This seems like the kind of thing that would get Varian's attention. Or, rather — Varian gets Aurum's attention, because the shiny gold dog is growling lowly as the boy gets close. Oops.]
Yeah? Did you ever get kidnapped together like this too?
[ It's half a joke, half genuine curiosity. Varian looks over his shoulder at her question, as if he sometimes doesn't notice if a fifteen pound raccoon climbing him or following him around. this is because he doesn't
rudiger is nowhere to be found, though ]
He... probably snuck into the kitchen again. [ hm ] I definitely need to find a way to make that inaccessible for him. [ oh well!!!! since aurum stopped growling at him, varian will attempt to pet the dog. this is clearly a safe idea ]
[so, like. reyna super doesn't want to answer that question, because the answer is yes. but it's a direct enough question that there's no easy way of just sidestepping it, so...]
Sort of. But it was just my sister who orchestrated it.
[not a pair of powerful women who want them to play a death game.]
...at the rate we've been eating, I'm surprised the kitchen hasn't run out of food.
[Especially if raccoons are just helping themselves to whatever is in there!!
Aurum, meanwhile, looks as pleased as a moving statue can to be pet, although it's definitely all cool metal instead of fur.]
[ he hadn't expected an answer, since he was kidding, so he just. stares for a bit, continuing to pet the dog. Luckily he can't feel the lack of fur through gloves. ]
Um. Wow. And I thought I had family issues. [ tact. what is that. He laughs awkwardly ] Well, hopefully this time isn't your sister?
[ thank God for that subject change because Varian might die. ]
You would think so, right? But I believe they're transporting the food from someplace else, which is why there's a seemingly infinite number of it.
Well, if you try to bring any of the food from the dining hall outside, it vanishes, right? Ergo, whatever trick they're using to move it back can also be used to transport it there in the first place. I'm thinking the two areas under effect are the kitchen and dining room, and they're connected to some place else, possibly outside the castle entirely?
[ i'd science it but i already have a headache let me die ]
I suppose it could be from somewhere inside the castle we haven't seen yet, but I have this feeling everything in this castle is... for us? No, wait, that doesn't make sense. I mean, it would ruin the mystery if we just open a cupboard and we found all their secrets, right?
varian and the others had... handled it, with stephanie, but the poor kid's been through a lot this week, hasn't he? so reyna seeks him out to check on him.]
[She can guess that the answer to "how are you feeling?" is going to be something along the lines of "goddamn awful," if he answers honestly. So she won't ask him that yet.]
...honestly, she doesn't know what to say. But one of the worst things in the world is suffering alone - so until someone else he's closer to comes along, she resolves to be here.
As she takes a seat, she makes a beckoning gesture with one of her hands; Aurum comes padding out from a ways away. (He's never all that far, after all.) The gold dog goes straight to Varian and nudges his hand with the top of his head. Give him pets, human.]
[ Varian huffs at Aurum in amusement but does pet him. It's a little different from petting raccoon fur for comfort. In that there is no fur, mainly. After a while of silence, though, Varian's confusion grows too much for him to ignore, and so he's the first to speak up. ]
[But she's not always good at that, and she really doesn't know the right words to say to him to make this better. It's possible there may not even be any.]
You seemed to like Aurum before, so I thought... it might help if I brought him along. [Aurum will stay curled up at Varian's feet for as long as he likes, tbh.]
Then I'll stay here for now. [until Varian feels a little better] ...do you want to talk about how you're feeling about everything, or would you rather not?
It's all right not to know. Sometimes it just takes... time, to process everything.
[And in Varian's case, it's definitely A Lot.]
...but there's no reason for you to suffer in silence, either. You can talk to me if you want to - or don't, if you don't want to. But please at least talk to someone.
[ talk to someone, she says. there's so much varian hasn't said about himself, to anyone. there's so much varian can't say. his lips twist as he looks at aurum again. ]
Aurum, it seems, is not the only metal dog around. There's one made of silver, but there are two problems:
1. It's unmoving, and its ruby eyes have no light. 2. It's stuck at a really awkward angle near the top of a tree at the outskirts of the woods.
Varian and Reyna have bad luck with trees, but when she sees him, she waves him over anyway. She's sort of eyeing the distance between the dog and the ground.]
...hey, do you have a second? I could use some... [oh she hates admitting this] Help.
[it's as weird for her as it is for you, varian!!]
Frankly, I'm not sure how he got up there. [aurum, here on the ground, gives a sad bark up toward the silver dog. the silver one is still unresponsive.] And the branches don't look as though they'll support my weight even if I climb.
[ he is way too used to this and just kind of 'woahs' softly before grabbing onto the branch. ]
N-no problem! [ he winces whenever he uses his bandaged arm but lmao it's just nerve damage who cares. he's quick to climb though and... pretty okay at it. the way anyone who is too small to reach surfaces gets good at climbing. puberty will be glorious, he's sure.
and now here he is high up on the tree, holding onto the same branch the dog is. ]
...but he climbs pretty quick for someone with nerve damage. Reyna allows herself a moment to be impressed, but once he gets to the branch where Argentum is, it's back to business.
She nods and braces herself, reading herself to catch him.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
toughchoices) wrote2018-06-07 01:11 am
prologue - thursday afternoon;
Her shiny, gold, clearly mechanical dog.
This seems like the kind of thing that would get Varian's attention. Or, rather — Varian gets Aurum's attention, because the shiny gold dog is growling lowly as the boy gets close. Oops.]
no subject
Woah, h-hey there, nice dog. Good-- wow you are one fantastic piece of technology. Please don't bite my face off.
CLOSES EYES ZIA I THOUGHT I TAGGED THIS BEFORE THE TRIAL
He'll be have as long as you don't do anything to present yourself as a threat.
[...]
Varian, right?
Why do u hate me :/
He sure is protective, huh? Wow. But, yep. That's me. And you're Reyna.
[ he could pretend he didn't read the tapestries but
Nah ]
i love u zia :/
[The dog sniffs at his hand and finally stops growling. Varian does not smell like a monster. It's Fine™.
Also fine: not bothering to pretend he didn't read the tapestries, because she's not bothering with that either.]
...is your raccoon nearby?
[She'd hate to see Aurum take a bite out of it, so she'll make sure to keep an eye on the dog's movements if the raccoon is underfoot.]
no subject
[ It's half a joke, half genuine curiosity. Varian looks over his shoulder at her question, as if he sometimes doesn't notice if a fifteen pound raccoon climbing him or following him around. this is because he doesn't
rudiger is nowhere to be found, though ]
He... probably snuck into the kitchen again. [ hm ] I definitely need to find a way to make that inaccessible for him. [ oh well!!!! since aurum stopped growling at him, varian will attempt to pet the dog. this is clearly a safe idea ]
no subject
Sort of. But it was just my sister who orchestrated it.
[not a pair of powerful women who want them to play a death game.]
...at the rate we've been eating, I'm surprised the kitchen hasn't run out of food.
[Especially if raccoons are just helping themselves to whatever is in there!!
Aurum, meanwhile, looks as pleased as a moving statue can to be pet, although it's definitely all cool metal instead of fur.]
no subject
Um. Wow. And I thought I had family issues. [ tact. what is that. He laughs awkwardly ] Well, hopefully this time isn't your sister?
[ thank God for that subject change because Varian might die. ]
You would think so, right? But I believe they're transporting the food from someplace else, which is why there's a seemingly infinite number of it.
no subject
My sister had a good reason. I'd almost feel better about this if it was her again.
[BUT, ANYWAY.]
Hm? That's a possibility - how do you think they're transporting it?
no subject
[ hm. unsure. a-anyway ]
Well, if you try to bring any of the food from the dining hall outside, it vanishes, right? Ergo, whatever trick they're using to move it back can also be used to transport it there in the first place. I'm thinking the two areas under effect are the kitchen and dining room, and they're connected to some place else, possibly outside the castle entirely?
[ i'd science it but i already have a headache let me die ]
no subject
What makes you think it's outside the castle?
[she sounds more curious than anything else]
no subject
[ i refuse to make a science thank ]
no subject
[...]
But on the other hand, the Tiger might think it was funny if we did.
no subject
[ god ]
They're pretty out there.
no subject
[they sort of remind Reyna of gods - not that she's especially happy about that. the gods of rome shouldn't be compared to... this.]
no subject
week three - sunday;
varian and the others had... handled it, with stephanie, but the poor kid's been through a lot this week, hasn't he? so reyna seeks him out to check on him.]
...Varian?
no subject
... Reyna. Hi.
no subject
[She can guess that the answer to "how are you feeling?" is going to be something along the lines of "goddamn awful," if he answers honestly. So she won't ask him that yet.]
no subject
Sure. Yeah. Go ahead.
no subject
...honestly, she doesn't know what to say. But one of the worst things in the world is suffering alone - so until someone else he's closer to comes along, she resolves to be here.
As she takes a seat, she makes a beckoning gesture with one of her hands; Aurum comes padding out from a ways away. (He's never all that far, after all.) The gold dog goes straight to Varian and nudges his hand with the top of his head. Give him pets, human.]
no subject
Was. Was there something you wanted?
no subject
[But she's not always good at that, and she really doesn't know the right words to say to him to make this better. It's possible there may not even be any.]
You seemed to like Aurum before, so I thought... it might help if I brought him along. [Aurum will stay curled up at Varian's feet for as long as he likes, tbh.]
no subject
[ he's going to keep petting aurum who is a good boy and deserves it ]
You didn't have to do that.
no subject
I know, but I wanted to anyway. [...] Is that fine?
no subject
What? Yeah, yeah, of course. Its... it's really nice of you.
no subject
Then I'll stay here for now. [until Varian feels a little better] ...do you want to talk about how you're feeling about everything, or would you rather not?
no subject
You're not the first to ask me that. But I, I don't know how I'm feeling.
no subject
[And in Varian's case, it's definitely A Lot.]
...but there's no reason for you to suffer in silence, either. You can talk to me if you want to - or don't, if you don't want to. But please at least talk to someone.
no subject
...... It's not that easy.
week five - wednesday;
Aurum, it seems, is not the only metal dog around. There's one made of silver, but there are two problems:
1. It's unmoving, and its ruby eyes have no light.
2. It's stuck at a really awkward angle near the top of a tree at the outskirts of the woods.
Varian and Reyna have bad luck with trees, but when she sees him, she waves him over anyway. She's sort of eyeing the distance between the dog and the ground.]
...hey, do you have a second? I could use some... [oh she hates admitting this] Help.
no subject
Oh, sure, no problem. What do you need me to do? [ he stares at the dog with a squint ] And... how did he even get up so high?
no subject
Frankly, I'm not sure how he got up there. [aurum, here on the ground, gives a sad bark up toward the silver dog. the silver one is still unresponsive.] And the branches don't look as though they'll support my weight even if I climb.
[...]
Do you still have that axe?
no subject
I do? But it'll take a while to cut it down. [ ... ] Those branches might not be able to support your weight, but they could probably handle mine?
[ he's. smol. ]
no subject
[Climbing down with the silver dog, though...]
If you could knock it off the branch, I can catch it.
no subject
[ he's a bit too eager for this and scampers near the tree so they can. start this mess. ]
no subject
[follows him over and... just fuckin picks him up to lift him up high enough to grab a branch, i'm sorry varian]
no subject
N-no problem! [ he winces whenever he uses his bandaged arm but lmao it's just nerve damage who cares. he's quick to climb though and... pretty okay at it. the way anyone who is too small to reach surfaces gets good at climbing. puberty will be glorious, he's sure.
and now here he is high up on the tree, holding onto the same branch the dog is. ]
Okay. Um. When you're ready, I'll push it down?
no subject
...but he climbs pretty quick for someone with nerve damage. Reyna allows herself a moment to be impressed, but once he gets to the branch where Argentum is, it's back to business.
She nods and braces herself, reading herself to catch him.]
I'm ready.
no subject
anyway, he nods and just ... pushes the dog with all his baby strength to get him out of the tree! he is not a firefighter. ]
Here!