middaeg | [ Open ] Aguril Catch-All

[ The days before the full moon pass in an almost haze of strange sensations. Instincts kicking in, his skin itching strangely, a restlessness just under the surface that nothing seems to sate.

The night of the full moon itself has him out in the Wild, almost completely caught up in those instincts - not feral, not quite, but there is the question of if he is more Yata or more faun with the sway of the Sisters overhead. He spends the night racing through the forests. It's dangerous, because there's a great many predators out tonight, and his flight responses are kicking in harder than his fight for once. Although he's still not a pushover, if you can get him to hold still long enough to be a threat.

His eyes are dilated darkly and his antlers are looming even larger at the top of his head this month, growing in several more inches and branching out in an impressive rack. Spotted fur has sprouted along his arms and down his spine and completely covering what can be seen of his legs. There's a furred tail, reddish in color with a white underside, peeking out from the top of his shorts - often flashing in the dark as he runs. And his ears have changed - no longer human, they've lengthened, furred, stretching out beside his antlers to give him a much closer appearance to the deer he's sharing traits with.

It might be egging on his instincts, that wildness that seems to rule him for this night. Pushing him to run, to move. He'll startle easy - or maybe he'll give chase if you're not the sort of creature to pose a threat. He's got a surprising amount of stamina for someone whose not used to woods and forests - or nature at all, really. It doesn't seem to affect how naturally his instincts are shifting him to adapt and dwell out here - even if it's only lasting for tonight. ]

Edited 2020-08-10 14:28 (UTC)

[ He'd spent all of the full moon out racing through the woods. Wild, skittish and restless. When dawn crests, he'd staggered back into the barracks and collapsed in his bunk to sleep it off.

Except waking didn't dispel the strangeness from the night before. In an attempt to get dressed, there's a startled yelp that comes when he discovers the ears atop his head. And worse, the tail behind him. The fur has remained, too. Sprouting up his arms, tracing along his spine. Completely covering his lower half. It's reddish in color and spotted faintly. Everywhere. Even on his ears and tail.

This is officially worse than the feathers.

Anyone who wanders in over the next day or so might find him sulking. And hiding. There a Yata-shaped lump on his bed, completely covered in a blanket - as if hiding away all the new changes will make them less real. The only visible part of Yata himself is the large rack of antlers now sticking out of the top of the blanket - something not even he can manage to hide.

Poke him at your own risk. ]

[ He'd picked up a few odd jobs here and there for the month - anything to keep busy and the extra money doesn't hurt either. This had seemed simple enough from the job posting. Workers slacking off, taking advantage. Not really his deal, but the pay had been good, so here he was, showing up to kick some asses back into motion.

Except then he'd gotten and realized that all those workers? Were kids. People all younger than him. And being worked way too much. And then it didn't matter how much people were offering to pay him, that's just not right. ]

What the hell! [ He's talking to several of the older teens who seem to be instigating the mischief. Rebellion. Whatever you want to call it. ] Why have you guys even put up with this as long as you have? Someone's gotta show them they can't do this!

[ Feel like joining a revolution? Or maybe you're still thinking this job pays better than the trouble it's worth. Come help him out or try to talk him out of joining the revolt. ]

A. Oh Deer

[ The money on this one was too good to pass up, so here he is, back out in the Wild, trying to approach a skittish deer. Of course, the deer doesn't seem all too skittish of him, at least - benefits of being a faun? The creature itself is pale white, almost mystical looking and from here he can see the fruit hanging off those pale antlers.

Now he just has to get close enough to get some... ]

[ His tone is almost sing-song as he tries to creep closer to the large deer. ]

B. A Horny Situation (18+)

[ He should have paid more attention to the job details. He hadn't, of course. He'd seen what was needed and just how much money was being offered for the fruit. That probably should have told him right there that this wasn't ordinary fruit. But he'd gotten plenty to turn into the shop that wanted these and he was curious. And hungry. And the longer he had them on his person, the more delicious they smelled.

What harm could there be in sneaking one of the fruit for a bite? Who would even know?

...Except he's a faun. And apparently now he's more susceptible to certain things. Especially things that kick his almost-nonexistent libido into overdrive. Stop him before he takes a bite. Or don't, and have fun with the consequences? ]

[ He's picking flowers.

Not a thing Yata typically does on any given day, but hey, people apparently needed these seeds and they were somewhat difficult to get and he's always up for a challenge.

And it is a challenge because these prickle bushes are overgrown and shadowing the flowers he needs to get to, so there is all sorts of bending and crawling and reaching. His antlers do not help at all - at least until he figures out he can use them to shove prickly branches out of the way while he leans closer - it limits his range of movement but at least those thorns are nowhere near his skin and hey, his antlers can't exactly go numb, after all.

Need him to prop a bush to the side while you gather some seeds, or hell, want to come take advantage of the opening he offers? He could probably use a hand here. Or two, even! ]

[ You know, when he signed for it, he thought it will be disciplining a bunch of lazy bums, but it's more of a kindergarten. A factory working kindergarten of street-rats. That puts him kind of on a fence on the whole deal— ]

You bet they're pay is shit, but hey, they're still being paid. [ Ideals won't feed you, so to speak. In the end, money rules everywhere, and sometimes you have to choose between pride and survival. ]

[ Ah, fuck, it's this asshole again.

Yata turns to scowl at him, hands propped on hips. ]

Barely. And not enough for what their damn bosses are saying they should work for. Would you be happy with that kinda shit? Because I sure wouldn't.

[ : ) ]

I mean, we are paid shit too. Yet you're still here, smartass.

[ For as long as the contract is there. Fortunately, the baron behind this operation gave them only a few days of a test run, and Reno has no intention of staying a second longer than he's obliged to. ]

C'mon you can figure it out.

[ Even if Ann might not be a monster herself, she has met enough now to know what the full moon portends for the people who are, and, well...she can't exactly say she's envious. Never mind that it's involuntary, but it seems uncomfortable, too. The least she can do is offer a hand to her friends, even if all they want right now is some privacy. She can give that too, but they should at least know someone is thinking of them, when they're going through something so unfamiliar and scary.

Yata has found his way onto that list of people, though Ann doesn't know where he lives yet, or if he'd even appreciate the company. She has something for him, but if he rather wouldn't see anyone, she can just drop it off, too.

So she shoots him a quick message via her watch: ]

Hey. How are you holding up?

[ It takes a while before a message comes back. As if he'd sat there and debated answering at all. Which he had. But while he might be miserable, that's no reason to be rude to a girl.

So eventually she gets back a rather short and blunt, ]

Fine.

[ ...he's not at all fine. ]

I can figure out that this job was bullshit from the beginning.

[ He crosses his arms over his chest stubbornly and stares the other redhead down. ]

You honestly gonna stand there and try to tell me you support what those rich assholes are doin? You're gonna tell a bunch of kids that they just gotta suck up and deal with a shit deal?

[ Reno rolls his arms in a slow shrug, indicating that he doesn't care. He's adept at ignoring a lot of really shitty things after all. You gotta put yourself first in life, after all!

But also being directly involved is not really part of the whole makes it kinda hard the ignoring. ]

I'm only telling you that if you're going to encourage a bunch of overworked but paid orphans to quit— you gotta have a plan if you really want to help them.

Otherwise, you'll end feeling fucking good about yourself, like hero and shit, while orphans will be homeless and starving.

[ Of course he's gonna be an asshole about dispensing a piece of advice]

I'm not here to be a fuckin hero. [ Yata just rolls his eyes at that. ] I don't give a damn about shit like that. I think we need to show those assholes that if they want their shit, they gotta pay for it.

[ A pause, before a devious look crosses Yata's face. ]

...or maybe what their shit is actually worth. Maybe they should see how much work goes into what they want done.

[ His job description does not include thwarting down rebellion plans, so why to bother. If they start damaging the goods tho... what is more important, work ethic at a shitty job, or popcorning the incited chaos?

He smirks right back ]

Oh yeah, you've got several illegal options to get a point. And one legal.

Only one? Nah, man. You're thinkin' too small. You're lackin' imagination. There's plenty more than that. But I think we should bring the bosses down and convince them to do a few shifts. Just to see if they think they're still payin' fair.

[ It starts with a "pfft" followed by a snort, that turns into a hyena cackle. He needs a moment, sorry. ]

Fuck, that hog putting up a real work here? I'd pay to see that. [ It would be a sight to remember. But also one that would cost them a lot so— ] But I have no plans of getting arrested, so I'll have to look the other way.

[ He waves his hand dismissively. ]

What, you're too chicken?

Besides. They hired us to get these people back to work, right? Well, we're doing that. Just in a roundabout way. Getting them what they want to agree to work again. And to do that, they need fair wages. So we'll see that the bosses understand what that means. It's what they hired us for.

[ Now he's got a truly evil smirk on his lips. ]

[It would definitely be rude of him not to take advantage of such an offer, right?

Because the moment that Lavi sees him, he walks over to him.]

Need a hand getting those flowers?

[ Reno laughed, shortly, humorlessly. Usually hauling insults at him doesn't work, he speaks in obscenities half the time, and been called worse all his life. Not to mention bravery is an empty concept to him. But the bird-nature of the insult does ruffle his feathers a bit. Literally. ]

Naw, man. I just don't give a rat's ass what you're doing. [ He flattens the feathers on the back of his neck, and his grin turns crooked. Yata is clearly a man of action, and this might turn out amusing (or useful) yet ] But I'm also bored as hell, so let's run your plan.

[ Doesn't mean he has to agree with it ]

So how's it going? Drag the dude in the night, give him a good spanking, make him work so hard he soils his pants and then— what? Threaten him with "give your workers better pay or else"?

[ The length of time it takes him to respond combined with the brevity of his response isn't exactly reassuring. Not that she expected him to pour his heart out to her, but still. ]

You're not a very good liar, you know.

[ Yata huffs out a frustrated breath, thoroughly frustrated by now with this entire misadventure. ]

This is ridiculous. Why do they even let these weedy bushes grow out here? Sure, but I hope you've got some bright ideas, dude.

[ Yata's a man of action - but he's also pretty devious when it comes down to it. ]

The guy wanted a solution. Muscle's not gonna cut it - not when it's kids. You've seen the types most of the damned Mirrorbound are. He even looks cross-eyed at any of them and he's gonna have a bunch of pissed off goody-two-shoes breathing down his neck. If he wants to continue doing business in this city, he's gotta adapt.

I say we tell him we've got his solution, lure him down here, and use the kids as our backup - his own supervisors for a day. Tell em it's a game, tell em it's evening the scales. They're not dumb and he'll be outnumbered. One long shift - like he expects them to work, hell, even have him doing it alongside of them. Make it a bet if we gotta. Businessmen always like risks they think they can win easy. They always underestimate their peons anyway.

[ Look, it goes against his code of morals to go around lying to girls in the first place. ]

You can't even hear me! Like you'd know!

I don't need to hear you to know. This is your first time going through a full moon, isn't it? It's affecting other monsters I know, too.

Second.

And I was here the first time around, too. There's just less feathers involved this time.

Well then that's a good thing, right? If you changed before, you should know what to expect, shouldn't you?

[ It doesn't really occur to her that his monster type might've changed from before. ]

Maybe if the same things were happening.

Before it was feathers and wings. now it's... I don't know. Antlers and fur.

Do YOU know any birds that have antlers and fur?

[ Because he sure doesn't. ]

[ That's a good, entertaining plan. It would be much better if they had a definite, actual force standing behind them though. Shaking shit up if you have no group to fall back on, that will hold your back...

...some would say it's suicide. Others would say it's just crazy. Though Yata is right on that there is plenty of Mirrorbounds, and most of them are bleeding hearts. They support one another.

Reno just snorts and shakes his head ]

Before I say "I'm in", I got one more question. How do you think this factory and kids will look two weeks from now?

[ Oh, shit. Well, that's definitely a new one. ]

Guess not...sorry, I didn't realize that could happen. Antlers sound painful...can I bring you anything? Or I could try a healing spell to help.

[He holds back a laugh.]

Can't compete with nature.

[He gestures to the bushes.]

Why don't you lift it up with your antlers long enough so I can wiggle in and get it?

[ Yata cocks his head to the side to study Reno for a moment before gesturing around him. ]

Why are you asking me that? Talk to them. Learn what they want out of this. They're more organized than you think. And they gotta live this. Ask them.

[ The antlers he's getting used to. The new ears and the tail, however? Still mortifying as fuck. Not to mention he's got fur growing in now and that's just a whole new level of weird. ]

They're a headache, that's for sure. [ Literally. Have you ever had horns grow out of the top of your head? Not a fun time. ] I don't know if healing can help with the transformations do.

Wait, do you even know healing magic??

If your plan is shit, no one is getting what they want, dipshit.

[ Reno answer is biting, and he groans in frustration, before shaking his head and cooling it off. That's really not something he should get worked over, there are far more important things! It's not like he cares!!! He could let this mess happen by just going along— ]

Fine, here, reality check. Free of charge.

[ Oh, because he's suddenly that generous. Shockingly, he's entirely serious, no more teasing, no making fun of ]

You rough up the dude a bit, make him work for it. He will promise you everyfuckingthing you want and a shitload of benefits. Then, you're outta here, and he won't rehire you. The kids won't see the promised benefits either. Whatever musclehead he gets in your position, he will screen them for no empathy and high greed. And he will pay them much more than he ever paid us, so none of them will have a reason to cross him. Because that's how rich assholes operate.

[ They stomp down those who can't afford to protect themselves. The strong exploit the weak, coin rules the world. And... that's fine with Reno, really. He never bought into the 'change the world' ideals, ever a cynic. Rather he sees his ability to see the world for what it is, as an advantage in a crawling way upwards, and getting what he wants. ]

If you want to make this work, pal, you have to think a few steps ahead. To secure the new status, not just shake it. Otherwise, you're just gonna be like every other adult that screwed the kids over.

[ Which is the last thing he wants to be. But Yata just crosses his arms over his chest and gives the guy a Look. ]

Alright then, genius, what would you do?

[ Because you're just as involved now, even if you don't want to admit it. You're still here, aren't you? ]

Edited 2020-09-09 13:22 (UTC)

[ Reno looks around the urchins. Some working hard, some taking a well-earned break, others having fun. You know, like kids do. ]

Contact a different factory. Say you have an experienced workforce at your hand, mention that taking them will tank competition, then ensure they get better benefits than here— higher pay, shorter hours or education, whatever— When that's secured, then make a ruckus here and beat the shark up. Shake the director with fear to release them quickly. Before he can realize what he's losing.

[ Coming from the epitome of capitalistic hell that is Midgard, makes him prone to see the gears in all systems. There is always a way to throw a wrench somewhere. ]

Or fuck everything up and lead a gang of the street urchins. But then that's a bigger responsibility.

[ Open ] Aguril Catch-All

Full Furry Moon (Aug 1-3) [ OTA ]

Hangovers (Aug 4-6) [ Open to close CR and those who might encounter him in the Barracks ]

Quest: Hazard at the Harbor

Quest: Antler Fruit

Quest: Forget-Me-Nots

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