psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

The first thing he feels is the cold.

It permeates everything down here on the lower levels. What little warmth humans have made for themselves is greedily gobbled up by the stone walls that surround them on all sides. Despite the stirring of people in the streets, in their homes, and around corners, this place feels like a grave. A similar sense seems to loom over the heads of most who make their way through this deep, dark part of the world, hovering around them like a cloud of inevitability. No one has been outright sentenced to death, but they may as well be.

Upon waking, Tek will have found himself in a dark, wet alleyway. Attempts to orient himself reveal that he has been brought, somehow, to an impressively large network of tunnels that all lead, more or less, to three or four larger chambers. There is far more vibrant life above him somewhere, far, far above the layer of caves he's in now, and there is also a very deep, sluggish form of life somewhere far below his feet.

No one is coming to get him. No one follows him in his immediate vicinity--the few stragglers hanging around doorsteps and windows don't give him a second glance, or even a first one. The place is crowded, but not busy. Everyone keeps their heads down. The people are all dressed poorly, in rags and robes and bundles that suggest a certain level of consistent poverty all throughout the level. The buildings in these tunnels look man-made, either built from scrap or carved straight out of the rock of the cave, but the majority of the actual roads and cave walls seem to have been formed with very little help from human hands.

The place is lit with lanterns and dirty-looking florescents suspended high above in the cave ceiling. The air is thick and stuffy, the smell of mold and mud prevalent over even the smell of human stagnation. It would not be hard to drag someone off, and he gets the immediate feeling that if he did, it's unlikely that anyone would come looking for them.

What does he do?

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[this room should probably feel more surreal than it does. however, with an entire alien world finally shut out behind him, something even a little familiar feels like home. he gives a cursory glance around (the crystals are a nice touch) but otherwise just seems relieved to be here. he already knows this space.]

Cozy... [he mutters, as he finally pushes the hood back from his face for the first time since he'd put the thing on. the cloak had been his only shield, the only thing saving him, and now he wants nothing more than to get the damned thing off of him. the gloves are next.]

[Robin, who has not seen Tek in months, looks over every revealed detail of his face almost as if counting them to a total. as if coming up short might prove that Tek isn't real and that this whole thing is just (another) surreal dream.

only it wasn't a dream. it couldn't have been. not with Tek here. right?

he runs a hand anxiously through his own hair while his wheels spin.]

Used to be a trap room... From, uh, a long time ago.

[but that hardly matters. he continues to stare, and only one phrase seems to come to mind, over and over again. he's stunned, voice quiet.]

I can't believe you're here.

[that little bit of genuine sentiment is enough to glance at, before Tek occupies himself with shrugging off his cloak and folding it up to set aside. it provides a nice, casual distraction to get him through the next few moments.]

Where else would I be?

[Robin shakes his head. that's not a statement that makes a whole lot of sense in the context he's been living with these past couple of months. still digging fingers lightly into his own scalp, he looks away to try and put this new reality into proper order.]

I don't know. Somewhere else. I didn't think it worked this way.

[yes, he had been to Tek's world, but that was far in the future. besides...]

And with no one else here, I really... Started wondering if maybe it really was just a dream and I was... Going crazy again...

[oh... he slowly ducks his head, now holding it with both hands. he closes his eyes almost as if to fight off a headache--but Tek can sense better than that. he says nothing, momentarily trying to ignore much louder sounds that only he can hear.]

[ah. and there's his cue.

Tek would have to be at his coldest and most distant to ignore that, and here he is only pretending that whatever layers he's hiding behind can actually protect him. it draws him like blood in a new wound, every time.

as he always does, he sees the need for an anchor and steps in. nice and quiet, just closing the gap until his hands can come to rest on Robin's upper arms. he won't try pull Robin's hands away from his face--he'd learned to avoid that move years ago.

Tek just offers a touch to bring them both a little proof of reality.]

[and just like every time before, he opens his eyes with a start. this time, the touch makes him shiver, but the tension eases out of his fingers as he stares back at the death dragon.]

I'm not crazy. It was all real, and now you're here.

[and then he smiles, just a little. he's playing on frayed nerves and feels exhausted already, but he moves his hands to start pulling off his gloves. he wants to experience what it's like to touch him again, after thinking he may never have another chance.

he giggles, weak, helpless, and deliriously relieved.]

Gods, you're going to get us in so much trouble...

[that look, that weakness, and some of Tek's favorite words--how could he not smile at that. it's easier to ignore all of the things he is unsure about (the gap in his memory, the changes he has missed here, the meaning behind any of it,) when he has this kind of affirmation right in front of him. he still can't call any of this normal, but he's at least collecting a small foundation of familiar things to start building on again.]

Oh, that's a shame. I would hate to be a bother.

[Robin giggles even more at that, his shoulders coiling in as it turns into a bigger laugh... and then, rather suddenly, he ducks forward and shoves his face at Tek's chest like a needy dog looking for attention.

he's still laughing, though. he may have worked himself up into a bit of a fit. but he snuggles up against Tek's chest whether the dragon wants him there or not, drawing arms around his waist to keep him from leaving.

if Tek finds it in himself to look down at this atrocity, he'll notice that Robin's face isn't without a few tears--but that's probably to be expected, at this point. maybe the aggressive hug would be stranger if he wasn't also crying.]

[when Tek's arms loop around Robin's shoulders in return, it's initially a sort of containing action--following that same urge to ground the unpredictable demigod. but once it's clear that Robin is hooked onto him pretty securely, he doesn't let them drop again.

part of it is not knowing what else to do with himself, really. he can't remember the last time that someone had latched onto him with so much affection. and the rest of it... well, he can't find much reason to remove himself from this when he's so starved for a sense of safety. there's nothing to look over his shoulder for, here.

and who is there to see him? he is so very far from any prying eyes that he could care about; even the gods themselves might be gone. he doesn't have to play by old rules, at least not right now. he'll make a plan and rebuild walls and traps later. for now, he can stay right where he is and not care.]

[and while the months have not been kind to him, he remembers very well what a rarity it is for Tek to show any sort of affection in return. he soaks up the touch just a few seconds longer than he would normally dare, just to savor it--just to be sure that this Tek is real, and not some vision of a dream come to haunt him in his waking hours.

when he finally pulls away, he still reaches up to brush his fingers along the edges of Tek's face. his cheeks are a little wet, still, but with a reintroduction like this... he can make a quick recovery.]

Tek, it's been terrible. [he says this with a huge grin, of course, and then dives right into something else as he switches gears:] Are you all right? I started looking as soon as I felt you show up, but you vanished so fast... I didn't even realize it was you until I saw you...

GRATIA // PSL

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