Who: Itachi Uchiha & various.
When: Throughout Maiuril.
Where: Several locations.
What: Catch-all.
Warnings: Probably some violence in at least one thread, will update as necessary.
[ooc: Feel free to send me a PM if you'd like to plot something! Open to 4th wall characters.] 
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@dimitri, 5/14
Ignoring this minor annoyance, he keeps black eyes focused ahead on the path with expectation. They've only spoken once since that incident, and even then it was impersonal through the watches; this is fine by Itachi. The less known between them, the better. Or so is his current operating mindset. If he intends to bond himself to this man—even temporarily—it's crucial to keep that distance.
Still, Itachi's unable to completely eliminate the unease he feels. Perhaps it would have been wiser to bring his brother on this experimental excursion... but as things rest uncertain and precarious between them, he doesn't regret his decision.
And witnessing Dimitri's nature last time... there's a hidden depth there, one which can only be accessed through further observation.
As he waits, Itachi roots into his pocket for a thin vial, the potion's coloring pale and milky in the sheer darkness of the Wilde just past where he's standing. While he's holding the vial, the crow cackles and tries to snatch it. Itachi waves it off. Overheard, the two moons are half full in the darkening sky. The surrounding area goes momentarily black as a cloud passes over their silver faces.]
i love this crow
Better to plan ahead for the spray of blood - it's just impractical to hope he can avoid it.
With two spears fastened to his back, a sword on his hip, and two days worth of jerky and dry bread in his pouch, he's come ready to spend as long as necessary in the depths of the Wilde.
He intends to help Itachi with his exploration, but Dimitri's personal reasons for the venture are simply carnal. To put it pleasantly, he's pursuing more combat experience against the local monsters.
To put it bluntly, he wants to rip into something.
Dimitri eyes the bird on Itachi's shoulder when he approaches, and feels his stomach turn in something like hunger. Surely, it's a pet...]
Good evening. [His gaze shifts to the bonding potion in Itachi's hand, but he makes no mention of it. He'll let Itachi decide when the time is right to partake - whether that be now or on the threshold of one of them losing themselves.
Dimitri would choose the later, if the decision was left to him.] Preparations are complete on my end - I'm ready.
it's a wild child
[It's meant to be a polite address as dark eyes sweep over Dimitri's appearance, noting the array of weapons and additional layers. The foresight there is easy to recognize; that's good. He finds himself recognizing the boy's youth once again in light of new knowledge—a soon-to-be-ruler.]
Let's travel further in. I would like not to wait too long before consuming the potion, as I'm uncertain of its effects... before we reach a point of crisis, it would be better to get accustomed.
[Get accustomed, plain language to dust over the simple act of binding one to another. It's still truth. Itachi turns, nodding his head in the direction of the blackened woods, then begins to walk.]
This bird is my familiar; I've summoned it with magic and tied it to myself. If its... behavior irritates you, tell me. My intention is to have it serve as watch while we travel. Is that all right?
no subject
But if there's anyone who will understand him - who can direct his fervor - it's this man.
Dimitri's footfalls behind Itachi remain heavy. He falls into step easily, but remains one pace behind. A soldier's habit-]
I don't mind. He reminds me of the hawks we'd take hunting. [Maybe less well trained, and probably more adaptable. Overall, better suited to this sort of excursion. In other circumstances, Dimitri may have offered the bird a small morsel of his rations, but darkness is quickly spreading over them.
He's alert, scanning the waxing shadows and understanding less and less the further they walk. Trees blend into the sky, and the temperature drops. He can smell better than he can see, and with that instinct he learns just how still everything is.
How alone they are.]
There's nothing here, at the moment.
no subject
When the boy speaks again, Itachi draws to a slow halt, anticipating he will obey.]
Your senses are likely sharper than my own, as a monster. [He glances over Dimitri, as if searching for any unnoted physical changes in the time since last they'd seen each other.] It'll be wise for us to rely on them out here.
[Itachi's black eyes sweep over the cold ground for a moment before he leans to pick up a bare branch. His other hand lifts, and a small tongue of flame licks into existence, alighting the end of the stick. It throws the features of his face into stark relief.]
We'll use the potion now. [He looks at the boy, gaze examining whatever he sees in that pale, blue-eyed expression.] Come here.
no subject
Well covered, there isn't much to behold beyond a frame that's broader than before, and hands that are obviously larger than a man's when beheld in silhouette. His teeth have begun to grow, angling ugly and peeking from his lips more prominently when he speaks-
All changes he attempts to diminish in any way he can. His eyes, too, have gained an amber flecking, and their pupils shrink and grow more rapidly.
They're pinpricks now - his gaze fixed, wide, on the dimly burning torch. Dancing flames blot out his vision, and when he finally tears away, everything else is indistinguishable black. Dimitri can't yet force himself to rely solely on senses other than sight-
So he must simply exhaust it entirely.
The world around him grows, crackling fire and an impossibly long stretch of silence surrounding. He smells the wood burning, the crisp night air growing stale the farther it drifts into the forest...
Still alone. Still safe.
Eyes on Itachi's flickering shadow, Dimitri approaches and raises his hand, palm up.
His heart surges in his chest. He's far more terrified of being seen by anyone than roaming blind in the blighted forest.] Is this... your first time? [Itachi does not appear as nervous as Dimitri feels, and he doesn't expect to glean any sense of unease in his partner-
But in the very least, maybe they're equally inexperienced.]
no subject
All of those characteristics in Dimitri are noted and catalogued. No true difference to the countless other Monster transformations he's seen, in a broad sense. But he knows better now to look for unique details: the shape of sharp teeth belonging to a specific animal, or even the coloring of Dimitri's eyes, exclusive to one individual.
Once he's satisfied by looking, Itachi answers the question.] Yes, it is. I was told the tethering of the Bond would last as long as a few days. [Any trepidation he's feeling isn't broadcast in his features. The true unease is knowing that, if this is even somewhat comparable to a real Bond, Dimitri will see past a lack of body language into his mind as no one else has.
A necessity, maybe, but not a comfortable one.
Itachi surfaces the slender vial, painted fingernails prying off the stopper. He says nothing else as he tips it back against lips and drains half its contents. His throat works around a single swallow.
Then, with a step closer, he offers the vial, its liquid the hot gold color of freshly brewed tea.]
Drink the rest of this. [His other unoccupied hand extends, and in a strange display of physical intimacy, sets pale fingers in the slightest touch at the back of Dimitri's neck. By way of explanation:] The Coven witch who gave me this potion recommended physical contact at the onset of its magic.
[His face remains impassive even in the lack of distance between them now. Near the same height, yet physically so dissimilar to each other... Itachi dares not even blink as he waits.]
i love crow
Standing utterly alone surrounded by the silent threat of the forest, he feels emboldened.
Dimitri watches quietly, as still as the trees standing sentinel around them. The moment Itachi's lips touch the vial, he feels light. At ease. As if some long unquenched yearning is finally being sated.
He leans in when touched, the point of contact flaring with indescribable sensation. The hair beneath Itachi's fingers bristles, raised at the root in anticipation.]
I understand... [Lukewarm liquid splashes over Dimitri's tongue; he swallows it all in one gulp and licks the viscous remains from his lips.]
Excuse me- [Quietly. Quickly. Dimitri barely manages to announce himself before he shifts forward once more, pressing his forehead against Itachi's. Connected, his body alights - Dimitri does not see a glow but he can feel it where their skin connects.
From what he knows of bonds, this must be the sensation of magic flowing into him. What it feels like, however, is something more. An embrace shared between the closest of friends, the comfort of two hearts that beat in synchrony.
He closes his eyes.]
GOOD
It feels like the bond to his familiar made more individually alive. There is that sense of something there, a trickle of cool water into his mind as his awareness makes space of a second person.
Itachi's hand tightens over the boy's neck. Almost bruising, unintentionally, in its own steely strength. His eyes study Dimitri's quiet face. This close, details smear together in a blur of pale skin and gold eyelashes. When was the last time anyone came so near to him without violent intent? Surreal and as strange as the sensation of no longer being alone.
Uncomfortable.
It's a jolt through his thoughts as Itachi withdraws, peeling himself out of that personal space. An uneasy sentiment possibly felt by Dimitri - like one jangling bell - before it dims to the quieter lull of the temporary bond, less intense when their skin isn't in contact.
The bird startles off his shoulder. The burning branch falls to the cold earth, and he puts it out with a kick of dirt, voice low and even (yet bristling under the surface of their bond, vaguely) as he speaks:]
How do you feel?
no subject
He's feeble for it, need like an infant's.
His body lurches forward when the feeling is suddenly interrupted, a jolt of desperation meeting that tinge of discomfort. Dimitri forces his hands to his side, and his posture straight... as unnatural as it seems for a beast to stand with such poise.
Pupils dilating as they adjust to the snuffed light, Dimitri looks around. Reassures himself that things remain still, empty. Then he dares to look at Itachi, and his cheeks feel flush in the face of an intensity he's never felt before.]
It is difficult to describe... I'm sorry.
I am certain I felt your magic flow. But there was something else, too. [And perhaps he could put words to it: comfort and desire, ease and submission - intimacy.
He chooses to keep it to himself, and though Itachi may notice he's held back his fascination, he hopes he's not asked to explain further.] Regardless, I feel I'm able to focus and approach our work with clarity.
[As is the purpose of their bond, he reminds himself.]
no subject
Except for the bond. That tether fastened between them, Itachi perceives the strangest sense of the world opening up — and though he can't tell the expression on Dimitri's face, he can feel him there, not a half step away.]
... I understand a Witch's magic can feel unique to the individual. You may be noticing mine. [A flow of power, like a cool rush of water. Itachi finds himself more centered than before, as though something has unstrung tension from the muscles of his body.] I agree, concentration is easier now.
Let's go.
[This direction given — half command, really — he starts off into the dark ahead. That something else can be set aside. He knows what wasn't said, but the shiver of intimacy is better dismissed (ignored) for the task at hand.]
Do you sense anything around us? Movement, or life?
sorry for the wait im back in business
Threatens to overwhelm what little sounds he can hear as they progress towards the forest itself.
What he notices first is a looming presence. It gives him pause; Dimitri stops to look up towards the treetops that cut a jagged silhouette across the skyline and feels like he's looking into the eyes of a beast.
Not good, nor evil. Something entirely beyond them both.
Then, he continues, forging a straight path into the depths of that darkness.] Just a moment. [Dimitri speaks quietly, and looks forward. Unfocused. He listens, he smells, he feels and it's unlike anything he's known. The procession of insects beneath their feet, birds fluttering to find safe respite in the trees.]
Small things, nearby. [He grows silent again. Shuts his eyes. Far, far away there's an erratic rumbling. Breath but not the cadence of something alive.] There- [He points, just slightly southward of the direction they're facing.] I don't know how far - but it seems there's a shade, or something else we'd best avoid.
/opens arms
Somehow, with the warm draught of that potion fresh in his system, it isn't as disturbing an idea as it was before.
Knowing he will feel what Dimitri feels, knowing the first prickle of danger will be met by two minds instead of one. And knowing that, if he chose, he could reach a hand out and coil control over this particular boy, probably without much effort. Dimitri is like a weapon, then—an extension of himself.
At that explanation, Itachi simply looks over with dark eyes.]
You were trained in combat, and you consider yourself capable. [A flat statement, half-daring.] We'll investigate the shade. We're still not far from the outskirts of the city. If it's come this close, it must be dealt with.
[And he takes over the lead to plunge deeper in the direction indicated.]