s okay, I’m not squeamish at all.” A cannibal that didn’t like blood - that was something he wanted to see. It would be interesting to say the least, having to close your eyes the whole time that you’re eating, and then there was always cleaning up after. “It’s alright, I know there’s probably a lot of danger in the city. I’m sorry if you’ve had that happen to you.”

While they walked, he cast a glance over at the other man, blinking once or twice. “Really? I’ll listen to them all then, to avoid getting gutted by anyone.” Could he survive a gutting? /Don’t you dare get gutted./ His thoughts were interrupted by an exasperated rasp and a squeezing feeling in his temples for the nth time. Maybe he couldn’t then. “I’ll listen well then. Especially if I stay in the beach house. I’ve been living with other people all my life though, so I’m not a bad housemate, I think. I won’t eat in the house.”

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: bookmark - lovelyz

"I'm sure he will," agreed Monarch, "he's already starting to realize that not everything is as black and white as he tries to make it out to be, particularly in matters of morality and what makes a monster. But enough about him." He was /not/ going to be one of those people who talked about their significant others too frequently. Besides, Demitri wasn't there at the moment and Vos already had formed bad opinions of him... well, they weren't entirely unwarranted. He sighed to himself.

"There are annoying people in this city like that nymph," Monarch shrugged. "There are people always eager to start a fight or ruin someone's reputation or expose someone's reality. And then there are people who lie about who they are so they can try to get close to someone naive and susceptible so they can stab them or offer them up to their hunter friends..." he trailed off into angry pixie mutters for a few minutes and then realized what he'd been doing. "Sorry about that. Ah, yes, the blood rituals." His eyes were distant for a moment, and then he came back. "They're not optional," he informed Felyx, "they're a Vos requirement. It's... an experience, for sure. Not for the weak of heart or those who struggle with the sight of blood."

The pixie laughed. "The only rules? Not really, Akaedi has his own rules, but some of them are bull and most of us ignore them anyway. The important ones are the ones the officers, like yours truly, will gut you for. Oh, and then there's an unspoken rule about the doctor's orders. Never disobey the doctor's orders." Monarch stepped over a fallen log, and shrugged. "Akaedi will tell you all there is to tell."

@♆　Monarch Felyx’s brows furrowed very briefly before he let the expression relax again. It felt.. unfair, but also fair at the same time. Regardless, he was used to being disliked, even if he wasn’t used to being exterminated. He’d just remember to avoid this Klahan in the future, just in case he decided the dark creature needed purifying again. “A little confused? I guess that’s better than being entirely clueless, maybe he’ll figure things out, eventually?” He didn’t know this Demitri person. Maybe he’d figure things out.

The young man nodded his agreement though at the instructions. “I do that already, don’t worry. I’m quite good at hunting, I just wasn’t expecting the nymph to be protecting himself, or for him to tell people about it. But I’ll keep going for the easy kills in the future and not be too ambitious.” Giving the decrepit cabin one last look and quietly thanking it for sheltering him from too much heat, he headed outside. “Blood rituals?” He echoed, head cocking as he walked. Now that was something you didn’t hear about every day. “What happens in the blood rituals? Are those optional?”

Exchanging blood and taking an oath was one thing he could understand. It made sure there was something deeper there, so that nobody could just run off or rat on them, he supposed. Maybe. He didn’t know. He was just guessing - he hadn’t even met this Akaedi person yet. “Are those the only rules? Will Akaedi give me a run through of more rules?” There had to be more to it, especially if it could be compared to a cult.

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: this world (interlude) - rina sawayama

Monarch shrugged. "Most of the time, they arrest people," he answered, "but things have been tense in the city lately and it looks like he thought the best thing to do was to just wipe you out so you couldn't cause any more trouble. Which sounds pretty par for the course for him, if I'm being honest. He doesn't seem to like... the darker creatures very much." Monarch's run-ins with Klahan had taught him that much, before Klahan had to end his pursuit of the Vos negotiator thanks to Demitri.

"That's the Dream Guard for you. That Dream Guard, at least. His name's Klahan—and he's an old, cranky creature." Monarch stretched, his back popping. "My boyfriend is a Dream Guard, and he's... not as prone to burning things as some of his comrades, but he's also a little confused. But he has the spirit. And he is a spirit? I don't know. Semantics." He waved his hand dismissively. "As a general rule, don't try to eat anyone that can get away from you and announce that you tried to eat them. Better to take the easy prey."

Monarch folded his hands behind his back and his heel, starting toward the door. "You're going to have to do more than talk to him," the half-pixie laughed, "but don't worry, it won't be anything too bad. You just have to share blood with him and take the Vos blood oath. Don't tell him I said this, but sometimes I feel like Vos is more of a cult than it is a gang. We even have blood rituals from time to time."

@♆　Monarch “I heard you mention that that man was one of the dream guard. So do they often.. exterminate people?” He grimaced as he spoke. It sounded worse than being in a gang, something at one point Felyx had been very against doing. He hadn’t set out to be a criminal in life, but he had no choice to accept it, so it was for the best he joined a group of people who wouldn’t shame or try to get rid of him based on his eating habits.

“They don’t like it when people get eaten, but they’re very happy to set people on fire for trying to eat nymphs that don’t even live near anybody.” He shook his head to himself, heading another snort in his ear as he got up again. An amused Achak was better than an upset one, and at least it meant that the decision to go and join these people was not an unwelcome one. Usually, Felyx was quite happy to chatter away under his breath and hear the responses to whatever they were discussing easily. But he was in company, and didn’t want to look strange just yet. They could discuss everything later on.

The look on his face was one of gratitude as he got to his feet, with barely any clicking of his joints either. “Oh, I won’t eat anybody from Vos, and I’ll be sure not to touch any plants I find,” He responded with a nod. Only three rules was good so far. No declaring he was a cannibal, no eating gang members, and no touching plants. It really didn’t seem like a bad arrangement at all. “Could we go and see this Akaedi person now? Do I have to talk to him about joining if he’s in charge?”

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ:

"Basil is my friend," Monarch answered simply. Basil, if he so chose, could tell Monarch to share more information with Vos' potential new recruit, or could share it himself through writing. But Monarch would not transgress and give out information about his friends haphazardly. "I have to hunt once a day. So long as you're able to catch your own meals and don't get caught by the Dream Guard, you'll be allowed to eat. Sometimes I put my leftovers in the refrigerator, but that always makes Akaedi irate because he claims the smell lingers."

Monarch laughed, but it was not a laugh of humor. "You'd be surprised, the things people will be fool enough to believe. I'd as soon that you don't broadcast you're a cannibal, though. It tends to paint a target that the Dream Guard are always so desperate to hit." Even Demitri, before they had started dating, had been so quick to want to prosecute Monarch for his diet, and now look at them. Funny how things could change. "For me, it just works to my advantage to pretend that I chose this diet, rather than having to eat this way." He finally pushes himself up off of the floor, balancing on the balls of his feet for a moment before he lowers his heels.

"Some of the members of Vos live together in the beach house," Monarch replied. "No need for you to stay here. You're more than welcome to live there. I live there, and so does Basil. It's Akaedi's house, so he lives there too, and so does his sister, and other members of Vos. Just don't, and I mean do not do this under any circumstances, eat anyone in Vos, or touch any of the plants in the house. Those plants belong to one of the members and I don't want to hear him whine."

@♆　Monarch Reluctantly, the pale man nodded, lips pursing as he thought. Okay, revenge could wait. Maybe forever. He’d let it fester for a while, and see how he felt after he’d joined a gang. The explanation made him want a second opinion though. It sounded like a positive movement, protecting other monsters. Maybe less of them would want to set him on fire, or give him disgusted looks as he strolled down the street. He quite wanted to buy a shawl or something, when he got up on his feet though. Maybe the gang would help him with that.

“Who is Basil? Ah, I’d be okay with that. Will I be able to eat plenty?” If Monarch was able to fulfil a cannibalistic diet within the gang, they must feed their members. Or at least give them the rights to hunt. An agreeing murmur made the boy smile lightly to himself. Yes, he was thinking he could work with this. “I don’t think I’ll be able to mislead anyone about it, I need to eat far too much to pretend I can eat other things.” He agreed with the idea though. Felyx had tried to stop before. He’d refused food for days and days, if his body couldn’t handle real food, then he wouldn’t eat at all - but eventually Achak had forced him to, taken control. It was an incredibly painful thing, so it was a past resort for them both.

The young man straightened his back. “Thank you Monarch, for helping me from that man. I’ll come with you to this Vos group. Ah- will I still be living in the cabin? I don’t want him to find me again, if he comes back to look for me.” He paused, scratching under his chin absentmindedly. He could do with a home, or he’d take a cupboard somewhere to stay in. “They seem like a strange group, but I’ll try to stay out of the way.”

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: illest - baker grace

Monarch hummed. He understood the desire that the stranger probably had to silence or menace the person who had turned him in, but he also knew how likely that was to bring more unwanted attention and potential death. "I'd leave the nymph alone," he shrugged, "if anything happens to him, you'll probably be the first person Klahan investigates."

The pixie contemplated how best to explain Vos. "Vos is a gang," he replied, "but its primary goal is to protect monsters that can't protect themselves. Sure, we commit crimes, but we also prevent human on monster violence in a way that's far more effective than the way law enforcement does it. I don't know what jobs Akaedi would give you, because I'm not Akaedi, but you'll be involved in the crime element somewhere. Who knows, maybe he'll put you with Basil or with me."

Monarch raised a brow. So this man ate people as well? That was quite a coincidence. He laughed. "Believe me, I understand. I don't eat people by choice," he confessed, "I've misled people to believe that that's the case, but if I eat everything else I just get hungrier and hungrier and /hungrier/ until I tear someone limb from limb and, well, that scenario is unpleasant for everyone. No one in Vos is going to care about whatever baggage you're carrying. We all have our... issues." His smile was pointed. "My name's Monarch. Like the butterfly."

@♆　Monarch The man’s eyes remained fixed firmly upon the other man as he spoke. His questions were getting clear answers, and it helped his shoulders to slump that little bit more to drag himself into a state of more comfort. He was calming down again. The experience had not been nice - he’d have to visit that nymph again. Not to eat him though, that would attract the attention of the ‘bitter old firebird’. “It was the nymph,” He was quick to accuse. “He sent the bitter old firebird after me, just because I was hungry. I couldn’t even get to him, his home is protected.”

He shook his head, tsking to himself lightly. He supposed he should find out more about this Vos and Akaedi Vos before he got himself involved in anything. “What is Vos? What would I be expected to do in it?” Felyx wasn’t pleased to hear that. He’d lived in a place with no predators beforehand. A very complacent existence, before everything had gone to chaos. “Felyx.” He pause again, looking the stranger up and down. So they were both cannibals, that was a start. “I eat people too. But I can’t and won’t stop, I’m never full. It’s because I have something that stays with me, I would die if they weren’t with me still - that’s why it’d kill me if that guy had set me on fire. Well, it would’ve anyway, but without them I can’t stay alive.” He didn’t need to go into detail about the dark presence. Achak didn’t like it when he did - a breach of privacy, it was. It made them vulnerable. People always tried to ‘free’ Felyx from the creature if he didn’t point out that he needed them to stay alive. “What’s your name?”

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: roof on fire - victoria song

"Bitter old firebird," Monarch murmured gleefully as the phoenix left, pleased with the irritation that clung to the old being like a second skin. With Klahan gone, he could turn his full attention on the stranger who sat on the floor. As he asked the pixie a string of questions, Monarch sat down as well, posture relaxed and wrists resting on his knees. "My boss' name is Akaedi Vos," he answered, "and he's the leader of Vos. He doesn't know I'm here. As for why I'm defending you, it's to satisfy my curiosity. I did come looking for the 'darkness in the forest' someone was raising a fuss about, but I just didn't want Klahan to go about destroying you before I had the chance to find out more about you." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "As for if you have to go with me... do you want to live? Presumably, if you don't join Vos, Klahan will just come back and purge you and this cabin. He's annoying like that, shows up when and where you don't want him."

The pixie shrugged. "But that's just the reality of the city. Everyone's in danger from somebody." He tilted his head, sizing up the stranger. "So, what's your name and why is the Dream Guard out to obliterate you? Obviously, you're proving to be some kind of menace out here, but just what is it that you're doing that would bring one of them, that one in particular, all the way out here?" Monarch leaned forward, smile conspiratorial, as though they were two old friends sharing a secret and not two complete strangers in a rundown shack in the middle of a forest. "They used to try to catch me all the time, but that's because I eat people."

@♆　Monarch The being was ready, bracing himself for what was to come next, whether it be pain or peace he didn’t know. Felyx had never considered the afterlife. He’d been raised in a Christian household, but lost faith in any god or potential gods after he’d been possessed by the creature of the cold. Even if he did, there wouldn’t be anything nice on the other side. He’d been taught that unless you did good, you wouldn’t get good. And… murdering and eating people to somehow fill the bottomless pit of a stomach that he had, didn’t often seem like something good to do.

There was someone else approaching. Rapidly, Felyx could hear it if it paid attention. Was it the nymph? No, the nymph wanted rid of him. Was it another person who’d like to burn him? Probably. The two seemed familiar with one another, but even as the traditionally dressed man approached, Felyx didn’t dare move. Aside from his eyes, flickering between both men, he didn’t stir a muscle, as though waiting for the verdict on his death sentence.

It was over at last when the fires died back, leaving Felyx with yet another stranger to deal with. This wasn’t an ideal situation, even if it appeared for the moment that he was safe. But, at least Achak’s attention had returned to him again, instead of alpha probably facing towards the end. He was advised to be good - as though he was going to be rude to someone who’d just saved him from getting the evil blasted out of him.

“Thank you,” He began, after a long moment, when the presence of the fiery creature had long since faded back in the direction he’d come from, his gaze a little less cautious as he studied the newcomer. He was, apparently, being recruited into something, and that automatically made him suspicious. /Question him, or we’ll be here all day/ he was chided in the back of his head, the pressure around his skull feeling thick once again. Near death wasn’t interesting, but strangers were, apparently. “Who’s your boss? Why are you defending me? Do I actually have to come with you?”

The scent of smoke was fading fast, and the pale creature was finally able to untwist himself and sit down in a less defensive position. He’d save getting up until it was time to leave. He looked less threatening when he was sat down, with no means to defend himself.

[post deleted by owner]

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: aqua blue - lexie liu
↳ ᴍᴏɴᴀʀᴄʜ: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/95/6e/73/956e7315ba8c9a031057f30fb429bcbd.jpg

Klahan stared down at the seated man, and for a long moment, he almost—no, no, he didn't. He nodded. "It will hurt more if you struggle," he promised, because it was true—if the creature tried to resist Klahan would be forced to subdue him and the phoenix didn't have nonviolent methods to do so with. As he was kneeling down to place his hand on the thing's forehead, he felt a disturbance—a dark presence of a different kind, swirling chaos. Unfortunately, it was a presence that Klahan recognized and, equally unfortunately, it was approaching the rundown cabin.

Monarch brought the scent of old blood and death with him when he entered, black cloth trailing behind him. Klahan grimaced at the sight of him, the first true change in expression he'd had since entering the forest. He couldn't, unfortunately, purify the dark pixie as he wanted to purify this evil being. Demitri had decided to fall in love for Vos' cannibalistic butterfly and Klahan had to respect his choice in partner.

"What are you doing?" Monarch asked, as though it was his place or his business to ask. Klahan didn't respond, instead turning back to the creature on the floor and reaching out again. "Hey, don't you know purification will kill him? Aren't Dream Guards supposed to be protectors?"

Klahan closed his eyes and prayed for Surya to give him the strength to not murder his close friend's lover. "I am protecting the citizens of the city from evil," he answered stiffly, "the purification will send this poor wretch to a better place."

"In whose opinion?" Monarch stepped around him and also knelt beside the evil thing. "I don't think he's so evil. I think we're..." the pixie's smile showed sharp teeth. "...probably pretty similar. I'm here to recruit him for the boss, so if you try to kill him, you'll have to go through me."

Ah. Of course. A cannibal gets wind that there's something evil lurking in the forest and he goes out to find it and befriend it. Klahan's scowl was dark, his eyes deepening from amber to umber, and he stood quickly, fire flaring around him in his anger. "I see," he spat.

Eyes twinkling, Monarch flapped his hand at him, as though he was dismissing the ancient phoenix, and though he was furious, Klahan left, taking the golden flame with him.

@✠　Klahan Felyx was thrown off with ease. It wouldn’t have been hard to throw him off, the creature probably hadn’t even broken a sweat. The evil being stumbled back, his hollow eyes never losing that desperate, fearing look that craved escape. The man didn’t seem to be able to feel pity. Maybe he could, but he wasn’t willing to spare the entity and their host, but was willing to destroy them quickly.

Felyx didn’t really want to lose the evil spirit. They had been through a lot together. For better or for worse, he’d always been kept safe by the creature. He knew partially that it was because Achak needed a host and he was the best thing available - but over time, their bond had grew, and Felyx knew the two of them would not part ways given the choice. But now, when he so desperately needed more instructions, none came. The pressure on his temples elevated, as though his weak attempt at an attack had bored the thing, and Achak had keeled over to accept death.

‘Hey! Please help me!’ He shouted in his head, to no more response than a bored snort that sounded like it came from beside his ear, when really it was still in his head. Felyx sighed. Well, he wasn’t willing to run through fire. He cast a nervous look towards the flames, the scent of the smoke making him prickle with distress. It made every part of him scream no, that this was wrong, he didn’t want to be set on fire. Fire was the worst way to die - he’d be nothing more than a pile of ash, entirely forgotten. He didn’t know anyone in the city, and nobody outside of the city wanted to see him anymore.

A resigned look crossed his face, and he slowly sat down on the ground. At least the floor wasn’t on fire. That wasn’t so bad. “Will it really hurt less?” He spoke up again, blinking once or twice up at the Phoenix. This was okay. It wouldn’t be too bad. He’d just stay still and he was sure he’d barely even feel it. Fire couldn’t be that painful.. only it was, Felyx liked the cold. He recoiled in on himself by instinct, but forced his eyes to stay open, staring seriously up at the man with the fire. This would be okay.

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: run for your life - tiffany young

The thing evaded Klahan's initial attack. The phoenix watched it as it scrambled to its feet, and rose a brow when it claimed to not be evil. Klahan didn't live through so few lives by trusting what other people said about themselves. Any evil creature would claim to not be evil, if it thought it would save it from certain destruction. He was almost insulted that the thing thought its words would stall him.

The creature threw itself at him and Klahan recoiled, the thing's sharp nails sinking into the flesh of his shoulder. An unimpressed look crossed his face as a hand came up, shrouded in golden fire, and shoved the thing off of him. It had tried to push him down, but lacked any force behind it and so it was closer to an annoying jostling than anything. "Oh, I know you're not going to eat the nymph," he agreed, voice cold as the ice that had grown around his heart in a past life. He wasn't going to allow this thing to have the opportunity to try to eat any of the nymphs that had made their homes in the forest. At least Jianhong had protections around his home to keep evil at bay, or he might have ended up this thing's lunch.

Unfortunately for the creature, Klahan had just suffered the loss of someone very important to him, and mercy was the furthest thing from his mind as fire swirled around his hands. It wouldn't be so simple as just killing the host—he would have to purify the being to remove the evil from inside of it, and then burn the wretched body until only ash remained.

Klahan held his palm up in the air, golden flames erupting around the perimeter of the room. To escape, the creature would have to go through fire, and Klahan could see that it didn't /like/ fire, perhaps even feared it—and fear fire it should, because it would be the evil thing's undoing. Klahan traced a sigil on his palm, the lines growing white-hot against his tanned skin as he approached the creature.

"Hold still and this will hurt less," he instructed, and reached out.

@✠　Klahan The fiery creature stepped over the threshold of the house. His shout had not been headed as a warning nor cry for help, and he suddenly realised the thing was hunting him. His eyes widened, blinking at the man as he illuminated the room. There should be no saving him - it was only the intervention of Achak that did.

His body lurched without meaning to, stumbling to the ground in an attempt to save himself. His eyes remained wide, trained upon his target. To fight or run? If it was possible for it to, the blood pounded through his body and sent a wave of adrenaline over him. Felyx didn’t need to breath - but a heavy sigh still left him as he threw himself to the ground. “S-stop!” He called out, already rolling and making a move to scramble to his feet. /Move, attack/ he was warned in the back of his mind, a deep pressure making his temples throb.

Felyx was good at following instruct, when it came to his life. “I’m not evil,” He insisted, straightening up awkwardly. He may have the appearance of a man near death, but he was more than mobile and able to move and have control over his body just fine. His nails were sharp, his only weapon as he threw himself at the Phoenix. It was his only way to defend himself - running wasn’t much of an option, fire moved quickly, quicker than he could run. He let out another shaky sigh, his nails digging into the man’s shoulder as hard as he possibly could as he tried to push him over. He’d have the advantage then. Unfortunately, while the man had a good chance against a lot of enemies, his state of being meant he didn’t have the weight required to knock people to the ground.

What else could he do to prove he deserved to stay alive a little while long and not set on fire? He was quite desperate not to die. He liked the mutual existence him and Achak entertained themselves with. The forest was a nice place to live. Even if nymphs wouldn’t let him eat them. The nymph! He’d betrayed Felyx to this man! “I wasn’t going to eat the nymph!” He insisted.

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: jasmine - vinida weng

Klahan had hunted demons and evil spirits since he was a young phoenix released into the world by Surya for the first time, and after more than 39,000 years of purging the world of evil, he would be a fool if he fell for such a parlor trick. The screaming sounded real enough, and it was concerning to the part of him that was rash and hasty and rushed into things headlong, but Klahan was old and experienced with such things and it was as though he could hear that it was a lure. Amber eyes narrowed at the dilapidated structure as he halted just before the steps, feeling a cold /thing/ inside sapping at the heat from his flames.

Suryakant would have incinerated the entire building with holy fire, but Klahan was not so hasty and rash. The flames that burned along his skin extinguished, glowing only on his hands as he stepped onto the porch of the cabin. The boards creaked distressingly under his feet even though he was a slight man who weighed little—Klahan hadn't had the element of surprise to begin with, but if he had wanted it, the state of the building would have surely given him away.

The door hung half-off its hinges, open and rotting. The roof sagged, and the boards under foot felt as though they could give out at any moment, but Klahan paid these things no mind as he made his way inside. In the darkness broken only by the occasional punch of light through a hole in the ceiling, his eyes and the fire in his hands glowed as sources of light. With a low murmur, Klahan sent a ball of light up to the ceiling, glowing bright to eliminate the single room that the cabin consisted of.

There in the shadows crouched a creature, something that could not pass quite for human. There was a deathly look about it, like a broken corpse that had been dragged from the grave and fixed up by a mortician—not as terrifying to look at as a corpse falling apart but still a very /wrong/ imitation of life—and the presence of evil swirled thickest around this /thing/.

Klahan lifted his hand and unleashed a stream of golden flame, the expression on his face as blank as when he had entered the building. He was only here to exterminate an evil creature—there was no emotion attached.

@✠　Klahan With no natural predators, Felyx was thriving. In amongst the trees, his only worry was finding a good meal to tide him over until the next day. Some of the sickly pale look had gone from his cheeks. Not all of it - so long as he had the creature inside of him, he didn’t think he’d ever look entirely /human/ again. Just less like a corpse.

Now, if he could get rid of the nymph that really really wanted him out of the forest, things would be perfect. It wasn’t like he was eating the animals, because he couldn’t, anything but human-ish creatures made him feel even more hungry than before. Felyx just caused a few disappearances, and he didn’t see the problem in that. He had to eat, after all. Gods forbid he ended up on a rampage for food. Of course all it would take was a little bit of fire to deal with him, but he was fast, and strong, thanks to the entity that was his companion.

It was that entity, Achak, who warned him of the approach. For a moment, he remained sitting motionless on the decaying floor of the old cabin. He was sheltering from the heat. He could take this person, Felyx decided, already whispering under his breath, only a word or two each time. He was skilled in manipulating his voice, having learned from the best. He’d learned a great many things from the evil that lived inside him, in exchanged for not having Achak exterminated. Extermination would mean Felyx died too, and he didn’t want that. He was quite literally being kept going by the evil spirit, and the loss would inevitably result in his body falling apart for the last time.

He’d try to trick the intruder, and then kill them as quickly and quietly as possible. He slipped easily from the ground and ran to press into the corner of the room, hoping the sun was low enough for the shadows to conceal his presence some. Felyx’s lips parted to cry out, to beg for help with the voice of your generic citizen being threatened by an evil beast that they need saving from. He screamed, covering his mouth for more affect. “P-please! Help me!” He shouted, as loud as he from within the cabin. Would his prey fall for the trick?

It wasn’t until he perked through the nearest front-facing window that his eyes widened. Fire. A person of fire. No- not of fire, they just seemed to control it. Fire didn’t mix well with cold-dwelling creatures of evil. The younger man pressed back into his corner, this time to shelter rather attack right away.

@♆　Felyx ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 06, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: rib - jvcki wai
↳ ᴋʟᴀʜᴀɴ: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0f/d5/a7/0fd5a7419364c31cc3dc8016d3f5d52e.jpg

Jianhong's emergency provided Klahan with an excuse to leave his room in the Dream Guard barracks, untangling cold limbs from a tangle of blankets. He stumbled across the floor and found a shirt to pull on, covering all of his tattoos under a woolen knitted cover. His body felt cold, cold from the phoenix's terrible grief as he wallowed in the knowledge that his closest friend, Reina, had been killed by the hunters in the attacks. A hunter with an axe had been the one to be her undoing, and she had been taken back to the Norse pantheon. And Klahan could do nothing about it.

But he could try and do something about this darkness, this wrongness in the forest, and so he stumbled out of his room, trying to shake feeling into his body as he started down the stairs. A passing Guard eyed him in concern, and Klahan couldn't figure out why until he was stepping out the door onto concrete—his feet were bare, under the hems of the black pants he had been wearing since the day of his attack. It was gross but Klahan hadn't had the energy to drag himself from his bed and change clothes or bath. It was the phoenix nature that kept his hair from being greasy, though it lacked its usual luster. The shine was dull, and Klahan's eyes were just as dull. The phoenix's glow was diminished, like he was going to go cold from the inside out again.

But Klahan's feet were tough and as he walked through the city his body was numb, unfeeling of the concrete and gravel and grass and leaves and sticks and rocks as he went through the streets and out into the forest. Someone could have run him through and he wouldn't have felt it in that moment, wouldn't have noticed until he was falling.

The ancient phoenix could feel the pull of dark energy, a mass of something evil just as the nymph had said. He followed it, feet taking a path as though they had walked it for his entire long life. Deeper and deeper into the depths of the forest he went, eyes following him as he moved but nothing stepping from the shadows to approach the powerful being that ghosted between the trees, eyes distant as he followed an unseen path.

It led him to a cabin nestled in the deepest part of the forest, surrounded by an aura of darkness so thick that Klahan's body finally warmed as the golden light of holy fire burst forth from his skin, glowing through the trees as he approached the cabin, ghostly flames glowing where his feet fell.

@☼　Hazael Ambers ↳ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 19, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: infected - starset

Gracefully standing and striding out of the cabin, Akaedi left his guard where he crumpled against the wall—Akaedi doubted the man would decide to come after him. He left the door open, pulling off one of his necklaces and hanging it on the knocker so Kivari would know to look for him at the seaside.

The Mer would usually stroll, and take his time, but today... today he was running out of time to reach the seaside and so instead he ran, flitting through the trees. Behind him his sharp hearing picked up the sounds of the guard gathering himself, but when Akaedi hid himself within a grove of trees the man ran past without even noticing his presence.

Akaedi wasn't sorry that he didn't have to hit him with another wave of well water.

The Mer's focus was on himself, reaching the sea and taking a swim. As he made his escape the guard was forgotten, a thing filed away for later thought after the Mer had given himself back up to the water. The closer he came to the sea, the louder he could hear her call, and the harder it was to keep a hold on his bipedal form.

But later, he would remember.

@♆　Akaedi Vos —
Great. Now Akaedi decided to knock his pilot light out. Hazael was thrown against the wall with a hard *thud* before he fell to the ground. He coughed up the water that had gotten into his lungs. Man, for being something that sustained life, it sure did sometimes when it was taken the wrong way. He spit up a few more times before slowly pulling himself up to his face, not finding Akaedi in sight. Was it cowardly to run away?

it. Call him a coward then.

With all of his might, with the adrenaline that was pumping through him from being literally hit with a wave of *well water*, he ran through the forest. Didn’t know where he was going or who he was going to, he just knew he wanted to put as much distance between himself and that cabin as possible. He didn’t care how much he got chewed out for being a wimp and running at the first sign of confrontation, he didn’t care if Akaedi was already coming after him. No, he just needed to find somewhere where he could get the water out of his system and not like his pilot light die.

[post deleted by owner]

@☼　Hazael Ambers ↳ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 19, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: throne - bring me the horizon

"My dear, while I can respect your attempt to call me out, I would hardly eat you. I don't want to give myself food poisoning." Jewelry clinked softly when the Mer shifted in his chair, his necklaces sliding against one another. His eyes were paler, jaw tighter, keeping track of hours minutes and seconds in his head. He didn't know if he had time to escape the cabin and get to the sea before his body decided to start giving out. And yet...

And yet he was still sitting here.

"So pessimistic," Akaedi remarked, head tilted to the side. He twisted his wrists again, the same motion he'd been making almost the entire time he was tied in the chair—the motion he'd been using when faking his inability to escape—but this time the scales cut through the ropes. His expression didn't give it away, instead twitching in a falsified irritation. "I can respect that. Optimism is a fool's false hope."

Fairly strong?

Akaedi wanted to laugh. While he wasn't the strongest warrior around, he was more than /fairly/ strong—one didn't head a gang for more than a century and command fear by being weak—and no, contrary to popular belief, the other members of Vos did not fight all of his battles for him. But this man was free to believe whatever he wanted.

Akaedi's hands were free. He could tell his guard was exhausted. It was the perfect time to strike, the perfect time to kill him, but Akaedi didn't. He could have launched himself across the table and torn his throat out with his sharp teeth, could have shredded his ribcage with razor-sharp claws—and yet he didn't.

It would be no fun to kill him.

No, instead of attacking to kill, Akaedi pulled at the water source he'd felt, the well that was close to the abandoned cabin. His gut wrenched, tugging water from below, dragging it up to crash through the busted window and hit his guard with the force of a garden hose on high blast.

@♆　Akaedi Vos [ tw: mention of suicide ]

“We both know you’re bullting. We both know as soon as you get out of the chair, I’m dead. We both know I didn’t even put you in the chair in the first place- why play with your food? It’s a waste of both of our time.” Hazael let out an exasperated sigh. At this point, he didn’t care what happened to him. He knew what Akaedi was capable of, he had heard it through the grapevine. So why bother wasting any further time?

“Thanks for... giving me permission?” Hazael stood back up from the chair, pushing it into the table next to Akaedi, “I really don’t know what else you want me to say, or do. Death is inevitable, as it is a part of life. If my time is now, then just take me now. It’s really not worth fearing over. Sure I’ll put up a good fight, but that will all be fate too. Everything is already written into history and the future as it should be. No point in praying to change it.”

Hazael was tired. He was hungry, tired, and quite candidly would rather get in trouble for letting Akaedi go than have to deal with him any longer, “Once you get out- which I’m sure is soon, considering you’re fairly strong- you’ll kill me. Or you’ll probably try to make living worse, in which case I’ll probably just try and kill myself. It’s really no sweat off my back what you do. Just do it and get it over with, I’m tired of waiting around.”

@☼　Hazael Ambers ↳ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 19, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: perfect illusion - lady gaga

"While I agree that you are a piteous, piteous creature, I am hardly a man who has the pity to spare." Akaedi slung one of his legs over the other, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his lithe body. "Or, even if I do have the pity, I could hardly feel sorry for you, when you've got me tied to a chair and at your mercy." Lies. Akaedi Vos was never at anyone's mercy. There was always a way out, a way that he could slip or squirm his way out of the situation. And this chair was no exception. If he wanted out he would get out and Chau's guard could do nothing about it but try to subdue him again.

"If you wish to belittle your own intelligence, you may," continued Akaedi, "I could hardly care less." His lips parted in the slightest hint of a smile, showing slivers of his blunt white teeth. They'd become sharp if he chose to slip out and attack, but for now he was... docile, almost, like a doped-up Mer on display in a menagerie. He'd seen one before, he knew how to emulate that behavior. "There are ways you could avoid that death, you know."

Mer were beautiful, beautiful creatures, but they were also extremely dangerous and Akaedi prided himself on being one of the most dangerous, a predator on land just as he was in the sea even if he wasn't often taken quite so seriously. Itzal Chau should have never left this poor, pretty thing alone with Akaedi. The guard was unaware of what dangers were sitting across from him. Even if he may have thought he understood the dangers of keeping the head of Vos captive, Akaedi had too many secrets up his extravagant sleeves.

The tied-back hair allowed Akaedi a better look at his guard, eyes trailing over his features to memorize every curve and line of his face. If the man survived this, Akaedi would remember him, and probably torment him. There was no mercy in the Mer, only an empty space where that might have slotted in his being. Vos thought he was heartless, but truthfully his heart currently had room only for Vos.

Behind his back, his wrists were beginning to scale over.

@♆　Akaedi Vos —
“Almost? Not all the way sorry? Damn, I was hoping for a pity party.” Hazael snapped his fingers, his tone turned from curious to sarcastic. He grabbed a chair and spun it around, sitting it on backwards so he could rest his arms over the top and watch the way Akaedi regarded him. He hated trying to be figured out- trying to be read, it was annoying. There wasn’t anything special to know about him- he was just the guy who wrote up the plans. He had always been the quiet guy, the one who lingered in the shadows, even since he was a boy. “I guess I’m just not smart enough to understand the *eccentric* battle tactics, huh? As far as death goes...” he fiddled with the fire opal necklace that hung around his neck, “They’ll do what they’ll do, as you said. So why worry? Fate is inevitable.”

At the mention of no manners, Hazael snorted a bit- okay, this guy sort of made him laugh. Definitely shouldn’t have done that, but who cares, right? He rested his chin on his hand. Akaedi was an attractive guy- he had really pretty eyes, but they were scary. He himself was pretty scary. despite the situation, Hazael was thinking about himself. He was hungry, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and that was only an orange. He didn’t care about Akaedi escaping and killing him anymore; now, he just wanted the food.

Haze gave a quiet yawn, covering his mouth. Great. Now hungry *and* tired. This is why he wasn’t usually apart of the action. He didn’t really have the stamina for it. He pushed his hair back that was flopping in his face. He needed to get it cut, it was starting to be a bother. He grabbed a small black hair tie off of his wrist and tied his bangs back, pulling the strands of hair into a little baby ponytail that was a half up, half down style.