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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[and now it's Tek's turn to laugh at his own private joke. he halfheartedly fights a smirk at himself in the mirror while he debates what the best answer in this case should be. he would love to tell the truth, but he can only imagine the meltdown that would cause.]

...Yes and no.

[while Tonic is obviously very open-minded when it comes to gender and presentation... Tek is absolutely right in thinking that his own personal brand of gender-swapping would crush Tonic's already-strained emotional stability like a bug. maybe they can get into it after Tonic has a chance to rest and finish his drink--which he takes his first sip of in response to that very unclear response.]

In that case, should I bother pulling out dresses for you to try on, or would it be better explored another time?

[he doesn't know whether Tek's answer was positive, negative, or completely neutral--but he'll just give him a nice, clear out in case he wants to avoid the situation for any reason.]

[Tek's smirk grows, but it's very fitting for his answer, which is absolutely honest.]

I'll put it this way. I think they would look much better on you than they would on me.

[in his current incarnation, at least. ]

[Tonic laugh would barely be audible if it wasn't echoed into his cup. his one-sided smile turns into a grin, and he shrugs up his opposite shoulder.]

All right, well. I do want to see you in that longer shirt, still.

[he gestures to one of the other shirts he handed over, something with long sleeves and a swooping neckline. not at all Tek's style, from what Tonic has seen of him, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't look cute in it anyway. this gives him an idea, which gets him to make a noise and set his drink down and glide over to another surface to start picking through some jewelry.]

And a necklace. That's what we'll do...

[Tek was looking at the shirt and its generous neckline with a good amount of skepticism, until the prospect of a necklace is introduced. that last touch is apparently what was needed for the image to come together in his head, and he obligingly begins to change for his host.

though, with the fact that he's putting on a shirt that is specifically meant to show off a necklace, and it having been stated that one is about to head his way, one might expect that he would take off the one he's currently wearing. but, he doesn't.

once changed, he aligns the neckline attractively along his collarbones, leaves his necklace right where it is as if he forgets it's even there, and looks over to see what sorts of jewelry Tonic will be bringing him.]

[Tonic looks back over just in time to see Tek adjusting his neckline... and while it may not be the best fit for him, visually, the open view of his collarbone is very much appreciated.

he sidles back up just as he finishes, holding out a few things: a long, simple cord with a simple silver spike hanging from it, a more extravagant cascade of thin metal chains, and a choker that fits somewhere between the two in style.]

Play around, dear. And let me know what you like, I can always find more of it.

I didn't come here for jewelry... [the warning tone in his voice is distinct. but, with the way that he says this while holding the choker up to his throat and gazing at himself in the mirror, and then starting to cycle through the others he's been given... and then looking for what other pieces might be hanging nearby... it may be more for himself than anything.

it is a warning that is absolutely going to fall on his own deaf ears if no one saves him.]

[Tonic only smiles, looking on with appreciation as Tek starts to look around for more things to wear. lots of people don't come here for jewelry, and lots of people don't heed their own warnings.

they could easily pass a half-hour doing this, going back and forth through different shirts and necklaces and pretty, one-of-a-kind rings. Tonic drifts smoothly back-and-forth between the roles of attendant and observer, taking little sips of his drink whenever he has a chance to lean back and admire the other man's journey through his work... and the way he looks while trying all of it on. he asks some questions about what he likes to wear and doesn't like to wear, partly for coat-building notes, and partly from genuine, honest curiosity.

and while Tek may not realize it, he is keeping a careful tab of everything Tek gets attached to, totaling it up to what he thinks Tek will be able to afford. he is just as good at gently talking him out of things as he is talking him into them, strategically bringing up that Tek may not get a chance to wear it, or that it would only look good with a kind of shirt he doesn't have, or pointing out when something is just a variation of a thing he's already decided he loves. it's an easy game, and one he plays masterfully, even when his glass is finally close to empty.

while observing from across the room, he stops talking for a little while to just... watch, quietly appreciative of the time he's getting to spend with this strange, interesting person. he looks distant, but happy, a relaxed smile on half of his face.]

[and really, as shown by the way he tends to wear the same sorts of things over and over again while neglecting the rest of his hoard, this is the fun part of shopping. trying things on, discussing the pros and cons, comparing, admiring. especially when he's not looking for something in particular, he could do this part for hours. it's even more fun with a like-minded friend who will humor you and listen to all of your various opinions, as well as have their own to share. he can't remember the last time he's had that, because Robin certainly doesn't count.

Tek is genuinely absorbed in the process (and absorbed with himself in the mirror) so Tonic will have plenty to look at while the dragon's attention is so focused elsewhere. there's a lot to see in the details. he's beautiful, he thinks way too much, and he really is exactly as vain as he looks.]

[after a minute or two of easy, relaxing silence, Tonic finishes off his drink.

he takes stock, as is his tendency. his joints feel better, his leg doesn't hurt so much. the things he'd been weighing against each other seem lighter all around. his vision seems good, mostly. feeling in his right hand is fine. feeling in his left hand is shitty, but it's been shitty for a few years now, so that's nothing new.

the silence is finally broken by his own stifled laugh--as Tek can watch him reach behind himself and fish blindly around for something.]

There's still a bead in my corset...

[of all the things that could interrupt Tek's happy little world in the mirror, this is a perfect one. he looks over in the reflection and watches for only a moment before he has to laugh along with him. he'd been wondering if that little bead would ever be remembered.]

Nevermind the bead, how are you still wearing that corset?

[he's no stranger to suffering in the name of beauty, but he still would have taken that thing off ages ago. get comfortable, friend.]

[he does manage to get that little bead out from where it had become deeply wedged, leaving it harmlessly on a surface beside him before his attention is reabsorbed by the corset itself.]

I am, aren't I? Hah, well...

[he can't think of a good reason not to take it off, so he shrugs and reaches behind himself again to start unlacing. it isn't so tight that he'll require assistance, but it'll still take a moment of him leaning forward and fiddling blindly with ribbon.]

[after detaching whatever dangly necklace he'd been most recently modeling and hanging it somewhere nearby, he wanders over in the direction of Tonic and his corset. if the man still looks like he could use an extra set of hands to make the task easier, he'll gladly step in to help. otherwise, there are a dozen other pretty things in the vicinity to occupy himself with while his friend gets more comfortable.

in either case, on that note--]

...Do you take many half-days off, or is this a special occasion?

[asking for no reason at all.]

[while it would have been a very good move, pretending that he needs an extra set of hands to get out of his self-imposed clothing prison... it's either beneath him or doesn't even occur to him. he finds his way out of it just fine, pulling the thing off with a breath of physical relief.

it's just in time for him to laugh again. he doesn't take days off.]

Definitely a special occasion.

[he leans comfortably nearby, looks at the poor bead that had been trapped in a corset all day.]

I'd say that I'm flattered, but I suppose you are getting some things out of all this.

[rare poison, whatever trinkets Tek had brought with him today, a potential trip upwards... so it's not technically a day off, is it?]

Mm. [he waves his finger in warning before moving to smooth out the now-uninterrupted front of his dress.]

But I didn't know that I would, before I closed up shop. I was fully prepared for this to be a complete waste of my time.

[and he would have let it happen anyway. the fact that he's taking advantage of the situation--well, that's just the only way he knows how to do anything. he's always thinking about it, always taking things. always has been, probably always will.

which is very evident when he finally looks over at Tek, really noticing for the first time that he's there and leaning comfortably, and it suddenly occurs to him that perhaps his guest is trying to engage with him for some reason other than strategically fishing for compliments.

he moves his hand over his mouth as he realizes he may have missed something, mentally backpedaling through everything he's just said, and sheepishly gives another answer.]

Sorry, you're asking if I'm still working.

Well, I assume you're always working.

[and maybe that's the problem. or, at least, that's why everything must be framed as a transaction.

which, if that's the way his new friend prefers things, he's happy to oblige. but he's still wondering what comes next. whether it's pulling further entertainment from him as a sort of payment, actually indulging in some relaxation (if he really is as off-duty as he claims), or telling him to go home because the work here is done, he'd like to know what his new friend wants.]

Yes, well. Guilty.

[he looks away again, clearly back to thinking, weighing his options again. he normally wouldn't be so obvious with such a simple transaction as "what should we do now", but the drink he had is slowing him down a little.

eventually, he comes to a decision, glancing over from the bad, expressionless side of his face.]

Why don't you stay for a while? If you've got nothing better to do, of course.

[he'll give the guy a break and make sure that it's obvious that he's happy to stay. it is what he'd been hoping Tonic would opt for, so it's a genuine expression--smiling and looking quite pleased with the decision.]

Well, you're already taking all I have to spend, so there wouldn't be much else to do but return to my keeper. And he can wait.

Oh good-- [he grins, turning his head enough for Tek to see it on the better half of his face.] --I'm a step above imprisonment. I'll take it.

[but now that their mutual acquaintance has been brought up again (it really is a testament to their interest in one another that neither of them have mentioned him before now), the big question bubbles to mind... and with all this thought of relaxing and mutually enjoying one another's company, he doesn't really feel like he needs to keep it to himself anymore.]

So why are you still hanging around with him, anyway? [asked curiously, not accusingly, while absently starts kneading at the sore muscles in his thigh.] I think it's obvious that you could get yourself in pretty much anywhere else.

[he could be hanging out with the people upstairs, or he could worm his way into any party scene or unsuspecting clothier's tent he wants. so why keep going home to Robin, of all people? is it just because they know each other well? is it something else?]

[ah. he looks amused by the question--he hadn't been anticipating it, but it doesn't really surprise him now that it's been asked. he lets his gaze fall to the pretty things on a shelf lower than wherever he'd been looking before while he thinks.]

Mm. Does it seem strange?

A little. You seemed very... bored, from how you described your arrangement last time.

[it isn't that strange that someone as trouble-hungry as Tek would want to be around someone as passively destructive as Robin. but living together, putting up with being bored in favor of letting someone else call the shots? that's the part that doesn't sound much like Tek at all.]

[it's a good point, in all honesty. he used to ask himself similar questions all the time. sometimes, it would drive him to lash out (sometimes, fatally.) and then, being stuck in this world, it had made sense not to question it. but, he needs to question everything at some point. so, he takes a moment to ask himself again now, for the first time in quite a while.

why does he keep going back?]

We've known each other for a very long time. [which isn't the most important point, but it serves to sum up a lot.] We're very similar creatures. We've both been through things that not a lot of other people can identify with. And we know most of each other's secrets.

[it's an adequate list, he supposes. when he hears it out loud, it's lacking a lot, but it probably doesn't need more than that--at least for the listener. it's not quite a satisfying answer for himself, though. so, he spends another moment mulling things over, searching for a clean way to tie off the thought.

he doesn't really find it. but, he does find something that makes him smirk at nothing, and he settles on that instead.]

--Also, I love to destroy things, and he is remarkably resilient.

[Tonic listens quietly, focusing on his leg while Tek works through his answer. it all tracks, everything he says fitting neatly into what he imagines the rest of this stranger's life must be like. he even gets a clever little twist at the end, earning a surprised, but entirely genuine, chuckle.]

I believe you.

[and, as if that's what he needed to move them along, he reaches out towards Tek with his sinewy hand, mostly hoping to find purchase on a shoulder or an arm.]

Would you mind propping me up, dear?

[he reaches down towards his leg again, indicating that he'd like to do something with his prosthetic.]

Not at all.

[Tonic's response makes him feel better about his own answer, somehow. especially with how it seems to have slotted in with the other getting more comfortable and continuing to settle into their strange time spent together.

he easily helps prop him up, not needing to do much bracing or adjusting to the other man's weight as he's leaned on. he's much stronger than he looks.

and he can't wait to see what he's going to do with that leg.]

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