. 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

. 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.]

[crestfallenfor]

[Nights have diminished to near-nothing, and yet when Sylvain wanders out at night, he still manages to venture home in some of the darkest hours, when there's a melancholy mood over the world, an eerie silence, and where he's usually alone with his thoughts, for better or worse.

He hears the rustling of someone moving in the bush first, and thinks little of it. Perhaps a drunk stumbled in and was waking up from a stupor to trundle home. Perhaps it was a small animal, a pet.

If only he were so lucky.

The distinct sense of danger hits him just before Dimitri does, and though he turns to intercept the attack, as he's also unarmed, it goes about as well as can be expected. He stays on his feet - good. His height means Dimitri will have a difficult time biting his neck or throat - good. There's a familiar strength in Dimitri's hands when he does grab his arm - bad. Claws immediately rend flesh and ensure his grip holds fast, at least until something gives, whether that's his arm breaking or his shoulder being wrenched out of its socket - bad.

And perhaps the worst of it - this is his friend, so he won't use magic to defend himself, unwilling to hurt him when he's clearly not thinking at all, let alone thinking straight, and even less willing to associate himself with the fire that Dimitri already seems to fear.

To say nothing of how any attempt at such might only further drive him into madness.]

Dimitri?! Hey, calm down, it's me. It's Sylvain. You're alright.

[He doubts talking will work, but... he has to try.]

[boarddyd]

[When he feels the tension of muscle give, Dimitri jerks Sylvain's shoulder farther. As if he could rip the limb from his body - and he may have, had his claws not drawn blood. The scent of it fills Dimitri's nostrils and he jerks his prey closer.

Keens his head forward, mouth hanging open audibly panting. His tongue flicks over his teeth, and he digs his nose into the bunched fabric where he holds Sylvain in place.

A slow approach, but it's intoxicating. He sinks his teeth in, intending to use the leverage between his jaw and hand to pry skin and muscle away from bone.

He cannot hear Sylvain - does not know either of their names. All he knows is his hunger and how close, so so so so close, he is to sating it.]

[crestfallenfor]

[Talking is - clearly - not working. Unfortunate, because talking is what Sylvain is best at, is, at times, all he thinks he's good for.

Again, he has the thought to call on his magic, especially as pain rings sharp up and down his arm, especially as he's jerked closer to Dimitri, as he keens forward and buries his nose into fabric quickly growing wet with blood.

He's prey. He knows that much, but he also knows that panicking will do neither of them any good, so he tries to stay calm, tries to keep his breathing even, tries to stand straight before him, and not flinch.]

Dimitri.

[He doubts he'll understand his name, but perhaps a more strict, commanding sort of voice will break through somewhat.

Probably not. He has to try.]

[quintessent]

[In the summer heat of Aefenglom, the nights, though brief, were a brief reprieve. Still warm, but without the incessant beat of the overhead sun, Allura was in no particular rush on her way home from a late night helping at DiplomaTea. Her gaze trained on the stars above, memorizing the constellations of the summer sky, although none of them gave her any clues as to where in the universe Geardagas was.

A building blocks her view of the twin moons as she steps into a shadow, and at the same time, the peace is broken. Footsteps, and then the rush of a body against hers. Hands - no, claws, scrabbling at her arm and she yelps when the assailant catches her by the wrist and twists. Only by a stroke of luck her other arm remains free, and she moves it in time to protect her head from hitting the side of the building next to her, twisting her head to avoid her head cracking into the brick, but she catches sight of her attacker,]

Dimitri? [Her voice cracks, disbelief. He looks nothing like the quiet, excited noble she knew before. But she's seen this before. She's seen what happens when monsters go too long without their bonds.]

[boarddyd]

[There's a jolt of something in his chest - but Dimitri cannot identify it as anything other than frenzied energy. Roused by hunger and quickened by the voice that he understands but does not know.

It is fear.

And that recognition leaves Dimitri emboldened, prey pinned between his body and the wall. His chest heaves into Allura, flattening them both against brick. Nostrils flare and he stills, only for a moment...

No blood.

The hand already holding her remains gripped harshly, and his other raises. Slashes across shoulder and neck with every intent of dragging claws through skin and flesh to drag forth magic laden blood. He needs it. He feels weak at the thought of tearing it from her.]

[quintessent]

Dimitri, you need to- [Her words are cut off with a scream as she feels the bite of claws pierce her shoulder, tearing flesh. Red blood stains the white blouse of her DiplomaTea uniform, and her voice catches when his claws starts to drag-

It's a gut reaction, magic surging under the full moons, a surge of power and a booming shockwave blasts from her, colliding with Dimitri with enough force to knock him into the opposing wall.

Hand gripping at her shoulder, she spins, back to the wall, wide eyed and hoping to the Ancients that it was enough to knock him out of it.]

Dimitri, I don't want to hurt you.

[bloodypath]

[He's grown soft. Unguarded. If Hubert's paranoia had not waned with the full moons, he might have reacted in time. Tall as Hubert is, his stance is easy to break in surprise, and he hits the ground hard underneath the chimera. It's all he can do to keep his right arm from being restrained.]

[Claws bite into his left arm, pulling and twisting, throbbing in time with his head. His free arm may have very well saved his life; muscle memory has Hubert's silver dagger in hand in a flash. He stabs blindly over his shoulder where he could feel hot breath on the back of his neck—]

HUBERT <3

[boarddyd]

[His prey tugs against his claws - resistance Dimitri meets with curled talons and a sharp growl. The struggle should be a short one, if he can only wrap his jaws around its neck and draw blood.

Magic laden blood. He can smell it, intoxicating as small pools begin to well up where his nails have purchase.

Mouth wide, Dimitri leans forward.

The dagger catches him in the muscle between shoulder and neck, a sudden burst of pain and force that makes him reel back and shout. A horrid thing, neither man nor beast. He wrenches away and thrashes, attempting to dislodge Hubert's grip on the weapon without completely tearing his weight off of him.]

WHO'S READY FOR A BAD TIME?? EVERYBODY

[bloodypath]

[He earns more searing lines in his arm when his assailant thrashes, the claws already hooked in ripping about.]

[It's all happening so quickly, but Hubert's senses finally return to him amid the throbbing in his head—and in a calculated risk, he voluntarily releases the dagger. He has control of the hand at least, if not the whole arm anymore, and his fingers swirl in a pattern as they clench into a fist.]

[This was not a spell of skill. This was not a spell of control; he would need fine focus for that, and between shock, pain, and restraint, there was little to be found. No, this was a greater calculated risk, a move of sheer power and desperation.]

[The blood under Dimitri's claws and what soaked into Hubert's sleeve evaporated into a bright red flash, Hubert himself weaponizing the magic in his own blood and drawing an abnormal surge of power into the spell. The simplest, strongest deterrent he could think of in that instant.]

Burn!!

[The air around and above Dimitri ignites violently, and while partially sheltered, Hubert himself isn't free of its wrath.]

. monsters

[boarddyd]

[Not sated, but not starving, Dimitri prowls the streets of Aefenglom. All too quickly he develops a trail. A territory. If one were to triangulate, it would be the space between his residence and those belonging to people he's closest with.

He doesn't dare to enter those strange structures - for fear that he may be discovered, or come to face the flames that dance through the town. Dimitri keeps to the roads, the winding paths that so many others take, with nothing civilized about his gait.

Ragged, clothing torn and eyes unfocused, so long as he's uninterrupted he keeps to himself.

But when someone passes too close, too many times, stares too long, his hackles raise and he lashes out. Pins the monster to the wall, tackles them to the ground, does anything to corner the intruder between himself and something he can use to break bone.

Breath falls heavy from his lips, but he does not speak. Stares, bares his teeth, and growls.]

[crowsfeat]

[ Honestly, by the grace of Shu, her new bond, and the alchemical sedative in her system, she wasn't staring down this creature as a fellow feral, a mad crow ready to find its carrion feast The slums were dangerous enough without adding another beast to its dark streets...

But the Hunter of Hunters still intended to Hunt, one way or another. She could tell herself it was in the service of the protection of the slums, an extension of her duties from home, to deal with those who had surrendered to their lust for Blood... But she was excited. Her blood ran hot, her face flushed beneath her mask.

Moonlight caught the shine of her blade, reflecting the light back at Dimitri. ]

I don't aim to kill you... [ She whispered. She only intended to disable him. ] Do not give me a reason to.

[boarddyd]

[With the slightest motion, the blade catches Dimitri's eye. His instinct as a beast knows nothing of the danger posed by sharpened steel, but there's something else. Something latent - the part of him that had seen countless corpses made by such weapons.

He knows to be cautious.

He knows what he's capable of.

Dimitri seizes the blade, grip tight despite how the edge draws blood. He bends it, then, relying on the power his body harnesses to shatter metal as he has many times before.]

[crowsfeat]

[ It was a clever idea, what he was trying, but he'd find the blade, despite its apparent size and thinness of its edge, didn't even bend to his grip. A Hunter's weapon, particularly those built within the original Workshop, was designed to withstand beasts far nastier than him, after all. The siderite, the same metal that caught the moonlight so cleanly, held it against his grip.

... Not that it helped her much, given she lacked the strength to simply tug it away from him with that grip. She'd give his finger tendons a good slicing, to be sure, but he'd probably still cling on.

But that's why she had two hands.

And the other was quick to pull out her pistol, pull the hammer back, and place the tip of the barrel right at his shoulder, firing off. The Quicksilver bullets might not have burned as much as actual silver would, but they'd still make a hell of an impact at point blank. ]

:^)

[finesseblade]

[ Sweaty, pungently earthy, and laden with that distinctive new musk he's developed recently... that's the Boar's scent spread all down the block, alright. Certain of his conclusions, Felix lifts his muzzle from the ground to scent the night air, ears standing on end and quivering slightly at attention.

His head is clearer tonight than it has been in months. He might've even suppressed his transformation, if he'd thought to try, but he knows that never ends well, and anyway he's learned to accept his wolven half by now. He does not need to suppress it.

What he does need is to find Dimitri, and this form will serve him the best at that purpose. It's not a hunt, not exactly, but his whole body is etched with the tension of one nonetheless.

Felix lopes down the block on all fours, nose to the ground, following the Boar's trail until he finds a fresher scent to pursue.

What he finds, eventually, makes all the individual hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Lurching, meandering, unfocused—not the first time he's witnessed the Boar like this, but it's different here. Felix stands up on his hind legs, at his full imposing height, lips curling back from his teeth in a rumbling growl. ]

It's late, Boar. What are you doing out here?

mmm boar musk

[boarddyd]

[Dimitri turns not because he's being spoken to, but because a scent he knows has drawn near. Recognition comes in a surge of uncertainty, as if his footing could give way at any moment. He focuses on the beast and looks for threats, rather than familiarity.

Sharp teeth. Alert ears. An acidic tone. Agitation.

Shoulders hunching, Dimitri draws back. His tail - newly revealed in the shambling state he's in - tucks between his legs.

But he keeps staring. A cornered animal, aware of its peril.

He bares his teeth with a growl and jerks his head in the direction Felix came from. Urging him to leave.]

tsk, stinky stinky

[finesseblade]

[ Not even capable of speech in this state, then, though his body language says enough for Felix to get the idea. The Boar doesn't want him here. Wants to go about his business, stalking the town, half out of his mind and ready to pounce on the next man or monster to cross his path.

Felix has no intention of letting that happen. ]

I'm not going anywhere, [ he snaps, letting enough of a snarl enter his voice to communicate the intent if not the exact meaning of the words. He takes a single slow step forward, not back, bowing to the Boar's eye level.

He's seen enough of the way boars and cats show their teeth. He's neither, but maybe he can muddle through this, carefully, without having to tear the street apart. ]

You're out of your head. If I leave you alone, you'll have done something you regret by morning.

[marmoron]

[ It's fairly late by the time Keith sets out into the night wearing his paladin armor. It doesn't take him long to find Dimitri, he's methodical in his approach to this, first checking around the area where Allura was attacked and then widening the search perimeter by following the smell of blood. That particular vampire sensitivity isn't something he'd anticipated ever coming in handy, but turns out tracking a feral chimera is a hell of a lot easier this way.

Allura had asked him not to go after Dimitri. He was feral, she'd said. Just an accident. Like this was supposed to excuse the fact that she could have died. Keith has lost more than one person in his life, knows he's going to be losing more when he returns home -- he's not about to let some idiot who can't be bothered to do the bare minimum of finding a bond take someone from him here.

It's funny, actually. He thought his mind would be clouded with anger, but his thoughts are clear. One objective: Incapacitate Dimitri so that he doesn't pose a threat to anyone else tonight. He'll deal with the consequences of that, whatever those may be later.

When they cross paths in an alleyway, Keith's the first to charge -- no greetings, no warnings,, just a full on sprint as he throws out an attempted uppercut to the jaw. ]

[boarddyd]

[So saturated with the blood of witches, Dimitri's sense of smell has diminished throughout the night. He can only discern what is and isn't imbued with magic - the drying coat of viscera on his fur dulled compared to what courses through a living witch's veins.

He does his best to avoid other monsters, slinking through darkness and quiet streets. A lumbering thing himself, yet he manages to traverse the streets without major interruption.

Fixated on magic, he doesn't notice Keith's approach. The threat of it, the intent behind that punch - they all hit him with the blow itself. Dimitri snarls, staggering back one step to catch his balance. There's a dull ache in his jaw...

And a flash of anger in his eyes. With a growl, he lunges forward, throwing all of his weight into his assailant.]

[marmoron]

[ The punch lands, but with it goes the element of surprise. That's fine, that's a trade off that Keith will take when dealing with someone that isn't necessarily thinking strategically. He stays light on his feet, while Dimitri staggers back.

There are so many questions he'd like to ask, so many obscenities he'd like to shout, but those things can wait just a little longer.

Keith ducks lowering his center of gravity as Dimitri lunges. Quickly he attempts to grab his hips and pivots to try and throw the chimera over his shoulder. ]

. alone

[boarddyd]

[There is little water in the Temese, so Dimitri has gone to his knees and scooped up fistfuls of algae. He presses the plants to his lips and sucks, drawing water into his mouth. Once exhausted, the dry heap is cast aside. On to the next-

Covered in mud, fur matted, spine hunched, Dimitri looks absolutely inhuman. A beast. One that local pier-men have complained about on several occasion to those they frequently have business with. It's no city-wide rumor, for monsters rough up ships from time to time, but should anyone bring the most recent destructive thief to justice, a few have suggested a small reward.

An informal bounty.

The target sloshing around on the shore of the muddy river, now ineffectively attempting to catch a small fish to eat. All he's succeeding in is splashing around.]

[islandhuntress]

[Unlike most of the city's inhabitants, Petra is loving the warmer weather. After the last moon, she's now fully naga and keen to find the perfect place for soaking up the warm sun. At present, she's comfortably laying out on a large tree that's bowed low over the muddy, dried up river.

Unfortunately for the both of them, she's nodded off, peaceful and oblivious to Dimitri approaching.

It isn't until he's barely a few feet from her and wad of mud and algae hits a branch close by, cracking it easily, that she wakes with a start, heart pounding as her body curls more tightly around the tree and she hisses instinctively at the intruder, long fangs flashing.]

[boarddyd]

[Sudden motion and sound call Dimitri's attention immediately. He spins, heels in the mud, to face the interruption and snarls. Teeth bared to teeth, he threatens the creature before he fully takes in its appearance.

A snake? Something long and muscular and dangerous.

He moves, slowly, cautiously, to the side. Circling the tree. Inspecting its inhabitant. Deciding if he should strike.]

[islandhuntress]

[She slips down off the branch, easing onto the ground, body twisting into something more sinister and menacing, more monstrous.

Opening her mouth wide to hiss a warning at the other monster, she reveals her fangs, coiling back on herself so she was poised to strike at him if he came any closer.

His circling makes her coil up tighter and hiss again.]