(open) i paced around for hours on empty, i jumped at the slightest of sounds

[mensrea]

Who: Stiles Stilinski and YOU
When: Night of Aereuer 8 (full moon)
Where: Various spots in Aefenglom
What: Semi-feral Arachne party games on a very special 18th birthday
Warnings: Language, animal death

[ After escaping from Sheva in the Wildes and absconding to Aefenglom, Stiles begins his hunt. Honestly, he’s not quite sure what he’s exactly on the hunt for – only that there’s a voracious hunger rising within him, an appetite that won’t be whetted by just any meal. And so, humming the happy birthday tune to himself loudly and offkey, he prowls from district to district from the city skyline. Those eight spider legs carry him vertically up edifices with no apparent effort, even make impressive leaps across significant distances between buildings. The sense of fear that usually holds Stiles back is gone; uninhibited, he experiments with his superhuman abilities in boyish delight, that joy tempered only by the unkind, savage grin stretching his mouth too wide. ]

It’s my party and I can cry if I want to, [ comes one such inspired ballad, interrupted by his sniggering as he swings upside down from where he’s currently perched. ] Cry if I want to, cry if I want to!

[ That’s if you’re lucky. Sometimes it’s – ]

It’s yo birthday, so I know you wanna ri-i-i-ide out. [ There’s a dog howling somewhere nearby in sympathy. ] Even if we only go to my-y-y-y house.

[ During the night, Stiles will make a nuisance of himself. Expect to find him cavorting through the streets doing eight-legged cartwheels, singing obnoxiously despite the hour, spinning webs in inconvenient locations, dropping by homes to pay friends unexpected house calls, etc. ]

( ooc | Full Moon Shift appearance details, CR & plotting comment, and info & permissions page. Stiles will not be hurting anyone. If threatened with violence, his Arachne instincts will force him to flee the scene. If you want to figure out a specific prompt for your character, hit me up! )

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[mensrea]

[ Even without the siren’s lure, Stiles would have been intrigued enough to investigate the singing – in part because he’s looking for attention, in part because he recognizes the song. Trespassing without a care, he scales the backyard fence and approaches the pool with ginger wariness. Though Arachnes fear fire, this particular spider remains dubious of any body of water; he very nearly drowned in the last shared dream, never mind his personal experiences back home. ]

“Every whisper of every waking hour,” [ he continues, still offkey. At least he sounds like he’s enjoying himself. ] “I’m choosing my confessions, trying to keep an eye on you.”

[ Sharp brown eyes take note of the unseeing manner in which the Merrow seems to search the area. Having had few encounters with this Monster species, he’s not sure if this is typical for all Merrow. But Stiles has always been science-minded. Seeing the bioluminescent coloring of the man, he presumes that maybe this Merrow is based off a deep-sea creature – which would perhaps impact vision. It’s a theory, if nothing else. ]

Hey, dude. You’re the first mermaid I’ve seen.

[ Wait a second. Mermaid…? No. Could this be…? ]

…Are you Connor?

[ HAS HE FINALLY FOUND CONNOR, THE LEGENDARY ROBOT MERMAID? ]

[plasticasshole]

[He usually can see, but the full moons aren't kind to him. He tracks the voice, at least seeming to be pleased when the song is repeated back to him.]

Yes, I'm Connor.

[He swims to the edge of the pool, seemingly not bothered by the fact that Stiles is trespassing in his backyard. It's not like he's the first, and he won't be the last. He's more curious about how this man knows who he is.]

Who are you? I don't recognise your voice.

[mensrea]

[ Upon receiving confirmation that this is indeed the legendary robot mermaid, Connor, Stiles lets out a loud whoop of triumph. This has been an investigation about two months in the making. Finally, he can rest easy. Connor has been identified. This is better than finding Waldo or Carmen Sandiego. ]

We haven’t met, dude. You can call me Stiles.

[ Sidling to an edge of the pool furthest from Connor in case the Merrow tries to drag him in, he peers in. Then, because he’s in a bratty mood tonight, he strikes the surface with a spider paw to splash water in the other man’s direction. ]

Are you seriously a robot? You totally look human.

[plasticasshole]

[Well, Connor is confused. But he blinks when water is splashed on him. It isn't unpleasant, being a Merrow, but he waves his hand and shoots a stream of water from the pool in Stiles' direction anyway. He can be just as bratty on the full moons.]

I'm an android.

[To prove it, he lifts his hand to let the skin deactivate, showing the plastic underneath up to about his elbow. There are real claws growing out of the plastic on his fingertips, and his fingers are elongated to the point they're a little creepy, not to mention the fins growing from his forearm... but the parts of Connor that are still him are white and shiny.]

[mensrea]

[ The revenge stream of water elicits a pitchy shriek from Stiles, spider limbs hastily dragging him away from the pool in an attempt to avoid getting wet. Unfortunately, all he succeeds in doing is moving far enough back that the water splashes the front of his jeans. Ah, yes. The classic “I pissed myself” look. Wonderful.

Distracted by his damp pants, it takes a moment for him to realize what Connor has done. After that, his full attention is on the robot – android, he corrects himself. ]

Whaaaaat! [ It’s an exclamation more than a question. ] Holy shit, you’re actually the real deal! What’re you powered on?

[ Despite his current semi-feral Arachne state, Stiles is still a nerd at heart. ]

[plasticasshole]

[Connor lowers his hand again, pleased by the shriek he managed to draw out of Stiles.]

Thirium. Also known as blue blood. It powers my biocomponents.

[He swims closer again, working off the sounds Stiles is making in order to track him. His tail swishes playfully in the water. The full moons always do tend to make him feel more like toying with people.]

[mensrea]

[ “Thirium” is close enough in name to Thorium that Stiles – who was never as good at chemistry as Miss Lydia Martin – just unquestioningly accepts them as the same element. Which means he’s already planning on how to corner the market on Thorium research once he gets back home. If Connor is the future, Stiles plans on cashing in on this hot tip. ]

I’m guessing your blood is actually blue then? Neat. Can I see?

[ That’s probably a weird thing to ask someone – if you can see the color of their blood. Stiles doesn’t retract the request, however, or even clumsily follow it up with an excuse the way he normally would. ]

[plasticasshole]

It is, yes.

[The request isn't unexpected, and Connor considers it before placing his hands on the edges of the pool and easily lifting himself out. He sits on the edge with the end of his tail in the water, and scrapes a long claw over the scales where his thigh would be. A shallow cut, and one that didn't hurt too much, but it oozes a little bit of blue blood. It shows up quite vibrantly against the orange scales.]

[mensrea]

[ When the Merrow lifts himself out of the pool, there’s a moment where Stiles stiffens in suspicious tension. But Connor makes no attempt to attack him – as hilarious as that mental image would be, of a grounded mermaid – and Stiles gradually relaxes. Curiosity, as always, wins out and he’s drawing reluctantly closer. ]

Wow. [ A long whistle. ] I don’t know why I expected you to bleed red where the fin is. Fish bleed red, right? But your transformation is working off of your existing physiology, I guess.

[ Stiles is suddenly struck by a thought. ]

Hey! Has a Vampire ever tasted your blood? Would it work as sustenance for them?

[plasticasshole]

A Vampire? No. I highly doubt it would satisfy them. My blood is made to keep biocomponents functional, and the only thing it really has in common with blood in the first place is that they're both pumped throughout the body by a "heart". Think of it as similar to a human trying to drink window cleaner. You could do it, but it probably wouldn't do you any good.

[mensrea]

…Uh, if I drank window cleaner, I’m pretty sure I’d die.

[ Stiles just needs to…put that out there. ]

Good to know, though. [ He claps his hands together, moving on. ] So, what’re you up to tonight, Connor? You can call me Stiles, by the way.

[plasticasshole]

...Yes.

[Connor supposes that didn't get across in what he was trying to say. Either way, Stiles is moving on.]

I'm confined to the water on the full moons. So... I'll just be here, hoping someone comes to talk to me.

[He smiles slightly.]

I hope you stay for a while. It gets lonely here sometimes.

[Connor is a social creature, and although he gets that people have their own problems on the full moons... he'd still like to have company.]

[mensrea]

…Seriously?

[ Wow, and he thought his Monster species sucked. The idea of being confined to a body of water for the duration of the full moon sounds godawful. ]

What if we, like, designed a little wagon for you or something? A scooter to get you around. That way you can get up to no-good nasty hijinks like the rest of us bipedal and quadrupedal freaks.

[ That said, Stiles is now making himself comfortable on the grass nearby – beyond the reach of the pool, but clearly with the intention of lingering to keep Connor some company. ]

[plasticasshole]

A wagon? Hm... how would I move it? With my hands?

[Not very dignified, honestly.]

It would have to be quite large to fit my tail inside, too.

[He sighs, looking up at the sky as if he could see anything more than the vague shapes of the moons.]

I suppose we are in a world of magic, so we could use it to power the wagon somehow.

[mensrea]

It would be magitech, duh.

[ Absently tearing up fistfuls of grass, Stiles envisions the contraption. ]

Even if it’s only for emergencies, you should have something. What if there was a localized earthquake here? Or a tornado? Or a rampaging Shade? Or a very bad spider?

[ The spider limbs fan out around him as Stiles does his best werewolf impression and growls at Connor, hands curled as if into claws. He holds the position for a few seconds, then laughs. ]

[plasticasshole]

[The show is lost on Connor, who just gives an absent smile towards Stiles' left side. He at least can pick up the hints and put them together.]

Are you an Arachne?

[That explains how he got over the fence so quickly.]

I've never met one before. Can I feel your legs?

[That is an odd request, Connor. But he reaches out, looking earnest.]

What kind of spider are you?

[mensrea]

[ Conflicting desires war. On one hand, Stiles has always been a handsy sort of guy. On the other hand, Connor is pretty much a stranger. On the other other hand (he has ten of them, after all), this is the first time anyone has expressed any interest in his spider parts. Usually, everyone is making judgmental “don’t touch me with those” comments. ]

…If you pull me into the water, I’m going to be extremely unhappy with you, [ he warns before stretching an Arachne limb over to the android and tapping his hand with it. ] Watch out for the claws, dude. I can’t retract them.

[ Watching Connor a little warily, he continues. ]

I don’t really know what kind of spider I am. I’ve mostly avoided thinking about my transformation.

[ Suddenly, emboldened by the full moon, he’s not sure why anymore. Stiles is powerful like this. Why was he so ashamed? ]

[plasticasshole]

[Connor moves a hand over the limb, and when he gets to the claws he's careful not to get his scales caught on them. He's honestly fascinated, and despite not being able to see he can sort of build a picture in his mind of what he's touching.]

I have a Bond... it hasn't completely gotten rid of all my Merrow urges, but I can promise I won't pull you into the water.

[He tilts his head slightly, blind eyes still focused on the paw in his hand as though he could see it if he hoped enough.]

Why have you avoided thinking about it?

[mensrea]

[ Preening a bit under the sightless attention, Stiles extends the leg further so that Connor has access to more than just the tarsus. ]

Dude, everyone hates spiders. “Ew, they’re so gross! Kill it!” That kind of thing, you know?

[ The answer is much more complicated than that. Back home, he’s the one human who turned down a chance to become a werewolf to keep his humanity intact; being an Arachne, a creature that’s so much more monstrous than his were-friends ever were, is highly disconcerting. ]

So, who're you Bonded to? Let's hear the juicy details, Connor.

[plasticasshole]

[Connor pats his hand up the leg further, feeling the little bristles that cover it.]

Do you like spiders?

[Gesturing with one hand in the vague direction of the cottage, Connor smiles a little.]

His name is Hank. He's from my world, we both arrived here eleven months ago. He was my first friend. We live together.

[mensrea]

[ Eleven months ago? That’s a significant amount of time. When Stiles has a clearer head, he might return to Connor with questions about the android’s prolonged stay in Aefenglom. ]

Your first friend? Did he create you? [ Wait, he was asked a question. ] Spiders are cool, so long as they aren’t crawling in my mouth while I’m asleep.

[ That doesn’t actually happen, Stiles. ]

[plasticasshole]

No, I was created by a company called CyberLife. Hank was my assigned partner, and we grew close. Most humans don't see androids as friendship material, back home.

And I think as long as you're happy to be a spider, it shouldn't matter what other people think.

[He pats the leg.]

But for the record, I think it's very cool. What kinds of things can you do?

[mensrea]

[ It sounds like there’s a divide between what androids are capable of emotionally and what humankind is willing to accept from them. Ultimately unsurprising to hear, given the expectations that fiction in his world have already built up for the future. The relationship between robots and humans was always destined to be messy. ]

It’s super cool, [ he agrees smugly, proud of his Arachne transformation now in a way that he certainly won’t be in the morning. ] And I can do all sorts of things. Climb walls, hang upside down, spin silk. I have these fangs too –

[ The rest of the sentence is unintelligible as he sticks a finger in his mouth, poking and prodding the elongated canines. ]

[plasticasshole]

[Connor can't tell entirely what Stiles is saying, but he hears "fangs" and smiles slightly.]

Oh, fangs. I have those, too.

[And he opens his mouth to reveal the needle sharp teeth there, the inside of his mouth a solid blue.]

Though mine don't contain any venom. They probably would hurt if I bit someone, though.

[Especially with the increased jaw strength of a Merrow.]

[mensrea]

[ Abandoning exploration of his own mouth, Stiles leans forward on a hand to peer into Connor’s. The sight of the Merrow’s exposed row of fangs is like a bucket of cold ice down the back of his nonexistent shirt – he’s reminded too vividly of Donovan’s wendigo chimerism, of blade-like teeth that sank into the tender meat of his right shoulder, which even now bleeds sluggishly from the old injury. ]

…Neat, [ he says unenthusiastically, averting his eyes. ] Is it always like that, or just on the full moons?