psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

Entry tags:

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he feigns a look of disappointment at the question and finally begins to move away from where he'd parked himself, drifting deeper into the shop.]

Has my novelty worn off already? I'd been hoping you wouldn't be happy to see me go just yet.

[he laughs, amused by the statement--but not because of what was said.]

That's not answering the question.

[but it would be rude of him to let Tek's words go completely ignored (he doesn't want to bully the other man into answering questions so early on--they haven't even agreed upon a policy of mutual destructive honesty yet), so he watches the other man wander and takes to leaning on a piece of furniture with a pleasant smirk.]

I just want to make sure I'm not taking too long with my work, is all.

Edited 2019-01-15 04:53 (UTC)

[if they had been hanging out long enough to establish today's rules, he might have said something different. but, as they haven't quite reached that point yet, Tek instead elects to turn and send an eager look back at his friend]

Oh! Can I see it? I'd love to see how far along you are.

Oh, of course.

[this at least confirms for him that this was one of those questions, which means that the answer must be worth something to someone. hopefully it's worth it to him, and he won't regret asking.

but still, for now, he gestures towards the back of his shop, towards that makeshift sleeping area and workshop of his. a beautiful coat in about Tek's size is hanging up on the inside of an open wardrobe door, safely kept off the floor.]

Please, go take a look. You can even try it on.

[Tek wastes no time, temporarily leaving the previous topic behind, along with his current jacket--shrugging it off and leaving it somewhere that at least seems acceptable as he crosses the room.

he really is eager to see what the other man has been making for him (just for him!) in the time he has been away. once retrieved from its hanging place, he'll have to hold it out and inspect it from every angle (mostly to make sure that nothing looks too terrible to move forward with) before trying it on in front of the nearest mirror.]

[Tonic makes a lot of strange, beautiful things, but even from several feet away, it's clear that he has been pouring all of his skills and talent and patience into this masterpiece of a coat.

it is a relatively simple shape--flattering, but not overstated. it looks almost suspiciously well-fitted already, save for too-long sleeves and a hem that needs to be taken in. every piece of fabric used has been carefully picked and patched together to look intentional, with more long, straight seams and very secure, subtle stitching. honestly, most of the work has gone into making something that looks like it may never fall apart, with a quality of work you'd be hard-pressed to find at even those high-end, expensive boutiques Upstairs.

he steered away from a breast pocket, in the end. just couldn't make it work. however, he has stitched a cheeky little "X" shape over where Tek's heart should go, with a thread that is very easy to miss. he also included some dark brocade, just for him, in a panel on the back. a couple of other pieces are pinned there, but not finished.

the only other thing in progress are the collar, which Tonic is still deciding on, and the signature sleeve... which, right now, sort of just has a large, open hole in it where the eventual design should go.

Tonic watches with delight as Tek looks over his jacket, pressing his pretty fingers over his mouth to keep his comments to himself... for as long as he can, anyway. he can't help himself, when Tek starts trying it on in the mirror.]

What are your thoughts, babe? Give me some words.

[the details are not going unappreciated. it's easy to track Tek noticing each and every one--he rolls a few of the sturdy seams between his fingers, he smiles at the subtle use of brocade. he loves the stitches crossing his heart. and he makes Tonic wait for a few moments more while he admires himself in the mirror, before finally giving him his answer.]

...Robin is going to sulk for a week.

[he cackles, immediately filled with biting, malicious glee. Tek can see him grinning widely past his fingers, the other arm tucked safely over his stomach. wouldn't want that vial to jostle loose, after all.]

It will be my greatest creation. Hah.

[what a wonderful thought. he continues eyeing over the coat and the man wearing it, just tickled with how well his work is being received.]

Would you like to see what I have planned for the arm? I was hoping I could get your approval before I commit to hours of hand-sewing.

I love surprises... but the curiosity is killing me.

[so, for his own health, he'd better take a look at the design.

and this seems like it's probably the appropriate time to remove the half-made jacket off and return it to its creator, but... just one more look in the mirror. from two different angles. maybe three.]

[and Tonic, of course, keeps his eyes on Tek for a little too long. if pressed, he could come up with an excuse about watching how the coat moves on him (not a lie), or looking for places that need fitting (also not a lie), but he feels secure enough in their strange relationship that he thinks a little shameless admiration will not go to waste either way.

but eventually, he will tear his gaze away with a small, happy sigh, and start wandering towards the dividing wall of the tent--to the back room.]

And I want your thoughts on the back, too. I was thinking of laces...

[he lifts the flap up a little behind him as he passes through, helpfully keeping it open for Tek to follow as he chatters about the possibilities.]

In case you ever want to cinch it up a little. Could be swapped with something else, too, if you want a more masculine or a more feminine look...

[as if Tek could ever possibly dislike being stared at while he's looking this good. it's only encouragement to spend a few extra moment in the mirror, before Tonic finally pulls himself away. Tek follows soon after... though he does shoot one final glance backward to catch his reflection as he's walking away. that's a very important angle to check.

then his attention is finally moving on and he's following Tonic into the back room, immediately sounding intrigued by the idea being offered to him on the way.]

Oh... it has been a long time since I've had anything with laces...

Lacing is wonderful. It'll make anything look romantic.

[and it's a very easy trick that will make an already-versatile coat even more adaptable to whatever fancy meeting or underground party the man decides to attend.

the back room is almost exactly how they'd left it the last time, save for a new project that's unobtrusively bubbling in a glass distiller over an open-flame burner on his desk. as he continues talking through options, he places the re-appeared vial of acid carefully in a stand at his workstation.]

But I could also put a belt there, or leave it flat and do some detailing... I haven't been able to commit to anything yet.

[but that did sound like a strong vote for laces.]

I'll leave the final decision to your expertise... but, I wouldn't hate laces.

[it's mostly to be cute while he begins to take liberties around the shop--the first one absolutely being to do a little bit of snooping in the direction of his newest project. though, he'll at least keep his exploration to eyes and other senses for now, politely keeping his hands to himself.]

[the bubbling substance is about the color and consistency of a strong black tea. in it, there are small twigs of something that have been crushed up and left to soak. a majority of the steam is caught in the domed shape of the distiller, while a small spout to the side keeps the glass from cracking under pressure as the mixture boils.

a little wisp of steam escapes every now and then. in large quantities, it could be very dangerous to breathe... but as it is, the poison is dispersed so quickly and in such small amounts that it could barely be counted as an irritant at all.

Tonic crouches down, momentarily busy with trying to find something underneath his desk. there are a number of books, boxes, and other writing miscellany down there.]

Working on anything fun?

[by which he means, anything that Tonic himself finds interesting. if he has something new or fascinating brewing, Tek would love to hear him talk about it, but he imagines that it's just as likely something that the potionmaster considers mundane. one must pay one's bills, after all. but maybe hearing him gripe about something he considers boring would be just as good.]

Oh, not really.

[with the offhanded way that he answers, it's probably more of the latter. he retrieves a roll of papers (tied with a black ribbon, of course), and finally gives his own bubbling concoction a brief glance.]

It's just queen's brambles. [he says this in the way you typically say the names of plants--with both words smashed together and the emphasis on the first syllable.] It's toxic if you burn it. Not much good comes of eating it, either. But it'll grow almost anywhere.

[he reaches up to tap the glass, causing a few droplets to fall back into the pool of liquid at the bottom. he sounds a little bored.]

Very basic, but it keeps the shelves stocked.

That's a shame.

[it's a light comment; Tek assumes that Tonic will understand what he means by it.

and with it being established that nothing fun is currently going on at the workstation, Tek's curious attention slides over to the roll of papers in the other man's hands, sidling up a bit as he peers at them.]

Is that something more fun?

[he knows what it probably is, but he has to be coy about it anyway.]

[he doesn't seem bothered in the slightest by the comments; he knows what Tek is interested in, and it isn't the things that any old scrub could make with a covered glass and an open flame.]

Of course, babe. I wouldn't hold out on you.

[the smirk returns to his face as he gets a little more comfortable on the floor--it gives him ample room to slide the ribbon off of the papers and lay them all flat against the low table.

the paper itself is a flimsy-looking, light-brown parchment that he handles with care; maybe more useful for pattern-making than actual sketching. but Tek can still make the marks out clearly, swirling, flowing designs depicting horrible-looking things with eyes and teeth and claws. Tonic drags over a couple of tins from his shelf to hold the corners down, pointing at one paper as he does.]

So these are mostly sketches...

[his sketches are surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly) pretty good. a little messy, perhaps, and Tek will have to use his imagination to understand what these would look like stitched together into a sleeve, but... they're certainly beautiful, comprised of shapes that bring to mind the movement of smoke and the slithering of snakes.

as the sketches progress, they turn from the image of one large monster to two monsters, opposing and swirling around each other, but that turns into what looks the closest to a final design--an impressive coiling thing with no less than five different monster faces hidden among the design. he taps this one with a pretty finger, glancing up at Tek's face to catch his reaction.]

And this is what I've landed on, so far. I'll need to tighten up the details, since there's a danger of all of this becoming unreadable when it's all the same color on a rounded form, but...

[Tek settles down with barely-contained eagerness, scooting up nice and close so he can see clearly in the dim light of the back room. and even as he's only catching the first glimpses of the drawings while they're being pinned flat to the table, he's grinning and is clearly assembling early thoughts and opinions and comparisons. he immediately has things to say, and he hasn't even walked his whole way through the sketches yet.

and when he does travel forward through what he assumes is the chronological progression of design, his expression changes. he doesn't seem any less involved (if anything, he's only diving further into the image) but the smile does drift to something more thoughtful when he sees the two creatures opposing one another, and then fades further as he takes in the writhing cloud of them in the final stages of the design process.

as Tek considers the sketch, eyes flicking from one monstrous face to the next, one of those pauses that no artists enjoys begins to stretch on...

for a few seconds, before he finally says something, he even brings up a few fingers to thoughtfully cover his mouth with--further obscuring his reaction.]

...The one with many faces. How did you come around to that one?

[Tonic's own reaction to this lengthy pause is split between two minds. the first is his pride, of course, which is naturally and instinctively offended that Tek does not initially jump on board with what he feels is a very good design.

and if Tek were anyone else, he might have stayed defensive... but Tek is someone he very much wants to know how to impress. Tonic wants to dig into his thoughts and claw at every little scrap he can find, because it is so hard to find someone with opinions that actually have value.]

Mm, well... [he glances down at his design, pulling directly from his extensive espionage experience to look and sound convincingly neutral.] A single face is fine, but each characteristic of a Monster means something... and I didn't know if you'd like being limited to a specific interpretation.

[he'll point back at the two opposing monsters.] So I went on to this one, which is pretty, but conceptually flawed. Didn't really like it.

[which brings them to the third and latest iteration:] So I started in on the many faces, sort of a collection of the many traits. Conceptually, I liked the idea of someone approaching, getting close, and then... Well, realizing that they're stumbled into a swarm.

[he leans an elbow on the desk, though, leaning in closer to the table.]

But, if I have to explain it to you, it isn't a very good design, is it?

[hearing the explanation does help. he's still looking at the illustration, but some of the serious expression breaks up into a thoughtful smile.

when he finally turns his attention away from the artwork and fixes back on the artist, he similarly leans on the table, mirroring his body language a little bit.]

It is a beautiful design. [--he makes sure to correct. that's not where the problem is at all.] It just... reminds me of something very specific.

[and with that thought put out there, the look he's sticking Tonic with is some kind of pointed. not accusing, exactly, because that wouldn't make logical sense... but it's something. he's thinking about it. still working through it in his head.]

[okay, he can work with that.

he isn't sure what he's supposed to be getting here, under a look like that, but he's not above asking questions to find the answer. he would hardly blame himself for not knowing, after all. he isn't psychic.

well, mostly.

but in this particular instance, his powers had no part in it, so he has to use traditional means. questions, questions, let the games begin again.]

This is exactly why I'd hoped you would visit, darling... Aside from having the pleasure of your company, of course.

[he'll tap the third sketch again, not breaking Tek's somewhat challenging stare.]

Are you opposed to the number of them, or is it something else?

[Tek doesn't know that he's not psychic, but his scrutiny can't hold up for long. Tonic looks too innocent, and Tek doesn't actually want to feel paranoid and inexplicable right now. he eases off, forces himself to not look so serious.]

It's the image of all these creatures, all tangled up with one another, or all part of the same thing. So... yes, I suppose it's the number of them.

[whether they were all meant to be part of one entity or all separate from one another, it would still make him think of the same thing. and he's trying very hard to not think about that particular thing. he's currently (and probably always will be) on an individuality kick.]

...If it was one big creature, that would maybe be better. [he tilts his head from one side to the other, looking at it from another angle while his mental image shifts.] It could be just as expansive, just as twisting, with just as many fierce little details... but there is only one of them.

[then, a branching thought has him suddenly grinning despite himself, and he works very hard at not imagining what Robin would have to say about it.] --Or, if there were other creatures, they would all be smaller.

[Tonic follows along with Tek, looking over the image with him, already nodding at the idea of one large, big monster--as that would have been his next suggestion anyway. he'll need to be very intentional about the design, to keep it from looking too much like his own, but it could be done.

but then, Tek has to add the part at the end about the big monster surrounded by smaller ones... and Tonic has to actively hold back a laugh. the last thing he wants is to be rude to someone unknowingly baring their soul, but even with what little he knows about Tek's family, it's obvious that they aren't just talking about some made-up creatures.

he manages to keep his reaction down to a very similar grin, reaching for one of the pages filled mostly with discarded sketches and flipping it over.]

So, dear, how would you feel about the large one coiling around your arm?

[with a simple charcoal pencil, he makes some rough lines, blocking out where the head would be and indicating the overall, twisting direction of his new design.]

[it was never just about made-up creatures though, was it? why semi-hide an image on a personal mantle if it's just for the sake of being pretty? it might as well be something that brings a smile to the wearer--however petty and juvenile that smile might be.

he nods happily at the image that Tonic is forming.]

That sounds lovely.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject