the Ring-Spirit (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
improvking) wrote2020-06-07 10:53 pm
improvking) wrote2020-06-07 10:53 pm
Entry tags:
IC Inbox (ryslig)
- GODKING : main handle
- Necrophades : "serious" handle
- understanding : anon/alias (polite persona)
- Fritvælge : for sub-cult business
March, before the second fog!
Now that I have a better idea of what the world is like, I wouldn't mind working out a few clues about where he came from...
[He gives it a few hours. After all, the Ring-Spirit isn't what you'd call a homebody. It wouldn't be surprising if he was out, getting up to nonsense, or working with the Choose the Fog movement....
...he only follows up if there's no response for over 12 hours.]
Is everything all right?
[It's not like the guy, to ignore something to do with Monster World...]
no subject
fell asleep
[ There a few minutes' pause before the Ring-Spirit thinks to continue. ]
sorry. I'm just really tired. can't focus on the game right now.
[ There, that's a nice non-concerning response. Everything is fine! ]
no subject
Do you need anything? I can come by
no subject
Well.
Hm.
There's a significant pause as the Ring-Spirit considers his options. ]
I don't know. I did something stupid and now I'm too on edge to sleep like normal.
shit usually wears off faster.
[ The Ring-Spirit doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, and he really doesn't want to set anything into motion here. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, right? He'd known (more or less) what he was signing up for. Underestimated a tad, yes, but that didn't make things any less his own fault and therefore his own business. He should be better than this anyway, things like this aren't supposed to get to him...
But at the same time, it had got to him,,
So he's one part hesitant, one part embarrassed, and one part seriously contemplating the offer. He could probably use some company. Atem is probably the person who'd need the least explanation to Get What's Wrong. Atem is the one who's offering.
After another pause, the Ring-Spirit awkwardly declares: ]
I won't say don't come.
-> action!
[....oh this is worse than he thought. As someone else whose asks for help are couched in pride and self-reliance, Atem reads loud and clear just how bad this is.
He leaves a note for Ryou, that he's gone to visit a friend, shoves a thing or two into a bag, then takes off from the fire escape in his travel form and beelines for the Gregory house.
The Ring-Spirit might as well have said, help, please come right away.
The first thing Atem will do is look for a window with the Ring-Spirit visible in the room inside: if he finds it, he'll go back to his usual form, and tap lightly on the window with a knuckle. If the Ring-Spirit's not in a room with windows, then Atem will take advantage of his invitation for Monster World games and slip inside the house as mist, searching with strange and inhuman senses for where the Ring-Spirit is, gently checking all the rooms with discernible heartbeats.]
no subject
In another corner of the room, near the locked door, sits the Ring-Spirit. He's on the floor, but not in the usual bird-style posture, apparently having opted for hugging his knees to his chest this time. It's a little hard to tell, as what's actually visible is a feathery ball formed from his large wings wrapping around him, and the tips of his metallic toe-talons peeking out from beneath them. His heartbeat is steady. He's just sitting there quietly, and hasn't noticed Atem's presence yet. ]
no subject
The voice seems to come from the whole cloud at once, though it's quiet, not much more than a whisper.]
I'm here, Ring-Spirit.
[He stays mist, in case the harpy's startled and lashes out without meaning to, but two glowing eyes can be seen inside the cloud, around eye-height for the harpy.]
no subject
...I'd hoped I wouldn't have to open the door...
[ "Thanks for misting in without making me ask."
After a moment, the wings part just enough for the red glow of the Ring-Spirit's own eyes to peek through. The light has a dullness to it - and it's only after another long moment of staring at Atem's nebulous form that he speaks again, sounding weary. ]
...I miss the Shadows.
no subject
So do I.
I miss being able to set the rules of the game...and punish anyone who broke them.
[Who did this, Atem wants to ask. What happened? But...not yet. Let it come around to that.]
no subject
...I do miss the power. I also miss their presence; they're part of me, or I'm a part of them - it's.
[ In the darkness of his wings, the Ring-Spirit grimaces, seeking the right words. ]
...When I'm this tired, it's like missing a sense. My usual sleep aid dulls my hearing, and I can't see if I'm trying to sleep, so - tch.
[ When he's this tired, it's also hard for him to piece out exactly what it is he's trying to say, so he takes another moment trying to focus. ]
I have to stay alert. I - I just do. I always do, but -[ abruptly, irritated:]- tch, do you know how long it takes to fall asleep from exhaustion alone? It's the most tedious bullshit! And it's mot like I can do anything while I'm waiting, except think about how fucking sloppy my fighting skills are - there's no precision. Not enough, anyway.
[ The Ring-Spirit huffs, almost angry but without the energy for it, and rubs at his eyes. ]
...I'm just so fucking tired.
no subject
I could help. My bite...if you're tired enough, it'll put you to sleep.
[The Ring-Spirit ran afoul of someone, he got in a fight, and lost...but who? Why?
Patience. Don't push. Offer.]
no subject
...Maybe. If you don't leave.
[ Damnit, he wishes he didn't need to admit that much. If he's going to let Atem help him though... well, he has to let him actually help, doesn't he? Which means getting around to the reason WHY he can't sleep the way he usually manages.
The Ring-Spirit shifts slightly, eyes now avoiding Atem's. His talons tink metallically against one another as he uneasily knits and reknits his long fingers. ]
It's... embarrassing. Fucker got bored, had to help me stab him right. So, yeah, I hate thinking about it, but it's... something to think about. A distraction.
...Not what's keeping me up.
[ He hesitates, and mutters under his breath to himself as he tries to figure out the least embarrassing way to put things: ]
It's so stupid... I won't - I know I won't wake up there, it's done, he wouldn't have let me die if he wasn't done...
no subject
And who was it he was fighting.
Whoever it was has no right to hold a grudge, if they helped the Ring-Spirit stab him. That person had a death wish, and the Ring-Spirit just helped him along.
But that part doesn't sound as important as the second part.
It's done.
He wouldn't have let me die if he wasn't done.
Atem knows something about situations like that.
And it makes his stomach drop.]
...torture...?
no subject
He nods slightly, making an affirmative sound. He continues to avoids Atem's gaze, staring sidelong at the floor instead. ]
Mn.
...Before you got here, the poachers... I'm pretty sure they tried to torture us; I just got delirious from refusing to scream, so I figured...
[ His tone is somewhat hesitant, but mostly dismissive - then he winces, and his tone turns more hesitant, and significantly more awkward. ]
...They. didn't have training. The skillset. The right kind of practice. It... makes a difference. A big difference.
[ As bothered as he is by the torture itself, the Ring-Spirit's also still ashamed that it bothers him at all. He should be above that. ]
cw death threats whoops
He breathes when he's afraid. He breathes when he's upset. He breathes when he needs to ground himself, calm himself. Which means he breathes when he gets mad.
Atem takes a sharp inhale, and a sharp exhale. One, then the other. They don't stop. Air in, air out, a soothing, living motion, as he shifts so that he can look the Ring-Spirit in the eye.]
Who?
Who had it.
Who was it -- who, Ring-Spirit?
[In, out. In--]
I'll kill them. I'll kill them as many times as it takes. Until there's nothing left. Until they stay dead. I'll erase them, not just from memory, but from their own memory.
[Look him in the eye. Place a hand on the shoulder. Atem's irises, even in this dim light, are the color of fire. He's a spirit of darkness, too, wound so deeply in the shadows that the mark they've left will never be erased. He'll never be the same as he was when he was alive, never, he's a spirit of vengeance now, and if someone has hurt the Ring-Spirit in a way that mattered, then Atem will burn their very spirits out of them, he won't rest until he's found a way...]
Just say it. Say it, and I won't stop until they blow away, like dust.
no subject
No.
We can't - we have to stop. They won't unless we do, and if we don't Ryou gets hurt. If not as collateral, from getting caught in crossfire, then just from watching us get ourselves hurt.
[ The Ring-Spirit knows what he's asking. He's a spirit of vengeance too - it's why he hadn't given up on revenge when Ryou asked them both to refrain previously. But he'd counted on his own ability to take whatever the return-revenge was in stride. He'd been sure there would be no repercussions that mattered, that he could simply hide the fallout and the cycle could end on that note.
But he'd been wrong about this opponent. Very, very wrong. And if the very god of the Shadows could be so shaken up, then surely a mortal, no matter how steeped in the darkness, wouldn't be immune. And Ryou absolutely MUST. NOT. be further harmed. Of course the Ring-Spirit doesn't want Atem hurt either, but he suspects that wouldn't be an appeal Atem would care about - the Ring-Spirit had completely discounted any harm coming his own way, after all. He doubts Atem is much better about self-preservation, not when it comes to friends.
The Ring-Spirit clutches at the hand on his shoulder, hoping to grab onto it, hoping to keep its owner in place. ]
This one, let it go.
...Don't make me beg.
[ He must mean actually saying the word "please", because his tone sure as hell already sounds like begging. ]
no subject
In, and out. In, and out.
There's fury in his face.
Atem has waited, patiently, for this to blow over, for him and Ryou to heal from it on their own, because Ryou had asked him not to fight, not to seek revenge. He wasn't content, to let matters be -- it made him feel weak, made him feel shame, ate at the sense and instinct left over from the shadows in his mind, the sense for how many pounds of flesh the scales would require in order to be balanced again. It's eaten at him, like rot, like an infected wound, hot and feverish despite all his attempts to cut off its blood supply, tightening a tourniquet around his sense of right and wrong, of strength and weakness.
And now there's another wound, another infection. He can guess the man behind it.
How much of Atem's self is he going to lose, from Bakuras asking him to leave it alone?
When Atem's mouth twists in rage, in helpless fury, the edges split again, revealing sharp needle-fangs that go all the way up his jaw to his ear. Breath whistles through them, as a pitched-down growl starts to issue from his chest. His voice is unsteady, thick with emotion, thick with hurt.]
How many times, Ring-Spirit?
How many injuries are you and Ryou going to make me bear...?
[He looks directly into the Ring-Spirit's eyes, his other hand coming up to the other shoulder, the fingers of the first hand separating and entangling with the clawed harpy-hands as best they can.]
Harm to you is harm to me. Insult to you, is insult to me. I'd give up everything I have in this place if I knew it would make him and me even for what's been done, what's been taken from me--!
[There's an animal-noise, from deep in Atem's throat, so deep it sounds like his chest.]
Rrrȑ̸͇͉͝r̶̟͊̽̑r̸̡̊̌̕r̵̦͓̉a̵͈̱͋ͅg̷͍̹͂̕ḧ̴̻́̊̈!̴͔͇͆!̴̝͉̈́̇͠
If it's what you want -- then, I won't act! I won't even things out, I won't take away from him what he has from me. But--
[breathing. breathing. Atem holds eye contact, doesn't let it go.]
I won't let it go. I won't f̷̧̤͒͝o̷̗͋r̵̙͑g̷͇̙͐̄è̶͉̤͈t̴̙́́. And I certainly won't ever f̵̡̳̫̯̑̚͜ǫ̷̝̪̀̇̈́͝͝ͅͅr̵̭̿̕͝g̸̛̜̝̯̎̒̀ͅi̸͈͓͚͈͌͒ͅv̶̰͚͇͊̍̈è̸͇͚̿͝͝ it. I'll hold it in my heart like a flame, until I can visit it on him, without it bringing you or Ryou further harm. Just know -- know, that I would have, and that if you ever change your mind -- if what you want ever becomes evening the scales--!
1/2
He has to think about his response, resisting his first instinct to reply with "that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! ♥️" because, while true, kind of. beside the point right now. His words come slowly, it being difficult to focus on what isn't beside the point. ]
...I know. I know what I'm asking, I know it's... I didn't phrase it in a way that's really possible, did I?
[ A bitter self-recriminating smile. ]
I didn't think I could be hurt, not in any way that mattered - I. [ oh, now the admission sticks in his throat, but he chokes the words out anyway ] ...was wrong. I know. And... I'm. ...sssorry...
[ The Ring-Spirit's expression twists into a grimace. ]
...And. ...I. know how it hurts when Ryou doesn't look after himself. ...I'll be more careful, now. I won't hurt you again.
[ Is that a promise he can actually deliver on? Highly unlikely! But in the moment, he genuinely means it. He's just not thinking ahead, at all, as usual,,
His free hand moves to the one Atem has on his shoulder, and holds it reassuringly. He forces his intertwined hand to loosen its grip into something less desperate and more comforting. He knows he fucked up, he knows he's asking for something infuriating on top of that! He's truly sorry. ]
2/2 RS: ruining the mood since forever
...Of course that someone ends up being the fucking pharaoh. Oh, this is hilarious. He can't help it, he tries to resist because he knows it never does him any favors, but he can't help it. He breaks into laughter. ]
H-haha, h-hahahaha, h-hahaHAHAHA! H-HAHAHAHA...!
LMAOOO
He keeps breathing, but...it's slower, now, as the Ring-Spirit talks. The rage gives way to unhappy understanding, and acceptance.
He knows the Ring-Spirit did it because he cared. Because Atem and Ryou matter to him. It's a language Atem speaks, a tongue that might as well be his native one, given how he woke up from being sealed away, how the shadows changed him.
...but that acceptance and understanding turns to a confused twist of his features.
He's laughing? What...?]
Did I miss something...? What's so funny?
[Please don't tell me he's lost it.]
no subject
[ He knows this Atem isn't the one he faced off against back home - this one doesn't have memories of trying to kill each other - but surely he remembers what their original roles were. If he doesn't, oh well - the Ring-Spirit's laughing too hard to explain any better right now. ]
no subject
He gives a tch!]
That's all? Really...
...as though something like what we were supposed to be would matter to me at a time like this!
[His hands stay on the Ring-Spirit's shoulders, grounding points of contact.]
If I use my bite to calm you down, I'll stay. I promise! You'll be able to sleep, and nothing and no one will get into this room while I'm here.
no subject
[ The Ring-Spirit leans into the hands on his shoulders, trying to calm down. He manages to get the laughter mostly under control, though he's still cackling a little every so often.
His wings relax a bit further. After a moment, he's calm enough to reply. He gives Atem a nod, grateful the other's agreed to stay. He's aware that the "traditional" vampire bite goes for the neck, but despite having a very long neck indeed, the thing is covered in feathers. So he offers Atem his arm, since that's bare. ]
...H-heheh... I think I'll need that bite just to stop laughing - h-hehe...
cw vampire feeding
All right.
[Atem takes the wrist in both hands, holding it with deft care, shifting to be on both his knees. He leans down -- the closer he gets, the more he can feel the harpy's heartbeat in his ears. He inhales, taking in the scent of warm skin, of living blood, feeling it rush by through the capillaries like shallow water passing through gravel, around rock. He can feel where the current is strongest, where the best place is to bite.
His mouth opens, and his fangs press down -- first a pinch, then a puncture, and then, Atem's drinking, drawing in the Ring-Spirit's blood.
It's through long practice that he's learned to keep his feeding shallow. Slow, skimming sips maximize the amount of calm-the-prey effect that his bite delivers while keeping the blood loss light. But, deep or shallow, the great avian heart, built to support flight, still thrums in his chest -- and while Atem won't allow himself to give in to instinct, to drain all of the blood that tastes like Ryou's but not, hearty where Ryou's is sweet, but with the same heart, the same base underneath, he will let himself settle into that feeling of having a heartbeat again, of feeling alive, of sharing someone else's life, freely lent to him.
Once his fangs are in, actually, he'll continue to steady the wrist with one hand, but the other grips the Ring-Spirit's. They're friends. Atem won't forget what's been done for him, and to him. Their fates are joined, now -- if they weren't before, this would ensure it.]
[cw: (consensual) drugging, unreality, identity confusion]
Before he can quite finish wondering if Ryou would mind, the soporific effect of Atem's bite begins to hit, and the Ring-Spirit's distracted as he instinctively tries to fight his senses' deadening. He has to force himself to remember that no, this is a friend, this is ok, he can relax - and Atem taking his free hand helps to solidify the concept in his mind. As his thoughts begin to drift, he decides that thinking of his friend as "Adam Usir" would help even more.
Past that, his body slumps forward slightly and his mind wanders. Wasn't he worried about this maybe not sitting well with... who was it? Adam's... girlfriend? ...No, that wasn't - had they broken up? Wasn't Adam dating Ryou? Or... wait, were Adam and Ryou doing the thing where they liked each but wouldn't actually tell each other? The Ring-Spirit - currently convinced of being "Ringu" - can't keep any of it straight. Everything's fuzzy, but that's fine, because Adam's there. He and Adam would do anything for each other, have had that relationship since whenever they'd first met; "Ringu" doesn't have to worry about anything.
He's mostly dreaming by the time he decides that, just in case, he needs to tell Adam something. What if Adam isn't dating Ryou? Ryou might be pining! That would be terrible. So he does his best to tell Adam "my cousin likes you".
Despite essentially being out, the Ring-Spirit does in fact manage to say something aloud. Unfortunately, the message that actually comes out is: ] Ada buh... baba. Buh.
[ Certain he's explained himself, and already quite tired from before the bite, the Ring-Spirit finally drifts off. Due to his current position he stays mostly propped in place, but his body goes slack. ]
(no subject)