spellbinders | when everything's made to be broken [open.]

Entry tags:

when everything's made to be broken [open.]

Who: Lalli Hotakainen and ????
Where: Aimintas places.
When: over the week, days 54-57? Ish?
Open/Closed: so open, man.

[ A - MEDITATION. ]

[He's trying to practice mindfulness. It's hard even when you know what it is and the process, so Lalli's finding it almost impossible. His job is to be aware of everything -- every little crunch or rustle or hushed sigh of a predator. Even prey. He was to be one with the forest and all that came with it...or he would fail.

Now he needed to close his eyes and breathe deep. He needed to understand not the world around him, but himself. Why had he pushed his limits as if it was his only choice? Why had he shoved people away when he was afraid of being left alone? Lalli needed to get himself back under control before he destroyed himself and others.

Being able to flip the switch on his Qri-given magic would be a-okay, too.]

Hey. What's your coven ability?

[laziest-sounding interrogator ever...he's trying to be zen, okay!!]

[ B - RITUALS. ]

[He hasn't tended to his wounds. As far as he's concerned, having evidence for himself that he was actually around to help this time was...good. Calming. Besides, as a mage, he has far more important things to attend to.

The Palai don't follow the same gods or traditions as his people do, and it feels wrong to abandon those, but if he could swallow his pride and accept help from an idiot Icelandic mage, he can swallow it again and offer aid where he can to these wandering souls.

The rest of the clean up? ...Not much he can do there, with these twigs he calls arms, but feel free to try and boss him around or tend to his wounds when he's on break from death rites and stuff, or whatever.]

[ C - CUDDLEBUG. ]

[When you're typically repulsed by the human touch -- when every grab to redirect or secure you feels like a rough, deadly vice -- cuddling...does not come naturally to you. Lalli's left fidgeting and scratching at himself, picking apart the weak, fresh scabs forming over the battle's results, because something was off in a way it never had been before. If he'd longed to be held as a child like he wishes now, the memory had long since left him.

He's left with one very obvious conclusion he shares via the signet -- though he also says it aloud in case there's anyone in the immediate vicinity that can help him.]

I think something's wrong with me. Maybe I'm poisoned?

[...Heck. He needs to find Emil and make sure he's okay at least, but... Should he really expose him to this problem? Ugh, quieting fears is so hard.]

[ D - GIVE ME THE WILDCARD.]

[cough.]

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[Lalli eventually slides off the bed so he can stretch his legs, thankful his lithe frame makes extracting himself a quick, easy, quiet process. He still stays close, watching Emil breathe and musing about whatever he could be dreaming about when there's a change. It would be fun to nudge him awake and demand some tale, or to curl against him again and have his own series of nonsense stories, but one of those is impossible and the other would ruin the peace hanging over them.

By the time Emil wakes up on his own, Lalli is leaning on the wall close to the window so he can take in the broken city and still keep an eye on his friend. The wave he gives is minimal, and for a minute that's all the morning greeting he's going to get... but eventually Lalli takes a seat and tips his head.]

I need food before we start. Do you want to come with me...?

[Like, they could just meet up later, but... breakfast date... Also he's making no indication that he has other clothes he's going to change into or that he minds? He's a gross garbage stank boy.]

( Emil finally rouses, at first totally unfeeling about how his back is at the edge of his bed with a decent empty space next to him. Give him a second to wake up -- wow, Lalli is up early as usual.

...Okay, give him another second. There we go. He blinks at his semi-bed companion while fixing his hair, not sure if this means yesterday was some sort of fever dream or not. Speaking of fevers, Lalli's looking a lot better, so there's that.

Oh, right. Funerals, fixing things. Okay, he's up, he's up. ) Yeah, yeah, of course. Mm, give me a minute to get dressed. ( Because someone here isn't a nasty, garbage gremlin.

Changing clothes also means allowing his brain to actually jolt into functioning; most enlisted soldiers would probably be more used to early morning routine, but if he doesn't have to get up and be attentive...he's not going to, oops. Give him like five minutes to get dressed and breathe for a second, goodness.

...Okay, with the musky memories of dead Palai tossed into a pile in the corner and new street clothes adorned, Emil is indeed ready and hungry. ) Let's go; I'm sure there are still places open, even today. ( If they were open after the massacre, surely someone has at least a shrimp stick to offer them. )

[While he doesn't exactly realize what he's doing, Lalli watches Emil go about his morning routine, getting dressed... It isn't the same blank study as usual, even if his expression is still unreadable. It's a more careful type of stare, more like... Like scouting, really. He scouts out the fluid, thoughtless movements it takes to remove one set of clothes and put on another, the way muscles tense and flex underneath skin. He wonders what it feels like to touch him while his shirt his still off, and considers reaching out to find out, but then the opportunity is dashed away before he can act. Damn, and he was usually so quick.

Oh well. They had plenty of time together going forward, and they had plenty of work to do now.

He nods. Food was kind of one of the necessities of life. Maybe if they were lucky, the community would have come together to set up a sort of supply station to revitalize anyone helping out or feeling the losses particularly hard. Everyone would be able to see what they had left. What they could accomplish together.]

I hope so. I...get hungry faster than I used to. I think. Food makes staying awake not matter so much.

[Energy is good, food is good energy. Trust that when he was experimenting on how to shut off his magic, he both starved and stuffed himself.

Anyway, hold his hand while they walk!!! Only much less insistent than that because he's starting to come down.]

( Totally ignorant to previously being studied like a specimen, Emil nods. A fed Lalli was a good Lalli, and he found breaking bread with him especially comforting. Mmmm, in spite of the roller coaster of yesterday, it didn't seem like the morning would be that bad, even though he's sure that will change the further involved he gets with post-ambush activities. )

Food isn't bad a bad vice, and it's essentially free here. It may not be so easy if we go back to the space island, though.

( What with no chef lizards and those fucking crabs. As they're about to leave, Emil takes a look at his friend's offered hand and pauses for a moment, unsure of what to do -- maybe his sudden infatuation with being touchy-feely will be a permanent fixture? On one hand, he thinks as he slips his own into Lalli's palm, it would be nice. On the other, all of those strange emotions that are clawing at the bottom of his gut aren't a welcome addition to his current plate of emotional complexity.

Anyway, let's go, friend. Emil turns out to be the one leading this time, stepping out of his suite room and grateful that food isn't far away. They don't even have to walk for a minute before they hit a small restaurant with a stooled-food counter space and Palai making various foods and drinks. )

How about this place? ( A kind pseudo-boyfriend, making sure he gets equal input. ) I stop here most days, it's not bad.

Mmn...

[Mental note to start gathering food like Brie had mentioned... As long as it was easily stored without going back for a long period of time... He didn't have any idea of when they would be leaving, but it couldn't hurt to start taking that into consideration. He'd be able to freely snack as time went on, too.

He's pulled out of these thoughts easily enough by the promise of real food, to say nothing of the voice giving these promises. But that would definitely be another plus. It's his best friend's lovely voice saying lovely things!!! Very good.]

Oh. Okay.

[It's...a little odd to hear that.]

I didn't think about...what you had been doing before. Weird.

( Emil takes that as an okay, so he breaks their hand-holding to sit on one of the stools -- God bless the short-friendly, lizard world of Aimintas and how it appeals to his own tiny-ness. The Palai working take some time out of their busy schedule to bring over some food, in between very obvious stares and hidden mumbles. Calm down, thirst creatures.

He certainly has mixed feelings about what Lalli has to say next. It's certainly hurtful to hear something like "I didn't think about you," though the real comment is more specific, but at the same time the openness that comes from sharing something like that is in and of itself complimentary. )

Oh...that's okay, I guess. ( It's not like he spends every waking moment wondering where Lalli is...just most of them. ) There's not much to do here other than hang around this place and talk to the lizards all day. It's been dull for the most part.

...Though I'm sure that might be worse for you. ( Being up 24/7...lord what do you even do with your time. )

...I guess.

[oh god yes it's terrible he's going insane and maybe it's making him paranoid is that alia looking at him like A Lot??? HE DOESN'T USUALLY REGISTER PEOPLE LOOKING AT HIM, BUT THIS LIZARD DOES SEEM TO BE WATCHING HIM... With a huff, he shuffles his chair to remove him from his view so he can go back to focusing on Emil. Hi, friend.]

I always used to know what you were doing. Even if I didn't...know what you were doing. [There was soooo much that went over his head. Anyway!] I don't talk to a lot of people. Just...run and read. Mostly.

( Emil is totally oblivious to Lalli's potential lizard love, instead focusing on food. He didn't eat much yesterday and thus food is suddenly more appealing than usual, even if he doesn't fully understand what's in it. )

Well, it makes sense on a mission. Afterwards, there's no way we'd know what each other was doing all the time... ( Oh, that actually makes him sad after he says it. Of course everyone was expected to go their separate ways -- minus Tuuri and Lalli, but look how that turned out. It was a job, but he ended up getting more out of it than work experience and some extra cash. ) I definitely would have wondered about you.

( It's almost said to himself more than Lalli. They have enough to go off of communicating face-to-face back home, but once that was removed they would have been completely lost to one another. )

[Yeah, food's pretty fantastic, and Lalli's doing his usual deal of picking at whatever piece he wants in the moment, whether it's technically his or not, and munching away.]

...Mrh.

[He hadn't thought about it, except for that time Emil had been gesturing at a flower and saying something about how things were good. Things had been horrible and would continue to be horrible. It didn't matter what everyone else would be doing...even if they had made it home.

He still just wants to go home. So, so much...]

I can't tell you now to make you not wonder. I don't really know what I'll do.

( He's not used to a lot about Lalli, but he's certainly used to the weird food habits, so pick away. Talking about home is a sore spot, and Emil's almost immediately sorry he swerved the conversation in that direction. It was somewhat of a contrast to how nice everything else had been, so time to shove off from that line of thought -- only nice things allowed.

At least for a little while longer. )

On the other hand, in a place like this, it's easier to know. And then there's the telepathy...as much as I don't like having it, it has it's uses. Like how you can let someone know you want to talk to them! I don't have to wonder if I can use that from time to time.

( Once Emil fully accepts telepathy, get used to a bunch of pings and spine tingles. This time he initiates the contact, putting a hand casually on Lalli's shoulder. ) I'm still not used to having magic of my own...but things like that are actually really nice. It makes me feel better about it all.

[It's almost like...Lalli has a whole minefield of issues...]

Ah.

[Yes, the telepathy! He doesn't perk up a ton, but there is something vaguely more uplifted about him all the same. Telepathy was great, now that he was used to it.

Also...the hand is allowed to stay. Congratulations, hand. This is still soft Lalli.]

I like the telepathy. It's easier than talking. Keeping it would be okay.

( The hand will stay, then, as it is welcome. )

I prefer not to use it unless I have to, but it's good if you're far away -- like yesterday! It made finding you much easier. And then talking when you want to talk...not like that will be a problem anymore if you're staying in my room.

( Emil's speech is reinvigorated. It feels like things can be normal, or as close to normal as they can get...which is strange, since Lalli is acting so abnormally. Maybe it's instead his own idealized form of normal, but he'll take it for now.

He retracts his hand again to continue eating, spinning on his stool to look out at the marketplace. ) It looks like the repairs are certainly underway. No doubt we won't be bored once we go out there and get to work.

( Not that he's particularly excited about hard labor -- and his tune will certainly change once he goes out there there -- but today certainly feels like a good one. )

[He hums his assent to both points, going back to his own meal. He eats more than he had their last meal, both refueling his body's energy reserves after burning some on the insomnia magic automatically (automagically?) and savoring this fun experience between them. Which is admittedly getting a little harder to do, with the sobering effect metabolizing has on any chemical change to your body...

Oh well.]

My stuff will probably be weird for you. Are you sure you want to come with me?

[Dead lizards... Crying lizards... Ooky spooky magic...]

( AUTOMAGICALLY

Emil isn't totally ignorant of what happens at a funeral -- he had suggested one for Tuuri, after all -- but he underestimates how much of a downer they are, more focused on Lalli not acting like he's automatically too dumb to understand anything. )

I don't see why not? You invited me, so I'll come along. If there's nothing for me to do, I'm sure I can find something elsewhere.

( As long as there aren't any bones, he'll be okay. )

[I mean...he has no guarantee on the state of the bodies when he goes, but okay... That's a bracket note anyway, so this is good enough for him, and then they eat food and have a fun time and walk on over, probably holding hands again because it's not quite time to think about that.

The time to think about that is mid-sentence as his arms are outstretched, hands hovering like they're holding up something light and flowing, so that he almost drops this intangible thing he's not actually holding. Amazing.

...Not. Amazing. Horrifying? He's probably causing a bit of a stir for the family because of the way his eyes are growing to the size of baseballs and he's stopped speaking -- after all, they've seen him do this kind of ritual a few times now, even if Emil hadn't. Is there a disturbance in the force?

Nope. Just a disturbance in the Lalli. What the actual fuck had he been doing aaaaaa, okay no. Get a grip. Finish the damn job before you flip out about the fact that you watched your best friend undress with the intent of seeing those sweet, sweet muscles, and wanted to press yourself against him. Funeral! Dead lizards! Soul guidance!!! Just a little bit longer...

why is his life constantly a disaster fuck]

...I'm done.

[All souls are on their way, he'll be keeping an eye out since it's not like he's going anywhere, it's fine now let him leave.]

( He certainly hasn't seen it before, but Emil observes the magic with a casual interest. The more intriguing thing is to watch those short lizard folk gather around and watch Lalli with their beady eyes open as wide as they'll possibly go.

The assumption that there wouldn't be much for him to do is an accurate one, but for each family that waddles over he has the opportunity to talk to them a little bit afterward, not letting on how weird he thinks their skin feels when they take his hand and he pats it. An Elto accidentally shocks him slightly once and that's about as eventful as things get.

Anything involving lizard bodies, Emil just looks away from that part. Bones.

He observes Lalli's most recent ritual and notices the pause and raises an eyebrow. After he's done shaking lizard claws afterward, Emil approaches mister magic man to see what the deal is. )

Are you alright? ( It's almost a whisper as he leans in. Maybe something went wrong with that one. ) You looked a little strange in the middle of your ritual.

[Oh no, he's coming closer. Act natural. Oh no he's coming in real close -- Lalli shrinks away, pulling his limbs closer to himself as he tries to put the brakes on the panic he's suddenly dealing with.]

I'm fine.

[HE LOOKED FINE, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, UGH, look at him adoringly, except no, never look at him ever again]

It's nothing. Quiet.

( Wow...some magical thing must have really spooked Lalli. He's gone all rigid and cold. )

Are you sure? You don't look fine.

( The better thing to say would be "You aren't acting as yaoi as you were 15 minutes ago and what's up with that, bro?" )

Take a break if you need to, I'm sure the lizards won't mind.

What does that mean?

[Yes, he's getting hissy and pissy about being told he isn't pretty enough. What do you mean he failed at acting natural?]

Pshht. I said I'm fine. I'm doing something really important, Emil. You take a break.

[your work isn't important you're definitely not important never super duper important and an exception to his need to stay away from people cough]

( Well excuuuuuuse him, princess. )

I know... ( That he's doing something important. Maybe he wouldn't usually feel so stung, but the sharp contrast in his attitude pricks his sudden, vulnerable softness. Lalli had been so agreeable -- this isn't the worst barb, but the spiky tone is coming back. )

You're doing great stuff for them. Just don't push yourself if you don't feel up to it right now. I'm sure the Palai won't care if you wait 10 minutes to gather some energy. ( Yeah, yeah, he's fine. Just let him reassure his workaholic friend he doesn't have to keep going if he doesn't want to.

He tops off that reassurance with a hand to Lalli's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. )

[He starts to calm down. Not a lot, of course, because he can still feel himself reeling from...the withdrawal of sex hormones, good lord, but he can feel Emil's expression and those are awfully nice words. He still likes the words...

So he was starting to calm down before he feels that hand clamp onto him with the amount of welcome as fire on ice. Like ice, he cracks, elbow swinging back into Emil, and he turns and jogs away a few steps. He needs this distance, he hasn't had enough of it, and all that touching is coming back to him in a horrible wave he needs to get away from.]

Don't -- [His eyes feel like they're burning, and he wonders somewhere in the back of his mind whether his glare is as intense as it feels to him. He's not sure if he wants it to or not. He really just needs to get away.] ...Fine.

[He'll take a break. It's a good opportunity to run.]

Don't wait for me. You've...done enough.

[MAYBE IF HE GOES REAL FAST HE CAN RUN AWAY FROM HIS FEELINGS AND THE PAST WON'T CATCH UP TO HIM HA HA, bye loser.]

( The elbow comes at Emil fast, though not too painfully -- the sting is more mental than physical. The daggered look he's being given suddenly only compounds the sudden confusion and tinge of sadness.

Well. He had indeed told Lalli to take a break so he got what he wanted.

Emil can't talk until Lalli's gone, leaving him wide-eyed and barely getting a breath in with the speed of the exchange. He hasn't even put his hand down while he watches him sprint off into the distance.

...What the fuck just happened? )

Bye...? ( He says stupidly with no one around to hear him except a gaggle of lizards that are standing around gawking at the spectacle.

Emil's a little too stunned to process everything right now. Give him a few hours and he'll have a better grasp on how he feels. )

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when everything's made to be broken [open.]

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