skeletoncity: (HERMIT)
Gratia ([personal profile] skeletoncity) wrote in [community profile] psychoshenanigans2017-03-17 10:30 pm
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?
birdsbirdsbirds: (♥ your eyes look like space crystals)

[personal profile] birdsbirdsbirds 2018-10-21 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[Robin ignores Tek for a moment, ordering two drinks that he thinks the dragon's new friends will find agreeable. someone beside them looks over as Tek mentions the Capitol, but looks away and goes back to their conversation pretty quickly.]

Places have history, Tek. And people have opinions. [he finishes his own drink, quickly slugging the rest down and sliding the glass back across the bar while he's there.] Maybe work on catching the attention of someone who isn't keyed directly into the slickest underhanded economy in the city.
heresyandlace: (sits like a whore)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-21 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Tek rolls his eyes as Robin talks to him like a mortal, and only keeps his tongue about it because there are people listening, and he would actually like to keep having fun. so, as Robin finishes trading drinks across the bar, Tek's fingers drum on his shoulder for a few dangerously-thoughtful moments.]

...Maybe it's the story that needs work.

[what if he decided to just suddenly throw away the only safe, agreed-upon thing about this entire arrangement, Robin? what if?]
birdsbirdsbirds: (♥ ruins with a bad pickup line)

[personal profile] birdsbirdsbirds 2018-10-22 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
[the tapping at his shoulder is a warning sign, and he knows it. as drinks finally slide back in his direction, he realizes he's made a mistake. sent Tek down a path of destruction.]

No, no, no... [he picks up the two drinks that have been presented to him, turning away from the bar... just so that he can sidle back up to Tek, putting one arm over each of his shoulders (and holding the drinks safely away from the both of them).] No, no. The story is fine. We just need to find you the right audience, that's all.

[he does not want Tek to start making changes to the script before he even understands the heart of the story. that's a risk he isn't willing to take.]

Come on, I'll get these drinks to your boys over there. You give it another shot. There are tons of people here who won't even ask where you're from.

[just then, the crowd applauds again and the room swells up with another buzzing intermission. the singer is getting off the stage, their set complete.]
Edited 2018-10-22 03:39 (UTC)
heresyandlace: (a fickle thing)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-22 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
[there's a familiar tension as Robin faces him with all of this reframing, very similar to what usually happens right before he suddenly takes off for the mountains, not to be seen again for months. the arms on each shoulder are momentarily cage-like, and Tek looks from one to the other of them as Robin talks.

he's still at least trying to stay centered, though. he's trying to tolerate the rules, the walls, the tone in Robin's voice. his own voice is calculated in its civility.]


It's not as if I was looking for politics.

[don't make it sound as if he'd somehow done something to fail in his attempts here, or he might not be able to keep the compulsion for something dramatic at bay.]
birdsbirdsbirds: (♦ department of human disasters)

[personal profile] birdsbirdsbirds 2018-10-22 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
No, no. I know that.

[the arms come back down as people begin to float from the dance floor back in the direction of the bar. he stays close, but Tek can walk away if he's really feeling cornered. his smile disappears as this becomes something of a serious conversation, fueled by Tek's increasing agitation.]

I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just... trying to say that you don't have to spend time in boring conversations if you don't want to. Which you know. Already.

[and then he sighs, the reality of his own mistake having dawned on him while he speaks. people are all around them, now, but he glances away and apologizes anyway:]

No... I'm just being overprotective. Sorry.
heresyandlace: (sits like a whore)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-22 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Tek stands by as Robin walks through the whole thought, keeping his agitation at a plateau until he sees wherever Robin ultimately arrives.

and it turns out that it's at a realization and an apology. on one hand, there is a lot there that Tek now doesn't have to try and convey to Robin, and some of that tension can be released now that Robin has figured it out himself... but, on the other hand, interpersonal baggage has now been brought out into the light where it's uncomfortable and must be addressed. and Tek is still feeling too antsy and unsatisfied to do much compromising.

he sighs.]


I may be younger than you, but not by that much.

[so stop treating him like a kid and maybe things will be fine.]
birdsbirdsbirds: (♥ the world will hurt with him)

[personal profile] birdsbirdsbirds 2018-10-22 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
[he laughs. it's the good kind, coming from Robin, where he sounds a little like he never really learned how to laugh right. his smirk comes very easy and feels very honest.]

For having spent so much time in other people's houses, you'd think I'd know a little more about bringing someone into my own.

[before he can think twice about it, he leans in to give Tek a quick peck on the cheek. his hands are full, after all.]

Okay, I'll give it another shot.

[and then he just... starts walking away, back towards the two they'd left earlier, to deliver them their drinks as offered. it is up to Tek whether he wants to follow, stay, or start moving in a new direction.]
heresyandlace: (sits like a whore)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-22 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[an admission of fault, acceptance of responsibility, and the offering of an open door. Robin even goes the extra inch to be sweet on top of it. it's all Tek could ask for, really.

it feels as though there's a little extra room to breathe in as Robin turns to leave. against all odds, nothing feels worse, and Tek even manages to reclaim some sense of relief.

despite this, he turns to head the other direction without hesitation.

he feels better, but he still needs to be somewhere else by the time Robin returns.]
heresyandlace: (above you)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-22 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
[he'd initially thought he'd been looking for something more lively, something that posed a more thrilling and immediate risk to dispel everything that had happened in the last ten minutes, but the sight of still, shimmering water in the dark manages to catch him first. he'll always be an aquatic creature at heart. and with the sort of crowd already gathered there, it makes sense that he'd also be drawn inexplicably in.

Tonic's presence goes unnoticed until he's actually quite close. Tek immediately remembers the promise he'd given earlier, even though it had technically been to the currently-missing half of the party. in his mind, it still works perfectly well as an excuse to go up and bother the man.

so, wandering casually through the gathering until he comes up alongside his target, Tek asks a question that he'd wanted to ask when they'd been first introduced.]


...Potion or poison?
heresyandlace: (above you)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-23 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ah, that beautiful wreck of a face. it reminds him of home--the fun parts of it, more than anything else. it's a pang that he lets himself happily wallow in.]

I'm asking you. [he reflects the smirk, a little wry, as he tucks his hands into the slim pockets of his jacket and stands beside the other man as if he'd been invited.

he's compelled to be over-familiar, because that's how things were done among their types back home. whether by blood or simple similarities, family is always close.]
heresyandlace: (trust me)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-23 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
That's one way to sum it up.

[he compulsively smiles to himself over it, but it's not necessarily one of fondness. it's more like he's trying not to chuckle at some internal joke.]

And are you not? [he glances over toward the other man's face so he can read any expression that may or may not be there along with an answer.]
heresyandlace: (smile like a snake)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-23 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
[and now, Tek is free to giggle away at Tonic's rampant disdain. he loves it. it's a good, genuine laugh.]

...So, you know him pretty well, then. [it's not a question.]
heresyandlace: (above you)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-23 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
No apology needed. Our friends both filled in those gaps.

[he hadn't introduced himself either, after all. that had been all Robin's doing.]

Speaking of which--where is dear Sarah? She should know that I'd at least attempted to keep my promise.
heresyandlace: (above you)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-24 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sure I'll run into her again.

[it's the dismissive sort of answer that says he's not married to the idea; he has fulfilled his end of the bargain as far as he's concerned. but, he also doesn't want to give his lovely new friend the wrong idea, so he smiles as he clarifies.]

Though, I don't have anywhere else I need to be.
heresyandlace: (sits like a whore)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-24 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[he tries not to make a face at the term, but there's just something about it that manages to make him grimace a little bit. it's not for show; it's a genuine compulsion.]

A crime, honestly. So, yes... let's fix that.

[he takes a step to show that he is also ready to set out somewhere, but he's waiting for his new friend to do most of the leading.]

I'd ask you if you wanted a drink, but that's only because it's the only part of this fine establishment that I've seen so far. [--what with being Robin's friend and all. spending a lot of time around the bar just comes with the territory.]
heresyandlace: (above you)

[personal profile] heresyandlace 2018-10-24 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
[the pleasant demeanor is a nice change from the scrutiny and mistrust of earlier. Tek is delightfully at ease as the two of them stroll along.]

Oh... many things. [of course he's smirking to himself a little.] I'm eager to see it all. And I prefer to remain at the whims of my host, so I am quite open to personal suggestion.

[he's a Capitol man on vacation. lead the way and he'll be happy to follow.]

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