There's a reckonin' a comin'.

[cyclopticsadist]

Who: Niles, L, Azura, Henry, Myr, Connor,
When: Backdated to the 7th, through the rest of the month.
Where: A seedy motel, then an abandoned warehouse in the refugee district.
What: Sometimes people cut off their rival's fingers as self care. Don't judge.
Warnings: Niles cuts off all of L's fingers, it's gonna get nasty.



Mello vanishing was both a boon and a tragedy for Niles' plans. Getting a live grenade out of the picture made things much simpler, but it meant he had no secondary player to keep Myr's attention. The longer that Mello was gone, the more attention would be focused on him, no matter how much he sweet talked L's lackeys. This full moon was his best chance at success, and L was ever so helpfully acting out his self destructive schedule early. The night of the full moon was the perfect time to pounce, and the moment he saw L going for the bottle he gathered his supplies.

Time to get to work.

Comments

[cyclopticsadist]

[He nods again.]

It's how he managed all this. [Indeed it's probably hard to tell under all the other damage, but on his ring finger there's a nasty bite wound, the rest of the damage radiating down the arm from there.] I was running short on time, couldn't remove the tongue as...neatly as I wanted to. Had to just reach in and yank.

[A little snicker. There's a joke in there somewhere, but he can't put his finger on it. Cat got his tongue... too simple. Henry would manage to make it rhyme probably. Something with paw or claw then? Ah well, he'll leave the wordplay up to the scholar.]

[morbide]

Whoa! I'm right?! Nice one!

[Henry laughs, touching fingers to his bicep this time instead of letting digits hover over skin. A point of contact, something Henry doesn't shy away from. (Is there really anything to shy away from, at this point?)]

Incantation for him, too. [And though he touches his bicep, the other hand skirts down his wrist and lifts delicately his fingers, thinking about what he'd do if someone tried to yank his tongue: bite, hard. Sure enough, it's a spot he'd missed. He giggles, shaking his head.] Stuck your paw right in his maw and got caught. I think they say something about stuffing a wad of cloth between molars to make it a clean removal, but, hey. Whatever's fun for you.

[He doubts it was for fun's sake. It was probably quite the operation, beyond Henry's scope of understanding. All he knows is that it means a lot to Niles to do this... And Niles is a fiercely active and protective sort. Both of those he keeps close, and of himself.]

[cyclopticsadist]

[He'd had a ring gag along with him, just didn't get the time to use it. Best laid plans...

He's hyper aware of Henry's fingers on his arm, then holding his hand, gently bending and examining his now pleasantly sore fingers. The full moon is on its way to setting, but its effects are still strong on him. He'd been avoiding Azura ever since she declined to end their bond. He was grateful for her choice, but not willing to be pulled off course, so even despite his exhaustion he can feel the feral thoughts and impulses tugging on his brain. He'll need some of that in the days to come. Hiding in the hunting grounds and figuring out how to fake his death would certainly take some reckless and destructive action, but not until after some careful planning and strategy.

He needed to calm down, he needed to rest, he needed to clear his head. He needed a witch.]

Henry. [When his fingers close around Henry's own, his grip is weak, but his hands are warm.] Let's bond again. I've missed you. [His right hand goes back to his belt, fishes around in a significantly less bloody pouch than the one he'd gifted Henry, and resurfaces with a corked vial.] And you're very fun.

[morbide]

Eh? Me?

[Not necessarily at the "fun" part — Henry would consider himself a fun and funny guy, true enough. But the surprise comes at Bonding, until Niles produces a bottle — one he recognizes all too readily as a temporary Bond elixir. He hums, but his surprise dissipates some.]

Is that how you qualify your potential Bonds, Niles? Fun and if you miss 'em? Aw. I'm chuffed. [He grins silly, the slightest smattering of pink to his cheeks.] If you're sure, I'd be glad to.

[With those spindly fingers of his, he reaches for the vial to take it delicately — soft enough that it could instill the worry of having dropped it, but he pinches it between his fingers.]

[cyclopticsadist]

[As is usually the case with Niles, there's much more to it than that. There's much more at stake for him, but having gotten a test run of their compatibility he feels confident. On top of all the mage has already done for him, Henry feels familiar in so many enticing ways. He nods, a rumble growing in his chest that he chooses not to smother.]

I'm surrrrrre. Drrrrrrink.

[morbide]

[Oh... The purring slur of Niles' words is somehow enamoring, bringing Henry a strange sort of warmth like nostalgia, familiarity, and they're not yet Bonded. How strange of a feeling that is — how strange to feel a feeling at all, he thinks, and he uncorks the vial.

It's not as though Henry would ever deny somebody who wants to Bond. Especially not a Monster. It's congenial that he should already be familiar with - and fond of - Niles. He giggles.]

Alright. Bottom's up, then!

[It's one of the temp vials, he knows. That silvery liquid that he's used plenty of times in the past, Bonding with any which Monster. In fact, he's done it with Niles before, too. Recalling that day is something that heats up and chills him both, even standing here in his Dubious Magic shed...

Long story short, though, Henry drinks the vial like a shot.]

[cyclopticsadist]

[Once Henry tosses the concoction back, Niles leans in quickly, pressing their mouths together. His good hand slides up the back of Henry's neck, keeping him in place while he deepens the kiss and takes his own share of the potion directly back from Henry's mouth. It's sloppy and clumsy, some of the liquid slipping between them and dripping from Niles chin. He pulls his hand back to wipe at his face, keeping the mess from winding up in his chest hair.

As he feels the bond between them open, his side is alight with gratitude, relief, and a simple kind of happiness. He's still purring, and at their feet his tail curls and uncurls with a giddy kind of energy.]

Thank you.

[He wants another kiss. A less goal-oriented kiss. A real kiss. He starts to lean in, but waits, letting the desire now apparent across the bond ask the question for him. Henry might not be a virgin, but the last time things had gotten sexual between them his nerves had been apparent. It's best to let Henry take just what he wants until he figures out his own preferences.]

[morbide]

[Henry doesn't expect this at all. He thought Niles brought a second vial — he's always done it with two split between, after all. But he slips into role compliantly, slackening to Niles's touch and parting his lips.

Liquid drips between them, silvery and slick, thick like blood and with the sound of it, too. As ever, the dark mage's kisses are far less assertive, far more receiving, far less certain, but his manner's docile and mild yet curious. His head goes fuzzy, as fuzzy as his Chimera Bonded-to-be. (That's a thought to make him smile into their kiss, actually, for all that he can hold a thought.

Niles breaks it, because Henry's not much for action in the realm of making moves. Not yet. The sound of his purring is a welcome, warm backdrop to it all, and Henry remains without breath, licking at the residual Bonding potion that's dripped down his chin. But he hums an affirmative, sluggish and dazed.]

Yeah. Honestly, "thanks" is a lot easier to say than a whole vow!

[Bonding ceremonies sure are something. But he can feel Niles now, can feel that shock of demand, muted though it is compared to a Coven-appointed Bond, and he sees his face so much closer: wisps of curly, white hair frame his features, sharp canines and furry ears flanking his cheeks. It's not especially light in here, but the white of his features catch light and make everything else seem especially dark. The dark, to Henry, is welcoming.

Were he still un-Bonded to Niles, he may not have taken the hint, surprisingly. But he can feel the barest suggestion, and the stilted Witch leans forward in increments: a bit closer, first. The slightest tilt of his head, next. Then, close enough for lips to fit together, a dizziness making him giggle again. But Henry doesn't say much of anything at all when he scarcely brushes his lips to Niles in a reciprocal gesture, soft as his light, thrumming heartbeat.]