psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

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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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[that gets a hearty laugh out of Tonic, which is somewhat unsettling to hear in its own right.]

That's right, you don't do that over there, do you.

[thankfully, this isn't the kind of question that asks for an answer. he puts the partial coat down, starting to layer several other colors over Tek's shoulder instead, just to see where it goes.]

Just make sure you go upstairs every once in a while. You'll get sick if you don't.

[this red was a terrible idea. why did he bother? he tosses the swatch away, trying some shredded grey fabric instead.]

[he's putting forth the effort and doing a very good job (so far) at not making a face when something unflattering is held up against him. he knows the whole thing is a process. he'll suffer the indignity in the name of art.]

Is that what you all do down here, take periodic trips upstairs, or is that only for us wilting surface types?

[he's sure he's probably heard the answer from Robin at some point in time, but he'd much rather hear Tonic's answer.]

[at least Tonic seems to be getting closer. all of the warm tones have been ruled out at this point, with a fairly favorable palette of cool blacks and grays left over. he had a couple of pieces of gold detailing pulled over just in case--but now he tosses those aside like they aren't even worth the bother.

though part of that might be his reaction to the question--which gets an audible scoff.]

Gods no. Not unless you've struck a very big deal.

[and his tone implicates that this is something very few people ever manage. he continues holding things up to Tek, moving onto trying out a few different kinds of buttons and baubles that he fishes out from that box he grabbed. it's a convenient outlet, though it's impossible for him to keep from looking annoyed.]

There are a lot of people down here who will never see the sun as long as they live.

[he at least leaves a few moments of pause while watching the annoyance on Tonic's face, before moving on to the question that is now dominating his curiosity. it's likely meant to give the other man a small break, but it could also be to let him stew first.]

...I feel like I should ask before you have pins in your hands, but--what about you?

[Tonic had asked if he'd ever been poor, so he feels like this is a fair question to counter it with.]

[Tonic makes sort of a hmph sound, being called out for his sudden temper... but he still thinks about it, and it takes him an extra few seconds to decide what he actually wants to say. after adjusting a couple of things, he finally answers.]

Just once. Before half my face got melted off.

[he frowns, though it only makes it through half of his face.]

I didn't like it much.

[this would probably be a good time to give his new friend and their fragile, new relationship a break... but he has to push his luck, just a little bit, while he has such a captive audience. he's counting on the fact that it's hard to just shrug out of a conversation and walk away when you're in the middle of half-dressing someone.]

...Was it the principle of the thing? Or, maybe it was just a little too bright for you?

[that is a problem, isn't it? while his guest has no choice but to entertain him for long as he keeps him pinned there (literally), Tonic can't exactly drift out of this inopportune conversation either. not without being rude about it.

and it isn't worth being rude; the subject is not dangerous, just unflattering. he lifts at the layers of fabric at Tek's front, clearly mulling over something... and at the end of his train of thought, he clenches his jaw, which makes an audible bone-popping sound on one side.]

Sweetheart, would you do me a favor and take your shirt off? I'm worried I'm going to cut through it on accident.

[he says this with such an easy, business-like cadence that it might even be true. he produces a small pair of scissors (a generous term; it is composed of two small, opposing blades set into a U-shaped piece of metal, which looks both dangerous and very, very sharp) to further his point. he gives Tek a little half-smile, perhaps to keep this from looking like some kind of threat.]

Then I can answer your question.

[okay, so maybe this is also a tiny, friendly ultimatum--but maybe he'll be more willing to discuss embarrassing details if Tek delivers without complaining.]

[Tek can't fault him at all for the request. Tonic had let his question about Tek being poor settle, after all, whereas Tek is pushing is own question a step beyond that. it isn't very fair, so a balance is absolutely deserved here.

as if this had been a turn played within their favorite game, Tek begins to unbutton his shirt without complaint.]

Of course.

[soon, Tonic will have one bare and vulnerable chest, a very expensive necklace exposed, and all the room he needs in order to answer.]

[Tonic had taken a step back to give Tek a little more room, but as his request is fulfilled... he finds himself at an optimal vantage point to gaze again at the other's perfect form, something he had somehow convinced himself could not have been possible since the last time he saw him with his shirt off.

but here is is again. he absently touches the good side of his own face, both blatantly and unabashedly captivated by the man in front of him.]

It isn't fair. [a beat.] I think I said that last time.

[and then, after a happy sigh, he asks:]

How would you feel about wearing a little piece of something from the dead man who wrecked my face, darling?

[to get the best kind of giggle out of Tek, you need to do something both surprising and truly disgusting. so, Tonic successfully gets one of those sorts of giggles from him now.

he's horrified. he couldn't be happier.]

...I suppose it depends on what it is.

[ah, see? this is the kind of fun they had last time, too. he grins mischievously, sticking his tongue out a little between his teeth.]

Oh, just some of his jacket. I still have a few scraps left.

[nevermind the unsettling implications that he had stolen, coveted, and kept track of this piece of clothing for years--with the mood morbidly lightened, he sets to work draping things back over Tek, dexterously pressing and cutting and pinning pieces together into something that begins to resemble a whole, fitted coat.]

Silk lining, mostly. He didn't deserve it.

[he still has the biggest smile on the one side of his face, as if nothing in the world would bring him more satisfaction than putting a piece of that man's clothing into this very purposeful work of art.]

[of all the things that could have distracted them from that important question Tek had asked, this is a very worthy one.

even though he's so close to him, Tek is having a hard time keeping his eyes off of him as he works. he can't help it, with the way his hands are all over him, assembling fabric and mementos of dead men on him like artwork on a canvas. it's a string of moments that he couldn't be more caught up in.]

I'm very happy to help.

[Tonic really is very good at what he does. while the initial, conceptual stages of this coat may have been hit-or-miss, something very flattering starts to pull together from the mess of scraps and strips and loose chaos filling the room. he has an eye for shapes, he works quickly, and he stays fully engrossed in their charming conversation while doing it.]

So yes, I didn't like how bright it was. [he picks up right where he'd promised to, cutting a very long strip down the length of Tek's arm, close enough to have nicked him if he wasn't paying attention.] But more than that... Well, you'll probably find this silly, but every time I'd leave a building, I felt like I was going to fall into the sky.

[okay, well... the sudden grin on Tek's face absolutely betrays how cute he finds this admission. it's precious, and he'd pay any amount of money to have been able to see young Tonic reacting to that big, bad sky.

he's going to try not saying anything and just seeing where it goes, at first. but if he's left to his own devices for too many moments, a giggle might slip out. in the meantime, his expression is of one of sheer delight.]

[maybe this is the dragon's lucky day (pardon the expression). Tonic can't afford to look up at Tek, not with this straight and long of a cut. it was also only one part of a complete thought, so there's a little more to his inexplicably precious story.]

I knew it wasn't going to happen, obviously, but it just felt so... infinitely big, and empty. I really didn't like it.

[as the two sides of the sleeve fall apart, he sighs a little, half a wide smile on his face as he continues to pin down the new seam without looking up.]

Go on, Up-Top, you can laugh.

[he tries, he really does... but there is this quiet, elated wheeze the moment that he's given permission.]

I'm sorry... [he lies, while giggling.] It's just a delightful mental image.

Oh, is it?

[maybe this proves that Tonic truly is the better person, as he has yet to stab Tek with any of those sharp little pins of his. at least he seems to be taking the laughter in good humor. this isn't the first time someone has poked fun at him for it. it's certainly one of the nicer times.]

A smaller me almost getting knocked on my ass by something that doesn't move? It's something...

[he wouldn't call it "delightful", though.]

[it is a shame that Tonic is taking the high road (so far) on this, as there's very little to discourage Tek from continuing to enjoy this moment to the fullest.]

Yes. It is. I bet you were adorable.

[and then, before either of them can dwell on just how cute he imagines a young Tonic to be, Tek gasps as another thought occurs to him.]

Oh, gods... flying would absolutely kill you, I think.

[he also would not have called himself "adorable", but before he has time to even consider objecting, Tek's newest thought is enough to finally make him pause in his line of pins, sounding audibly nauseous.]

Please. I would kill myself. I'd jump off the fucking ship.

[half his mouth turns down in a grimace, until the other half follows in a slightly lopsided attempt to match. just to show how awful that sounds.]

[that vehemence, combined with that face, gets a good-natured chuckle out of him. how could he not continue the subject, with reactions like that to enjoy?]

I love flying. Especially on a good clear day, when you can really see everything--horizon to horizon.

[it really is a miracle that he hasn't been jabbed with pins yet.]

[up until this point, Tonic's reactions have been based in truth, though played up a little for the sake of letting his new favorite guest have a good laugh. but something about the idea of being able to see the edge of the world in all directions causes him to look genuinely haunted, if only for the split-second it takes him to decide they should wrap up this little exchange.]

Awful. Truly dreadful.

[he reels himself back in, continuing on much the way they had before--with a good-natured tone and a crooked smile. he is almost done with a sleeve hem, so he focuses on that.]

But you can have all the fun you want... I don't think they'd even let me upstairs these days, even if I suddenly lost my senses and decided to go...

[Tek is perfectly satisfied with the interaction--even treated to a tangible flutter of horror there at the end--so he lets Tonic out of his imaginary sky-prison in peace. he's not feeling that cruel.

he'll let his friend carry the conversation in a presumably more comfortable direction.]

Oh, no? Not even with an escort?

[Tonic laughs at the incredulous thought. he finds it hard to believe that someone, anyone, would be an accomplice to the social crime of bringing someone like him all the way up there.]

And who would be escorting me, you?

[his hem finished, he stiffly crouches down to start bringing around a hem at the bottom. his work on this outfit is almost completed, at least for today.]

Am I that bad? It sounded like it might be fun.

[which are two separate thoughts of his, though he puts them together as if they're related.

he doesn't entirely understand what all is up there, but it's something more than Down Here over and over again--and if there are social feathers to ruffle in the process, that only makes it more appealing. he thinks the idea makes sense, at any rate, if Tonic doesn't have other problems with it.]

[Tonic laughs again, shaking his head a little.]

It sounded like you just want to see my suffering in-person...

[but the end of his sentence doesn't sound final. he hasn't said "no" yet. he's just waiting for a better offer while he pins his way around Tek's legs.]

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