GRATIA // PSL

[skeletoncity]

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?

Comments

[potionandpoison]

[oh, that is damning! looks like his hunch paid off, and he cackles into his own fingers as well.]

I think if you have to ask, I think that's pretty telling...

[he shrugs and gives in to a clarification, assuming it isn't going to change Tek's answer in the slightest.]

But I'd imagine it's anywhere that other people are supposed to be able to access or view, you know. Open lakes, park fountains... [he waves his hand a little, smirking.] Whatever public pools you rich people lounge around in all day...

[heresyandlace]

It wasn't a fountain, don't be ridiculous.

[--and that is literally the only point he can actually defend himself on with this one. defeated but holding his head high, he dutifully fishes out a button for Tonic to keep as a trophy.]

I happen to like swimming. And I think some rules are stupid. [he shrugs, because can he really be blamed for his actions??]

[potionandpoison]

[he will accept his button with a smug look, thank you, plucking it up and adding the first of his victories to what he hopes becomes a nice little pile on the table next to him.]

And I imagine it's fun to try not to get caught... Not that I'd know.

[he sticks his tongue out. just a little, just to be a bit of a brat.

he may regret it in a moment, but...]

[heresyandlace]

[oh, that look pulls a little sharp-toothed smile from Tek, before he puts on his mask of false-offense again. picking up the big, flat button he'd won the round before, he starts it expertly tumbling back and forth over the fingers of one hand while he takes his turn.]

I don't know what kind of filthy, crass person you think I am, but I an insulted. For instance... I'll have you know, I have never been involved with more than two partners at a time.

[he's going far out on a limb with this one, but he'll feel so satisfied if it happens to land.]

[potionandpoison]

[he starts to open his mouth, about to refute such a vulgar accusation... but he stops, mouth still open, staring into the middle-distance as he realizes a couple of instances in which there were... definitely more than two people involved.

and then he closes his mouth. and reaches forward. and fishes out a button to toss at Tek's side of the table.]

Rude, honestly. I feel attacked.

[but even though he crosses his arms, trying to put on a show of being offended... he's smirking pretty hard, obviously trying to hold down a laugh.]

[heresyandlace]

[Tonic may be successfully holding back his laughter, but Tek immediately loses the battle. as soon as that button skitters across the table in his direction, he indulges in a good triumphant giggle. and picking it up, he leans to admire it in the candlelight as if it was made of glittering gold. (as it is, it does at least have lovely texture to it, quite absorbing to run his fingers over.)]

I'm just impressed, honestly. That's a lot. I would be exhausted...

[potionandpoison]

[and Tonic can't keep up his show of control for long, snickering and covering his own mouth again, much the way that Tek had been doing before.]

Well, it's... I was a younger man, back then...

[much more energetic, probably had more limbs to work with. he shakes his head, trying to free himself of mental images from years ago... but when no other questions come to him immediately, he decides to throw out one that doesn't take much thought, maybe just to buy himself some more time.]

Okay, how about this: I've never been rained on.

[he pops another one of those (now turning room-temperature) leftover nuggets into his mouth, fully expecting this one to be an easy win.]

[heresyandlace]

[it might be an easy win, but maybe the expression that slowly dawns over Tek's face will make it satisfying anyway. him realizing the truth in Tonic's statement, and then realizing the scope of the other implications of it--no breeze, no stars, no clouds--has him suddenly gazing off to the side, looking unsettled.

it has apparently never occurred to him before. the man from up-top hasn't actually thought all that hard about what life below the surface would be like... or, at least hadn't thought hard enough to really apply it to his fun new friend.

still fidgeting with the button from the previous round, he settles back in the cushions while he thinks. the look of surprise fades very slowly, until he can finally think of something clever to say.]

...Well, you're not missing out on thunder and lightning. Those really are the worst features of nature.

[potionandpoison]

[Tonic is, perhaps, a little surprised to see such a strong reaction out of his friend. he could believe that it hasn't occurred to his privileged friend that these things aren't commonly available to people who live under the ground... but he didn't think it would be worth thinking about for this long.

so he waits, trying his best not to look surprised that Tek looks surprised, and fidgeting with his own button while the other finally finds something to say.

Tonic looks a little wide-eyed at the mention of thunder and lightning, though. something of a haunted expression, a little like when he had been describing his instinctive fear of the sky.]

I've heard stories... And you can hear a little of it on the top level, when a storm comes through. Honestly, I can't imagine having to live Up-Top when that happens.

[heresyandlace]

[if Tek was a little distant and struck by things already, hearing Tonic discuss the ferocity of storms makes it worse. it's easy to slip even farther into the thoughts and images already filtering through his head.

Tek shakes his head slowly, staring at nothing, looking dire about the whole thing.]

Try being trapped directly underneath the largest storm you've experienced in your entire life, in the middle of the night, out in the open without cover.

[if he'd had the capacity to, now would be when Tek would absolutely take a shot. instead, he reaches out and flips one of the buttons out of the dish toward Tonic.]

[potionandpoison]

[Tonic catches it (the chemicals have not inhibited his reflexes, it would seem), but he looks down at it with some regret before adding it to his pile.]

Well, I apologize for inadvertently taking us down this acutely distressing road...

[he flashes the other man a smile with half of his face, trying to get them off of the subject.]

Do you feel like bringing us back with another topic?

[heresyandlace]

[whether it's due to the drugs, or to Tek's naturally resilient nature (...it's probably the drugs) he bounces back with an abruptly flippant smile only a moment or two later. he waves his hand and finally puts the button he'd been fidgeting with back down on the table. he's just as done with it as he is done with the subject of the last round. he's already moving on.]

I have never dyed my hair.

[potionandpoison]

[oh... and here he was, trying to be considerate and read the room. his guest comes at him with an easy swing. he fixes Tek with a slow blink and a flat look before reaching into the tin and pointedly setting a button down on the other side of the table.]

Well, I've never gotten a tattoo.

[he says this with a smirk, but does not quite... return to where he was sitting. he stays stretched over the table towards Tek, looking up at his face, partly to be challenging, but partly because he's suddenly acutely aware of how different the world looks from this angle, and that leaning on it is better than sitting up under his own power, and that his lips are starting to feel a little bit like they're buzzing.

but he's fine. probably. just a little too distracted to sit up.]

[heresyandlace]

[and having Tonic suddenly that close to him just makes sense, for some reason. Tek has the distinct thought that this is how it's supposed to be, and he gratefully settles in to gazing at his friend's fascinating face, even as he scoffs over this round of the game.]

Does it count if I was given a tattoo?

[the question stands, but the mimics Tonic in he meantime by pointedly plinking a button down beside him anyway.]

[potionandpoison]

[Tek is the one with a fascinating face, between his perfect skin, his sharp teeth, his bright eyes... Tonic never can tell whether or not they are literally glowing, and under the influence of Rapture, he doubts the validity of his own senses even more than usual.

but the very specific choice of words causes him to narrow his eyes, still leaning over the table even as he starts making a slow, distracted grab for his point token.]

Pettily, yes. But that's... not how you made it sound before.

[does he suddenly have a... protective interest in whether or not this extremely painful, dangerous-sounding tattoo was given to the man against his will? his sudden frown seems to suggest something of that nature.]

[heresyandlace]

[ah, and there is one of those too-easy giggles rising out of him, while an innocent smile spreads wide across his face.]

I suppose it wasn't, was it?

[he hums like he finds the whole thing puzzling. and instead of elaborating, he drums his fingers against his own lips--it makes the feathers feel like buzzing instead--and quickly takes his turn. since the two of them seem to be taking the easy shots now, he laughs again.]

I've never gotten a scar. [aside from the marks under his eyes, of course, but he's assuming that doesn't need to be specified.]

[potionandpoison]

[oh, they're moving on. Tonic doesn't feel like he's moving fast enough, so he tosses the topic aside... almost literally, throwing his hands up in the air as he sits up and falls dramatically back on his pile of cushions.]

Hah, me neither! How bizarre.

[he crosses his arms, shooting Tek a catty smirk. what, does he want a point for that, or something?]

[heresyandlace]

[it wasn't that funny, he's pretty sure, but he cracks up over it anyway. that response was apparently the perfect storm for his currently-enhanced sense of humor. as Tonic leans away, Tek takes up some of the space, drooping forward and giggling onto the table.

he bumps into the tin of buttons in the process. after reaching out to steady it without looking, he starts fishing out a token for himself. because yes he would like a point for that, thank you very much.]

[potionandpoison]

[Tonic can't stay truly irritable, not with the world swirling around him in a perfect universal irony; Tek's laughing is contagious and eventually gets him to crack, giggling at the man drooped over his table.]

Ugh, please... [he crosses one leg over the other with an over-pronounced huff, clearly for show as he's pointedly balancing his one leg over the edge of his mostly-missing limb.] I've never had a forked tongue.

[heresyandlace]

[Tek still has it within himself to raise his head and fix an incredulous look on his partner. the laughing still hasn't really gone away, though.]

That counts? [ridiculous.] Then, I've never had a fancy prosthetic limb.

[potionandpoison]

[something about the absolutely stupid direction this has taken punches him in the gut with a laugh, and now he's the one starting to double-over and hold onto his side to keep from hurting himself.]

Whatever, babe. [he reaches forward, shoving his hand into the tin just to toss three or four of them at Tek, sending them skittering over the table while he cackles.] And I've never been to the Capitol!

[heresyandlace]

[even though he is entranced by the way that the buttons go clattering out of the tin, and he can't help but fidget with them a little longer than he means to when he picks them up, he hardly misses a beat. it could hardly be called a suspicious pause with the way he shakes his head in disappointment.

he puts all the spilled buttons back into the tin, except for the one that he's keeping for himself. as if he's wrapping up the game entirely and not just signaling that his partner has failed to win a point.]

When I'd said that this game was meant to be played while laughing, this is not quite what I had meant. [he says, while still chuckling.] This has gotten silly.

[potionandpoison]

[he tracks down where those buttons go, following with his eyes... but whether or not he is tabulating and conscious of the inequality is a little hard to discern, given the way that he seems to be melting into the table, clutching at the beautiful side of his face as if this whole ordeal has only given him a headache.]

You started it... [he fixes Tek with his strange, multicolored eye while the other one squints shut.] I think we were doing just fine up until you started taking cheap shots.

[he makes a small, useless, giggly sound... and then his voice is muffled as he smashes his hand into his own mouth.]

My face feels weird...

[heresyandlace]

Oh, no... [he points a finger at Tonic with a flip of his wrist.] That trend was most definitely started by you.

[Tek is also melting, but the buzz of endorphins and energy is keeping him from sitting still. watching Tonic grab his own face is extremely entertaining--and Tek must still think himself as a very funny creature, because he preemptively laughs at his own joke before reaching his hand out for Tonic's face.]

Does it? Let me see...

[potionandpoison]

[he does not think he's the one who started it, and was most likely about to say something very clever to counter it... but then there's a hand reaching out towards his face, and Tonic has surprisingly few qualms about shifting so that the side of him with more nerves will be within easy reach.]

Was that you laughing at your own joke? [he quickly asks, looking incredulous, before his face is inevitably felt-over.]