. life and strength and breath

[boarddyd]

Who: Dimitri + CR
When: June + July
Where: Aefenglom + Outer City + Underground
What: catch-all
Warnings: none (yet)

[ catch-all for june + july | contact @ tendopeshuu or here ]

Comments

. leslie

[boarddyd]

eventually i arrive

[foundfamilies]

[Leslie sticks out like a sore thumb in the Outer City, and not just because her white hair makes a bright beacon to find. She looks around everywhere as though she's never seen it before (an accurate assessment) and her clothes are ones that are not typical for the location. It could be worse: she isn't in the rather fancy dresses she often wears around the Haven, because she expects to need more freedom of movement. But the fabric of the navy blue trousers and light jacket are made of crisp, high-quality fabrics that have never been patched, and the whites of her dress shirt underneath and of the lines trimming the jacket's sailor-inspired collar are spotless.

She looks both well-off and completely out of her element. She's pretty good at reading bad intentions from people, meaning that she does at least reroute away from anyone looking at her with hostility, but her main claim to safety has to be the purple-haired bear turnskin trailing behind her. He doesn't look like someone worth messing with and his expression is surly at best. Even those residents who might consider stealing from a child tend to think better of it when he looks at them.

At the moment, she's frowning at a patch of mold on a wall and taking out a little notebook to make a tally mark. Her original intent of looking into the size of the Outer City and the state of the perimeter seems to have gotten sidetracked by the poor living conditions of the area. It's her first slum trip ever! Yaaaay.]

. lorenz

[boarddyd]

[Dimitri arrives punctually, parcel tucked carefully between his arm and his side. A gift for his host, and his host's cat - as is only polite. For Lorenz, he's brought a sampler of pastries from a well-renowned local bakery. For the cat, some dried fish.

They're packaged separately, of course.

Gently, he knocks on the door. Then, after shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Dimitri knocks again more firmly. It's all well and good to ensure the door isn't busted in by a mere greeting, but what if his initial knock hadn't been loud enough to be heard?

He's probably overthinking this... too late now.]

[bergamotrose]

[Perhaps he was overthinking things, for Lorenz was learning steadily to be as unjudgemental as he was polished. There had been quite a learning curve to reach this point from the stubborn intolerance he had shamefully displayed in his youth at Garreg Mach, but the combined factors of war and a number of humbling experiences had taught him well.

Lorenz smiled when he opened the door, with a warmth that was fitting for someone with whom he had went to school.]

Dimitri! How glad I am that you have made it. With how hot it's been, I was a little concerned that you might not wish to come over.

[Particularly since... Lorenz was a Faun, and fully developed in his fuzz. Brush as he would, there was only so much he could do to prevent... shedding.]

. aerith

[boarddyd]

[Dimitri stalks through the shadowy hedge, wide-eyed and hunched over. Though his footfalls aren't silent, he can tell he's getting closer to his prey.

No. Not prey.

This is simply a game - cat and mouse - and nothing more. Dimitri reminds himself, again and again, until the words fade from his mind.

And he's left only with focus.

Trailing against the side of a hedge wall, he can smell her. The scent of Litha's sweet night air mixed with sweat and pollen. His nostrils flare, and he buries his shoulder in the foliage. She's just on the other side, so he waits.

When she crosses by - he pounces.

Hands to shoulders, Dimitri takes them both to the ground with his full body weight. Legs locked around her hips, grip tight on her shoulders, he opens his mouth-

Shuts it. Quickly. Not prey.] Good evening. [There's a stick in his hair - what a terrible way to meet someone.]

[evanescent]

[In the midst of such a large celebration, Aerith had leapt at the chance to explore these garden mazes — structures she's never seen before, like an open puzzle made of leaves and twisting vines. The revelry had gotten to her, and so she's not wholly on her guard — though she often wasn't here, not in the way she'd been in the slums. For all its strangeness, it did not seem as treacherous to her, and she is careless as a result. The wine didn't help that either.

So when she's pounced at, she's too startled to make any noise as she and her apparent assailant topple to the ground. She lands on her back, not painfully but enough to wind her, and stares up at him. A Monster, though not one she recognizes. Not a foe, but not a friend, either.

She's grateful he stops baring his teeth at least, though their positioning doesn't exactly put her at ease. The greeting strikes her as wholly bizarre in the midst of it — oddly polite for someone straddling her.]

Hello? Do you usually greet people like this?

[It's said incredulously.]

Are you going to let me up, or do I have to make you?

. allura

[boarddyd]

[There are so many eyes on the ring - Dimitri can almost feel the magic surrounding him. The other fighters shift, ready to spring into action the moment the battle begins. He too feels his joints ache to move. To feel the force of clashing with another.

All eyes are on them, but Dimitri's senses hone in on one.

Allura is here - he can feel her presence, the particular gravitas to her gaze that is both uplifting and imploring. Whether the surge of energy he feels is only a phantom, a memory of what even a temporary bond can do, or real, he doesn't know.

But it carries him through the fight, ferocious and unyielding. Blows to the chest, the knee, the jaw don't stop him . Dimitri stands victorious, driving his opponent's head into the ground with a final yell.

No bloodshed, and the beast beneath him stops moving.

Dimitri exits the arena, adrenaline quickening his step. His hands are shaking - pain he hasn't realized yet and a craving for more. He sits, peeling his greave off absently to check the injury on his leg - all while glancing up every few seconds, looking for the witch he hopes he impressed.

He's gotten rather carried away in the local traditions.]

[quintessent]

[He does catch her attention – his presence commands it in the ring. There's no way there aren't a number of other witches watching him at the same time. She'd come to the arena out of curiosity more than anything, she didn't have any want to bond with strangers, but her heart is in her throat while she watches him.

It's intense, like no training she's ever seen. Worry for him shifts into a self-concious realization that there is no acting on his part. Perhaps it's just his natural aptitude for battle, but she doesn't miss the way his eyes catch hers even from the other side of the arena. And it occurs to her that neither of them are simply observers into this world. They needed bonds, and as she's quickly learning with Keith, bonds were a lot more than just a means to an end. All at once she doesn't feel so much like an outsider anymore, and she glances at the other witches in the arena, all watching the same show.

She releases a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding when the beast hits the ground. The crowd cheers and she's already on her feet. Pushing her way through the crowd. It's a long way to reach where Dimitri is seated and by the time she gets there, the next battle is already in action, the crowd turned inward.]

You're hurt, [She observes, finding her voice sounds odd in her ears. Maybe she was overthinking this. How self-centered, to assume that he'd been vying for her attention. She clears her throat, smiling,] That was really incredible, out there. I was watching.

. sylvain

[boarddyd]

[The boat rocks and water sloshes over the edge as Dimitri steps in. He pauses, straddling the space between dock and vessel, and tries to steady himself. Instead, the man in charge of rentals looks politely away as the boat begins to drift further and strain Dimitri's limits of flexibility.

He quickly brings the other foot in, and thanks to newly developed catlike reflexes, doesn't crash into the water.

Quickly, he reaches a hand out to Sylvain - real worry in his eyes that the boat will depart without his partner for the evening.] Come on-!

[What a relaxing start to the venture...]

[crestfallenfor]

[What a start to the venture... He didn't want to hop in at the same time as Dimitri, for fear of toppling the boat with the sudden unbalancing all at once, but now it looks like he's at risk of being left behind or - worse - toppling into the water.

But it's fine, he uses a combination of his height - long legs - and a tight grip on Dimitri's hand to hop into the boat at the last possible moment, sitting quickly to keep the rocking from toppling them both overboard anyway.]

Hah, that was close, wasn't it?

[As if it was just a silly little mishap and not... almost something worse. No big deal.]

. bernadetta

[boarddyd]

[Dimitri steps lightly when he realizes he's approaching an agricultural zone. Two elder fauns mill about, gently inspecting what's been grown in neat rows. It's strange to see mushrooms in such an organized way; but it's odd to think of something so sedentary as 'wild' all the same.

His thoughts drift as he carefully crosses a small pool, white fish darting here and there within.

He'd meant to simply observe in passing, but a somewhat familiar face pulls his attention. Bernadetta looks so engrossed in the crops, and Dimitri immediately realizes he doesn't know her well at all. Is this a hobby of hers? Or is there another reason for how enamored she appears?

Quietly, like attempting not to scare off fickle prey, he stalks closer.] Excuse me. [There's no way that's not alarming.]

[bravelyathome]

[Plants are wonderful things. They don't yell or judge or hit or...anything awful like that! They exist to make the world a better place and her little Fae heart adores them.

So naturally she's here for them where she can be at peac...

The such voice makes her squeak and zoom up into the air, her little antennae twitching wildly, heart pounding. Until she realizes who it is and her body wilts with relief as she keeps hovering in the air.]

Goddess...don't scare me like that.

. felix

[boarddyd]

[The roar of the crowd is dull in Dimitri's ears, his balance wavering as he makes his way straight shouldered and brisk to an uninhabited seat on the outskirts of the viewing area. First blood had been drawn from his head, resulting in a frustrating loss and a thin trickle down the line of his jaw.

But before that, a bone crunching blow to the side had knocked the wind from him.

And he hasn't caught his breath since.

Once seated, Dimitri fixes his palms against his thighs. Struggles to remain upright, to look forward and appear fine. It works on most, who don't care much for a vanquished monster, but Felix-

When Dimitri meets his eye, for once, he's the first to look away.

There's no way he'll fool him.]

[finesseblade]

[ One of the guards is calling his name from the entryway, but Felix pays her no mind. He's too busy eyeing Dimitri intently from across the room, head cocked to one side, lips pursed into a frown. He's made a study out of the Boar's body language for years, and knows what to look for better than most—this, the way he looks right now, reads distinctly as something wrong.

Straight-backed, stiff, fingers pressing indents into his thighs—Felix could easily attribute that to just the Boar being the Boar, worked up by the violence of his last match. But the closer he looks, the longer he listens to the way Dimitri's breath rattles strangely from his chest—

Felix catches Dimitri's eye when he looks up, and he knows instantly.

The guard from a moment ago lays a hand on his shoulder, shaking him and trying to tell him he's up next. Felix whips around with a snarl, snapping at her. ]

I forfeit the match. Don't touch me again, unless you want to lose that hand.

[ He doesn't wait to be acknowledged, stalking across the room to where Dimitri sits guilty on the bench. ]

You're hurt, [ he growls, and it has half the feeling of an accusation. ] Let me see.

. itachi

[boarddyd]

[Dimitri does not hear Itachi nearby, nor does he see him. Those senses have become more honed, but the man's shadowy presence is nearly undetectable. There's a faint scent on the breeze, however, that Dimitri recognizes.

It had lingered on him after their short bond, a strange comfort the sort only a man shrouded in mystery can give.

Slipping into the long-cast shadows of the hedge himself, Dimitri approaches his fleeting partner.] Good evening.

Are you hoping to explore the maze? [Watching several pass through its entrance, Dimitri has surmised that people either come with their partners, or are assigned one - though if he's noticed, he assumes Itachi already knows.]

finally i arrive

[anbu]

[At the unexpected approach, Itachi's posture changes very slightly, stiffening tension across lean shoulders and arms that suggests some interior disruption. He doesn't immediately acknowledge the arrival of the boy to his left. Crawling in him is the agitation of stopped-up magic, a burning not soon to fade tonight. Not especially underlaid with whatever they had put in his tea.

Eyes glance, sidelong.]

Dimitri. [A gritted-teeth greeting, and the best he can give right now.] Yes. Let's go.

[Without a word, a pale hand reaches out to seize Dimitri by the upper arm and drag him toward the entrance, disregarding any looks they might receive. The maze offers anonymity, takes him off the crowded street where every moment he feels pressed to the brink of some unknown, hazy limit.]

. keith

[boarddyd]

[Almost immediately upon entering the maze, Dimitri lost his way. The hedges all look - smell, feel, sound - the same. He's not so frustrated that he's seriously considered simply barreling through them in a straight line.

But the thought has occurred to him.

Instead of ruining the careful curated display, Dimitri focuses on what he can sense. There's a scent running through the maze, not where he's walking but just ahead-

It's vaguely familiar, but nothing he can remember isolating. Someone he's met in passing, perhaps? Dimitri's step quickens, no subtlety to his approach as he crunches grass underfoot to round a final corner and find...]

Ah! Keith. Good evening. [He gives his greeting with a smile and an only slightly awkward wave. Being casual is rough.]

[marmoron]

[ Keith's general level of frustration probably wouldn't be as high as it is if this maze had been advertised properly. He'd been told this thing would be a "fun activity" that would only take a "few minutes of his day."

That was maybe thirty minutes ago.

While he's got a good head for direction and orientation, the maze has definitely been tampered with magically to be circuitous and confusing. One might argue that it's not about the end, but about the journey and there's probably some truth to that. The hedge maze is beautifully decorated with fairy lights and flowers of all colors and species.

But that's still not stopping Keith from letting out an annoyed rrrrrrgh when he turns another corner of the maze and ends up right back in the center of the maze. :uxite knife in hand, he's about to slash a path through the hedge when he's interrupted. ]

Oh.

[ He lowers the knife, still a little too irritable to be sheepish about getting caught trying to shred through this. ]

Dimitri. Hey. How long have you been stuck in here?

. alex

[boarddyd]

[There's no mistaking the purpose of this place. Men and women alike walk about scantily clad, customers and employees draped against one another exchanging heavy glances and lingering touches. Dimitri had never thought he'd find himself in such a place-

But now that he's here, he's realizing that such venues aren't always so desperate, so filthy, so depraved as many nobles deem them.

Everyone is enjoying themselves, smiling and laughing over wine and food.

Dimitri sits alone, dressed down to a simple white long sleeved shirt and waist high black slacks. He's not hoping to stand out- really he's not sure what he's hoping for. Some physical contact? The temporary bond potion a small lump in his pocket, it feels incredibly heavy. Foolish.

Lingering in the back of the room, Dimitri listens to the music intently. Then, the performers change, and he recognizes the songstress. A woman he'd met in the Outer City. He sits up, almost rigid in how he leans forward to listen to her song and lock eyes. Betraying his desire for something that even he can't put to words.

After her performance, he rises, approaching the side of the stage with his hands clasped in front of himself.] Your songs were beautiful. [Awkward, but he says it with a smile nonetheless.]

[sing_for_me]

[ Without her glasses, it was difficult to see the audience in front of her. She knew there were eyes on her, but there was a song feeling she couldn't pinpoint, like a gaze much more intense than others. It wasn't an intensity that scared her, but seemed to draw her in instead.

She's able to retrieve her glasses once her set is finished, and as she makes her way down the stage, she is surprised to bump into a familiar face. ]

Dimitri--

[ Yet again, meeting him in a place she never thought she'd find someone such as himself.

His compliment brings a shy smile to her face, though there is some pride in her eyes. She is glad he think so, despite some of the songs getting a bit more risqué in the end. ]

Thank you. They're just songs I heard often over the radio back where I'm from. The band's amazing for being able to work with me without any sheet music.

[ But now it feels like she's talking too much. She clears her throat, pushing one of her braids behind a finned ear as she continues to make her way down and steps in closer to him. ]

How are you enjoying the festival?

. edelgard

[boarddyd]

[From the dwindling numbers of locals walking the streets, Dimitri assumes this is what night looks like in the Underground city. It's more difficult to keep track of time here than it is above, but he tries to stay mindful of it regardless.

Even when he cannot sleep.

The cool, damp air of the caverns carries with it so many earthy, unfamiliar scents... Dimitri hadn't realized how dependent on them he'd become until now. Inundated with mixtures he can't parse from one another, he wanders aimlessly through the tunnels.

Putting images to scents, finding his bearings slowly.

And then there's a smell he does recognize; Dimitri's step hastens as he winds through the tunnels with little care for learning the path he's taking. Soon, he arrives at the maw of a large natural chamber.

Inside, Edelgard, framed by the glow of cave fauna and so, so stark against the green and blue hues that fill the cavern.] Good evening.

Am I disturbing you? [He asks from the threshold, unwilling to impede.]

[unyieldingmarch]

[Edelgard has taken to wandering as well. It's strange, just how this place is laid out and set up. She's unsure of what exactly to make of the notion of an underground civilization, but it does call to mind many, many unpleasant associations. They were, after all, Those Who Slither in the Dark.

She's also not blind to his approach, the cadence of his heartbeat known to her by now. Enough so that when he stops at the entrance to the enormous chamber, she's already looking over at him. The strange colors cast him in an even more odd light than usual, the changes he's undergoing a touch more dramatic than most.]

Not at all.

[She waves him forward, not quite smiling, but with a much softer expression on her face than she'd have given many others.]

Restless meanderings as well, Dimitri?

. stiles

[boarddyd]

[The atmosphere of the festival is somehow intoxicating. Strewn with bright, intricate fabrics rich in hue, the lantern light lining the stalls is dim. It's a foreign fantasy - intentionally designed as such, Dimitri suspects - with the side effect of making everything seem more cramped than it truly is.

Dimitri can't help but sway into a few people on his way between a drink stand and a small seating area.

Drink in hand, he's hardly possessed of the appetite for it.

He'd simply bought one to attempt to immerse himself in the festivities. Now, however, his thoughts are increasingly returning to 'escape.' With building urgency, he passes by a small circle of people and trips gracelessly over a chair that someone is already sitting in.

Sorry Stiles.

Miraculously, he does not spill his drink, and he catches the chair before it clatters to the ground. At the cost of twisting his ankle, but it's worth the exchange: pain over humiliation.

He sets his glass on the table, quickly righting the stranger's seat.] Please, excuse me. I've misstepped-

[He should over a drink on him in compensation, but the crowd between himself and the stalls looks daunting. Insurmountable.]

[mensrea]

[ So far the circus has been an okay experience, even if it’s only made him increasingly homesick for the traveling carnival that would sometimes pass through Beacon Hills – the one he and Scott would always go to together. After watching a few shows (and giving every kitsune Monster a wide berth), he eventually settles down to cautiously sip a cold beer, forehead damp with perspiration from the summer humidity. The refreshing drink isn’t enough to cool him off, unfortunately; sweat beads on his skin, muting the effectiveness of the trichobothria on his hands and wrists. And so accordingly, those fine, delicate hairs are unable to warn him about the sudden abrupt vibrations in the air when someone knocks into his chair with startling force.

Yelping, Stiles releases his hold on the beer to instead seize either side of the chair’s seat, desperately trying to keep from sliding off onto the grassy floor that’s visibly wet with spilled drinks and food. The chair, and therefore Stiles, is righted; he sighs in relief, shoulders sagging. But while he doesn’t appreciate nearly being thrown to the ground, he has to admit that was an impressive show of strength. Stiles doesn’t get a chance to, however – as he twists around in his seat to say as much, he meets the adrenaline-blown eyes of someone who looks a hair’s breadth from a panic attack. ]

Whoa. Hey, no worries, [ he tries to soothe. Stiles has suffered enough panic attacks to be sympathetic now where he normally might not have been. ] Do me a favor and take a seat, huh? You owe me, after all. Here.

[ He hurriedly kicks out the chair next to him at the rounded table, trying to encourage the other teen to sit down. ]

I could use the company. C’mon, just for a little bit.

. feral

[boarddyd]

. witches

[boarddyd]

[Though nights have dwindled to mere hours of darkness, Dimitri still finds cover in the shadows of the city's buildings. He strays from fires - they illuminate him, they stifle his senses with char and ash, and they frighten him. Instead, he stalks areas rich in mirrorbound. The houses they'd taken up residence in, like ghosts fitting into whatever husk they could.

He's little more than an empty shell himself, now.

And he hungers.

Gut wrenching, Dimitri hunches between an overgrown hedge and the edge of the last home on a street of brick villas. He's low to the ground, knuckles brushing dirt, and ready to strike.

There is little energy left in him - his body scraping for each breath. He must take the next opportunity, no matter who passes by. When he feels the air surge with a witch's presence, he lunges.

No weapon in hand, Dimitri lashes out with his bare hands. Claws. The force behind his grip a familiar thing in its raw power. Mouth wide, he scrambles to smash the head of his victim, bite their neck, bend each arm behind their back until it cracks...
Debilitate and devour.]