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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[on a normal day, the amount of meat in those fried nuggets would not be enough to really satisfy anyone's hunger... but under the influence of a little Rapture, the texture is fascinating. crispy, cold. the seeds are dry and light and hollow. the meat inside tastes a little fishy, has a flaky sort of texture, except for when it is suddenly a little denser and potentially from an entirely different animal.

Tonic laughs at the joke, still having to cover his mouth, and then coughs a little so as not to choke on his food.]

Someday, darling, what we should really do... [he looks and leans to the side, suddenly remembering that he also wanted to light candles--and brings several of them back to the table as he talks.] Is go somewhere, order a bunch of different little plates, and then get high. Ugh...

[it's a disgusted sound, but only because it sounds like paradise. he pops another nugget into his mouth before lighting a match.]

It'd be so expensive... But so worth it...

[the chuckle that he answers that suggestion with is low and awful. because he still can't believe that he'd really gone through with this in the first place, and that it worked. he can't believe that he likes the idea that Tonic is putting out there. he can't believe that he's even in a place where he is considering it.

when he finally replies with more than a laugh, it's while he's inspecting a bitten-in-half nugget as if he's trying to figure out exactly where all these tastes and textures are coming from.]

Is that before, after, or during our trip upstairs? [because he's still serious about that one.]

[oh, that strikes Tonic as very funny. he pauses between lighting two candles, almost letting the match burn down to his fingers as he laughs at the absurd idea.]

Please, I could not afford to eat like that upstairs, babe.

[he giggles as he flicks the match out, busying with lighting another candle. scents of burning wicks and melting wax start to mingle in with the other foods, and the room is slowly filled with a warm, soft orange light. not long after, he adds with a smirk:]

But before or after, that's fine.

[he makes a musing sound that is absolutely him already beginning to scheme on how to make this plan work. it might have to wait a little while, take some time to pull off, but it will happen. just watch.

he gets distracted pretty quickly after that, though. the light is changing, and he needs more food. he smiles as the candles wink to life, reaching for the cheese knife as he does so.]

Well... this is romantic.

[and he seems as though he may have a follow-up comment, but the knife feels almost startlingly light in his hand when he picks it up. so, instead of using it to cut himself a snack, he brings it back with him as he straightens again, looking at it thoughtfully...]

[Tonic lights a final candle and stretches to the side to place it back where it came from, on one of his many shelves... but his return is slowed as he glances back at Tek, his look becoming only more suspicious as the man mentions romance and casually picks up a knife.

...but by the time he returns to the center to grab another candle, he snickers.]

Listen, I think I know what you're doing... But that was extremely ominous, babe.

[at least Tek looks momentarily confused by the comment, having to look down at the knife in his own hands to catch up again.

and then he just giggles and starts twirling the thing around between his fingers, marveling at how the little knife feels like water in his hand. easy and light, he can't help but feel a little inspired by it.]

...I was just wondering what swordplay might be like, in this state.

[Tonic's eyes are drawn to the knife, following the graceful twirl of it, both wary of potential danger (he can't help it, with his background) and transfixed by the way Tek's fingers glide over the handle.

and then he goes and says that... and Tonic gives up on whatever he was doing, sliding those candles just far enough out of the way to go leaning forward himself, a dreamy little smirk sliding over his face as he gazes up at his friend.]

That is the sexiest thing you've ever said. [he props his face up in his hands with an infatuated sigh.] Tell me more.

[his eyes flick up from the knife (which of course doesn't slow in its rhythm) and he fixes Tonic with a look that is somehow both predatory and quite appreciative. it's not a bad look. it's a smile with sharp little teeth.]

Have I failed to mention that hobby of mine before? [the knife flips around to be held point-first in his hand, and then flips along his fingers to be gripped point-down, while he thinks.] I just couldn't help but imagine that it might be more effortless, like this. Maybe something more like dancing than a struggle.

[he watches the knife still, unblinking, not losing the movement for a second. he is just sober enough to keep up, but not sober enough to pretend he isn't wholly preoccupied with the motions, for several reasons.

the smirk on his face only grows wider. he is both potential prey and an appreciator of fine art.]

Hah, you'd think that... Until you get distracted by the glint of your opponent's blade.

[...he reaches down, not really looking, and grabs a piece of jerky. he twirls it out towards Tek, almost mocking his knife-play, but intends to jab it in the direction of the other's mouth. keep eating, friend. he still seems perfectly infatuated with the situation at hand--he just got tired of being the only one not doing something.]

That's interesting, though... Just swords?

[between Tonic's counterpoint (which Tek clearly finds very funny) and the lure of food being dangled in front of his mouth, he relents. obligingly, he rests his knife-hand harmlessly down on the table and takes the piece of jerky from his friend with the other. he'll use it to gesture with while talking, before finally taking a bite out of it--]

Knives are fine too. They're just messy.

[and when he does bite down into the piece of dried meat... he almost immediately begins to get preoccupied in the actual feeling of biting it. the way the tough pressure on his teeth makes the bones of his mouth feel is fascinating...]

Edited 2019-01-24 08:52 (UTC)

[he can relax again, once the knife has been replaced with a stick of jerky... but just to be safe, he reaches over himself to pick it up again. he starts slicing wedges of cheese off for himself (and presumably Tek as well), but it may just be an excuse to not let the knife fall back into dangerous hands.]

Oh, they are... I can't say I'm a fan of blades in general, having been on the receiving end of one a few too many times...

[but he sets his knife down, starting to idly chew on some cheese with a smile on his face.]

But I wouldn't mind watching, certainly. I'm sure you're stunning with one.

[his stare is a little distant while he listens to his friend, but he's definitely paying attention. he's just a little wrapped up in the shocking amount of smoky, salty, depthy flavor coming from one piece of dried meat.

he's still looking off through the middle distance when he's complimented, but he grins. he agrees, at any rate.]

I did buy a blade on a visit upstairs, and it's very pretty... but it still pales in comparison to ones that I've had in the past.

Ooo...

[Tonic settles down on the table again, continuing to enjoy the texture of what he's eating, and the small warmth from the candles that have become inadvertently nestled around him. he looks more than happy to listen to Tek talk.]

Tell me about them. Any favorites?

[having a dedicated, if intoxicated, audience does feel like it would really hit the spot right now. he chews little savoring pieces at a time off what's left of the jerky, and indulges in a little nostalgia.]

Yes. And I think I'm always looking for its replacement, but I know I'll never find exactly what I'm looking for.

[it's a good thing that Tonic has moved the knife away from him (and that Tek has always been courteous enough to visit while unarmed) because he would absolutely love a knife to gesture with right now. his eyes even move thoughtfully in that direction while he holds and demonstrates with nothing instead.]

It was unique primarily because it was balanced poorly. It had once been a longer sword, but the blade had been broken and reshaped into a shorter weapon, leaving it hilt-heavy. It was useless to most people.

[but, by his wistful expression, it was perfect for him alone.]

[he does watch with rapt attention... part of it may be because he is still fascinated with the velvety quality of Tek's voice, and is getting a little caught up in the way that the candle flames reflect in his beautiful eyes, but he at least nods appropriately and manages to retain all of the words that come his way.]

Interesting...

[hopefully, Tek doesn't need any more to go off of than that... Tonic's attention does drift away as he thinks about the logistics of a sword weighted incorrectly, imagining that one could potentially wield it with deadly speed, but he does not say any of this out loud.]

[Tonic's guess is precisely correct. Tek's appearance doesn't exactly portray him as likely being formidable in a fight, but being underestimated has its advantages, especially when he's much stronger than he seems and is wielding a blade that is suddenly moving much faster than expected...]

They were always so surprised. A blade like that didn't have much natural heft to it, but when you were quick enough and knew exactly what to do with it, you didn't need much force behind it.

[and while he's reconstructing the image in his own head, his gaze finally focuses again and settles on his companion with a knowing little smile.]

A necessity, however... was a well-tailored coat, fitted and clean, allowing you to move without it getting in the way when it counts.

[see, this is where most people would either show a passive interest, or keep their thoughts to themselves. Tonic, however, glances back over at Tek as the subject moves onto the benefits of a perfect coat... because he had already been thinking it, already connecting Tek's earlier specific instructions with what he is saying now about his favorite sword.

he shouldn't say it, and he knows he shouldn't, but that makes him smirk all the more as he leans even further forward--voice dropping to an almost conspiratorial tone.]

I would love to watch you stab someone while wearing that coat.

[and most normal, balanced people (and even some unbalanced ones) would have taken that comment as anything other than utterly charming. Tek is not one of those people, if the wicked grin and the way he also begins to gravitate toward his awful friend are any indication.]

--While wearing a memento of a dead man on my sleeve?

[after the briefest surprise--he responds with a deep chuckle. it's almost disgusting, the way he seems incredibly satisfied with the answer.]

Honestly, darling, the dead man hadn't even crossed my mind.

[it was all the thought of his new favorite person in his new favorite coat. he laughs again, a little lighter this time, as he looks playfully away as if he'd been caught at something.]

Though, now that you mention it...

[the memento would kind of make it sexier.]

[yeah, that's what he'd thought. he chuckles too, as if he had caught Tonic at something.]

What about whoever it is that I'm stabbing? Would that complete the picture as well?

[again, he's riding on a hunch. and he reaches over to steal one of the wedges of cheese in the meantime because all this talk of murder makes him hungry.]

[he makes a curious sound, like the thought had not quite occurred to him...]

That would, wouldn't it? Hm...

[he definitely likes the thought, and spends the next several moments drifting through his memories of various people, no doubt imagining what it would be like to watch each of them get stabbed. he starts fidgeting at his mouth, a small, tingling sensation while he thinks.]

Oh, but there are so many to choose from...

[again, he is overly pleased with himself for having guessed that Tonic would have a whole list of people that he would love to watch be stabbed, and it turns into him gazing fondly while the other thinks it over. he's just so charmed, watching his murderous friend's face, imagining the thoughts going through his head.]

Decisions, decisions...

[however, the fawning is interrupted when he absently takes a bite of cheese... and is completely thrown by the results. with a sound of surprise, he sits up straighter, and stares at the innocent piece of food in his hand. so much is happening in his mouth right then that he was not expecting.]

--Gods. Since when has cheese become so interesting?

[while Tonic stares off into the distance, something almost happens. it is a tiny shift, nearly imperceptible and incredibly easy to miss when there are very tangible things to be tasted and felt so much closer, but that tiny ember of magic that lives in Tonic momentarily shifts, wavering gently like one of the candle flames he's surrounded with.

but it's gone as he turns his head in surprise, and he appears not to have noticed anything himself, laughing again at Tek's incredible disbelief.]

That's interesting, huh? [he reaches over for another piece himself, ready to bite in and see if he can taste whatever Tek is experiencing.] Is it flavor, or texture?

[he notices the glimmer, just as he's noticing all of the other more visual glimmers around him. it filters in like one star in a constellation, and hangs there in the periphery of his thoughts while he focuses on the louder sensations.]

Yes. And it changes.

[both the flavor and texture, melting in his mouth. bear with him while he savors this for the few more bites he has left of it, and then he can move on with his life.]

[Tonic joins along in the exercise, giggling to himself and chewing away at his piece of cheese.]

I don't know... Texture, yes, but not the taste. That never really changes for me much... [he laughs, suddenly, quickly bringing his hand up to wipe at the corner of his mouth.] But then again, half my tongue is a little fucked up.

[which, once he safely swallows his food, he is happy to stick out of his mouth in a playful expression again. his tongue is a little asymmetrical, after all.]

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