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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Oh, well. That does sound like him...

[his rather flat reaction is broken up by the feeling of thumbs in his sore forearm. he relaxes his hand again, letting a tense little bundle of angry muscles slowly release. he gives another thankful sound as a tingling spreads over his forearm, like ink spreading through water--or more likely, blood finally filling a network of capillaries as it should.]

[he's thinking again. it's there in the pause between speaking, and somehow in a subtle change to how he's working over the other's arm. little steps that he's wandering through in his mind are pressed into muscles and tendons.

it doesn't seem like a bad turn of thought, at any rate. he's still smiling down at his work when he finally speaks up again.]

...How are you feeling?

[thinking isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially after all the fun they've had. it's kind of nice to have a moment to catch up with himself, even as he's being worked on. neither of them have any sort of danger or malice in their silence. Tek isn't scheming, Tonic isn't getting defensive.

so he lets the silence sit, entertained by the feeling of his arm and the warm press of Tek's fingers against it. when Tek finally asks him a question, he's in a very good place to answer it.]

Oh, I'm still in the middle of it...

[he assumes Tek is asking about his Rapture dose and whether or not it's still working for him; so he smiles pleasantly and extrapolates a little.]

So this is very nice, darling. Filigree edges on everything.

[there's an acknowledging and satisfied hum in response, so yes, that had been primarily what he'd been asking for--along with wanting a general gauge on where his friend was at in regards to enjoying their time together. Tonic seems content, which informs the next step in his thoughts.

while he progresses forward in his head, he straightens out Tonic's arm a little more on the table so he can move up to the delicate places were muscles attach below and above his elbow. half of his mind is elsewhere, but he's still very careful around all of the places where a bundle of nerves and tendon could turn into a fierce pressure point with even a slight mistake.

and, in case it wasn't clear what he was likely considering, he glances over to where they'd left the little bottle of Rapture behind.

whether his own buzz is lessening or the topic of Robin has him feeling antsy and impulsive, he's wondering if he should leave well-enough alone or not...]

[Tonic shifts himself forward a little, letting his arm get pulled around... definitely noticing that his friend is glancing back at the small, blue bottle.]

And how are you feeling?

[he feels like that's the appropriate place to start--he's happy to give opinions and options, if Tek feels like voicing any of his wonderings aloud.]

I'm fine.

[which is perfectly true enough. he's having a pleasant time. he would be (most likely) just fine leaving things as they currently are.

however, he still can't help but linger on that little itch in the back of his brain. it's always there, but it had been easy to ignore during this visit, up until the last few minutes.]

Just wondering.

[Tonic watches him... and while he is obviously thinking about something, there is almost none of that meticulous, steel-trap calculation behind his eyes. he really must be in a very good mood.]

Well, you seem to be doing very well...

[he shrugs the shoulder that isn't attached to the arm that's being worked on.]

I don't think another dose would hurt you, if you're interested. It's just that, at a certain point, you will start to lose some of your clarity and awareness in exchange for more sensory input, which can get... overwhelming, I find.

[part of him thinks it would be fun to watch Tek teeter at the edge, but most of him is still wary of ruining his first, good experience with this sort of thing. besides, he doesn't think that Tek would trust him that much. so he stretches out the fingers of his good hand again, this time to hold them up as an illustration.]

I would say no more than five drops in one sitting. To be safe.

Edited 2019-01-26 23:20 (UTC)

[he glances over toward the little blue bottle and drums his fingers once on Tonic's arm--a short roll of one, two, three, four, five. like the drops. his mind is hooked into this enough now that he's got to do something with it, but he's still measuring several things.

glancing back to him again, he peers at his friend's face and reassesses his entire demeanor. not only looking for the details of how he's feeling overall, but seeing if he can glean anything of his opinions on the matter.]

And you're just fine where you're at? [because if he's the only one escalating things, that plays into his decision as well.]

[and Tonic rests his fingers back against the table while the other man drums a line against his arm. his overall demeanor is very relaxed, still half-melted onto the table like one of his candles. his arm remains motionless and entirely at Tek's mercy, even if he isn't getting anything out of it right this second... which means he either feels safe, physically, with their situation, or that he has specifically chosen to ignore whatever risks may be present.

as for his opinion, it could be mixed. he seems interested, at least, toying over the idea of it, potential excitement tugging at the right corner of his mouth... but still, he is Tonic, and there's a reason he hasn't already dived straight in already. maybe several, small as they are.]

Mm, I could do one more. [his smirk solidifies a little, as he decides something.] Maybe two, but that would be an awful lot of trust in one day.

[and then, because he thinks it has a funny sort of irony to it, he shakes his head just the slightest bit in either direction and adds:]

I won't take more than that. It makes me nervous.

[Tek does seem pleased with the answer, if that makes anyone more or less nervous. and just to makes sure that Tonic knows that Tek has absorbed more than just the sneaking smirk on the other's face, he runs one more doting hand up and down his arm and gives it one last reassuring squeeze before he abandons it.

and funny sort of irony indeed. Tek can't help a short laugh as he reaches back to retrieve the little blue bottle.]

...But burning half of your tongue off is no big deal.

[the squeeze at his arm stays with him long after his guest has actually moved to pick up the bottle. at the quip, Tonic laughs purely out of surprise--before pointing a somewhat accusing finger with the arm that was previously being worked on.]

That was not a stimulant, sweetheart. There's a difference.

[but he grins, not actually offended or anything.]

Yes, yes, you're right. Your judgement of danger is completely and accurately calibrated.

[he's just saying. Tonic isn't scared of acid in his own mouth, but he is of overstimulated nerves?

and Tek is only continuing to taunt Tonic because the other man is still smiling. he feels like he can get away with it, at least a little. he's just having fun and seeing if a little extra encouragement will budge anything. of not, that's fine... but he has to at least try.

after retrieving the bottle, he sets it triumphantly between the two of them and waits for a cue from Tonic on who should go first this round.]

[to that, Tonic scoffs. the taunting may not get him to budge in regards to his own personal safety, but it will convince him to be the first to reach forward and snatch up that bottle.]

That was one time, okay?

[but he opens up the bottle with a cackle, happily adding one, two drops onto his tongue before screwing the lid back on and returning it pointedly to the very center of their table.

maybe Tek's taunting did work, at least enough to get him to that "awful lot of trust" stage.]

[it's definitely a triumphant grin that spreads across Tek's face, but it's over celebrating a partnership-in-crime. they're making this bad decision together.

so, Tek takes his turn. he follows Tonic's lead just like he had the first time... including the possibility that he takes one drop more than Tonic does. it's hard to tell for sure with the way they all kind of run together, of course.

and by the time he sets the bottle aside, with much more finality than he had the first time, he's smiling over a different thought entirely.]

...Robin is going to kill me.

Oh, undoubtedly.

[he cackles again at the comment... while also feeling very justified in how he'd intentionally suggested a lower number of drops than strictly necessary for Tek. he'd had a feeling that the man would go one higher no matter what. he's done his part in keeping his guest safe; any mistakes the other makes now are entirely his own fault.]

Well, while we wait for that to kick in--

[he plucks up and starts gnawing at one of the loose sticks of jerky still out on the table, pausing only to savor the bizarre, salty flavor of it in this state.]

--What would you like to do?

[he hums thoughtfully for a moment, taking a moment to scheme and run through his options. but it only takes him long enough to nibble through half of a piece of cheese before he comes up with a brilliant idea. he points the rest of the wedge at Tonic when the idea strikes him.]

We're going to play a game. A new one. We'll need a handful of little somethings to serve as counters.

[Tonic had said once before that he loves games, and that fact has not changed between their night at the party and their afternoon here today--so he responds with an interested sound, both of his eyes going a little wide with excitement.]

Ooh, will it be dangerous?

[he laughs at his own question, which was asked with no particular concern, even if he would like to know as a matter of courtesy. he starts looking around either way, scanning his shelves for something they could use as counters.]

[at the mention of danger, it's a cute giggle. and while Tonic looks ready to go searching for counters, Tek compulsively starts making the area around him more comfortable--dragging pillows closer around where he assumes he'll be camping out for some time, propping them up nicely.]

I suppose it depends on what you want to play for. I was going to suggest that the winner owes the other a fantastic massage, but I'm very open to suggestion. Do you have any pillows in the other room? [--one thought running right into the other.]

[Tonic lets out another free, easy laugh.]

A massage sounds fine to me, honestly. And yes, there are more...

[which he takes as his cue to slither into the other room, propelled mostly by his arms. he disappears behind the tent-flap for a few minutes, periodically shoving cushions and pillows back under the "door" for Tek to presumably scoop up.

a few things rattle audibly in the other room along the way; soon, he comes back with an armful of pillows and a metal tin filled with something small and numerous.]

Buttons will probably work, right?

[he drops the pillows, sets the tin on the middle table between the food and the candles. just as Tonic suggested, it's full of large, mostly-round buttons.]

The last time I played a game like this, we'd used small cookies... so, yes. Buttons will probably last much longer.

[and Tek has taken his role as pillow-wrangler very seriously. by the time Tonic returns, the two places at the table have coalesced into the beginnings of one very comfortable two-sided nest. especially with the cozy space of the backroom and the collection of candles, it's rather reminiscent of their first evening together.]

And you should ask Robin about the place I learned this game from, sometime. The next time he's bothering you, mention "the Court" and watch the face he'll make. You should get a good laugh out of it.

[Tonic returns to his spot at the table, crawling back into place and slithering himself into a comfortable position--reclining against a large pile of pillows, but still propped up enough to fiddle with things on the table, moving their food slightly out of the way and finally putting the candles in some sort of sensible arrangement.]

"The Court", hm? [Tek can tell that he has committed that one to memory, as he finally settles back to let the other explain the game. he rubs at his bad fingers with his other hand while he thinks.] I'll remember to do that.

[oh, how he hopes in his heart of hearts that Robin will visit Tonic soon, returning home to him with that annoyed and haunted expression that Tek can imagine so well...]

It was an awful fever-dream of a place, but they did know how to have fun.

[he makes one final check of his surroundings as he explains--propping up the pillows behind him, moving the tin of buttons to be spaced right between the two of them and look nice with the candles that Tonic is arranging. he also begins to unbuckle his shoes, which seems appropriate now that they're dealing with something that looks halfway like a nest.]

It's another truth game, of course. One version of it is a little more involved, calling for each player to tell two truths and one lie--which, we can switch to if you end up getting bored with the first one, but I have to warn you that I am almost unfairly good at it.

[he pauses to quietly gloat and peel off his first boot before continuing.]

The simpler version, however, only requires you to make a truthful statement about something you have never done... and if it turns out that your opponent has done it, you get a point. So, you can both catch them in things that you already know about them, and make guesses about the things that you don't. Either way, you're trading a small piece of information about yourself in exchange for theirs. And if you're playing it correctly, it becomes hilarious.

[see, the laughing is really what he's going for here. he's never been able to play a drinking game properly before, so he is pretty excited to finally get close.]

[Tonic has many more questions about the place that Tek has deemed fit to call "an awful fever-dream", but he does not find a chance to ask them before the rules of their game become a higher priority. maybe he'll save them for later... or maybe he really will have to go ask Robin himself.

either way, he listens carefully, absently biting down on the pad of his thumb to have something to fidget with while Tek is rearranging and unbuckling his boots. he nods along when appropriate, and eventually laughs as something occurs to him.]

Oh, I have played this. You had to take a drink as punishment.

[he shakes his head at the memory, smirking.]

Suffice to say, the game itself didn't last long.

Was that because you were very good at the game, or very bad? ...Or had you also been counting down minutes until something stronger hit your system?

[because he's not expecting this game to last nearly as long as their previous, infamous one had.

and there goes the other boot! they both get moved off to the side, near Tonic's forgotten leg.]

And if this sounds like an acceptable game to play, would you like to begin the first round, or shall I?

[he chuckles at the first question, but shrugs innocently, at least half of his face curled up in a cute smile.]

I think it had less to do with my level of skill and more to do with everyone else's rapid consumption of alcohol.

[with that particular crowd, it quickly turned from sips to shots, with his own participation as minimal as possible. that time hadn't been particularly fun, but he has a feeling the two of them will have better luck here.

besides... it's not like he's got many more secrets to give away, if he's being entirely honest with himself. if anyone is in danger here, it's Tek.]

Sure. I'm in, babe. [he puts his hands behind his head, making a show of relaxing... and deeply enjoying the feeling of sinking back into the pillows.] Why don't you start us out?

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