[closed] and should the sky be filled with fire and smoke

[activatingcombatmode]

Who: Zack Fair & friends
When: when these threads happen
Where: where these threads happen
What: a catch-all for the month of december! threads are within. if you would like to do a thread you can contact me at michrure or at my cr meme comment!
Warnings: tba.

Comments

Viren

[activatingcombatmode]

[They had agreed on a date a few weeks back on when Viren and Zack could get together to do some basic combat training. They had no idea that this month was going to start out fairly cold and with a lot of snowfall. The snow and cold has never really bothered Zack before seeing as he come from a rather cold backwater town growing up and his chimera blood seems to keep him fairly insulated but can the same thing be said for his other monster friend?]

How you doing?

[They’re outside of Zack’s cottage right now. In the yard where there is more space to move and maneuver and teach. The snow is falling fairly lightly at this very moment and the sun is up with a simple overcast but who knows when the temperatures will dip even more. Zack crosses his arms over his chest.]

There’s not much in the house so we can probably move inside if we need to.

[bloodwit]

[ viren gives him a tiny little glare at the incredibly innocuous question ("how do you think i'm doing??"). wearing a long black coat, he's bundled to his throat, his arms held tight at his sides. his teeth click together. ]

I'm...

[ this is cold. he honestly looks like some dark, broody, shivering beanstalk. his shoulders hunch. he thinks he can feel every snowflake that dusts against his exposed face; some hit his nose, catch in his eyebrows and beard. pathetic. snowflakes, they're pathetic. this is pathetic. ]

—inside is fine.

[ whatever... that's supposed to mean. ]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack almost snorts. He gets the picture loud and clear. So he goes to Viren and slaps him on the shoulder and then heads for the front door of the rustic looking cottage.]

Alright, get in here! Before you freeze your ass off.

[Entering the cottage it's fairly empty with pretty much the bare necessities to living. A table with two chairs, a kitchen with a few pots and pans and things and a gas stove, two bedrooms on either side of the living space and some stairs to a second-floor presumably to a third bedroom and a washroom. It looks barely lived in.]

Sorry, no witch here to get this place instantly heated, though.

[bloodwit]

[ zack is, officially, one of those permitted by viren to Smack His Shoulder, With Gusto. it's a pretty exclusive list, feel honored. he follows close, shutting the door behind them as they enter --


into somewhere that feels only marginally less cold. alas, no wind chill, nor snow. this must be marked as an improvement. ]

We will need to have that... corrected.

[ a thin smile. whenever that may happen. his eyes dart about the area. there must be a fireplace, somewhere, though... ]

How long have you lived here, Zack? [ there is a purpose behind this question, alas. ]

[activatingcombatmode]

[If he knew he was on such a privileged list or not he'd still be doing the action so Zack is pretty lucky, considering.

Zack moves across the room to the cozy corner where the fireplace and central source of heating are and starts to build up a fire to get it going.]

We'll get it toasty in here quick enough. [He grins.] And I've been here about eight months I think.

[He was one of the first arrivals when mirrorbound started to show up here in Aefenglom. And it barely looks like he's ever lived here since it's so empty??]

Caren Ortensia

[activatingcombatmode]

[He’s heard through the grapevine that some people have left this world again. More people with more holes in their bonds and lives they’ve built here. It’s hard to deal and even if he should be happy that those people are getting the chance to return home, he can’t help but feel a little envious?

Zack decides to find Caren that day. He needs to keep his mind off things and one of his first choices is checking on Caren and seeing how she’s dealing recently too. When he finds her he grins and raises his hand to say hello.]

Caren, yo.

[showsnopiety]

Zack.

[Prompto had been quick to spread the word that two friends from his world was gone. There were more then them gone, and while she wasn't sure how to feel about them most of the time-she didn't know how to deal with having her bond broken.

She'd been sitting on a Haven rooftop- it was easier to just give into the urges now-but seeing Zack, she moved to the edge, legs dangling. She wasn't the most energetic person, but even now-her newly aquired fox-like ears, her wings- even her body seemed a little limp.]

Apologies for being up here like this. I wasn't expecting company.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack cranes his neck to look up at her and he gives a small shrug. It's a pretty normal sight for their kind to be up in high places it seems. Zack will just have to join her in a minute or two.]

Looks comfy up there. But you look like you're brooding about something.

[Because isn't that what people do on rooftops?]

Want some company?

[showsnopiety]

If by brooding you mean avoiding the crowds...then yes.

[She sighed. Her tail twitched once. Twice. If she was so lucky, Zack would distract her, and she wouldn't have to think for awhile about the heavy ache in her chest.]

Please. I'd like that.

[activatingcombatmode]

Alright, wait up.

[Zack doesn't need much convincing. His wings open and it's a quick climb up the side of the building before he reaches the roof and casually comes to sit next to her (he doesn't care for full-flight just yet). One foot rests on the bridge of the ledge while the other dangles.]

So. Penny for your thoughts?

Elliot Craig

[activatingcombatmode]

[There are several downsides to not having an established bond for a few months. It leaves Zack feeling like there’s something hollow inside of him. And it makes him itch when he’s near other witches. The worst part is probably the fitful sleeps and the way his body burns when the moons get closer.

He has to do something to tide him over until he can decide on someone he can trust to bond with him. And that means he seeks out Elliot for something temporary. He goes to where Elliot lives and knocks on the door.]

Elliot, it’s Zack. I need to ask you something.

[fiddlestick]

[Luckily, Elliot was home and near enough to the door to be the one to answer. No having to explain to the other people from Elliot's world what he was doing here.

Elliot himself is not sure why he is, but it's not like him to turn away a friend who needs help so he'll open the door and hear him out]

Hey Zack. What's up?

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack raises a hand and waves.]

Yo! Hm.

[It's probably pretty strange that a fully transformed chimera needs to ask something like this. He was lucky enough to have a bond for nearly a full straight six months and now...]

I was wondering if I could ask you to bond with me. [...] Temporarily. Again.

[fiddlestick]

[Strange, maybe. But really what part of Elliot's life ISN'T strange]

A temporary bond again?

[He wasn't expecting this]

Well, sure - did your old bond leave?

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack scratches the back of his head sheepishly.]

Yeah, he's been gone for about a month now. It's starting to ... uh.

[Make him itch and feel depressed TIME TO SMILE--]

It'll just be for a bit, that's cool, right?

gently leaves this here

[lightblooming]

[ Considering that Aqua's living with Ven and Kairi, she doesn't hesitate to do what shopping that needs to be done. It isn't far too different from her chores at home - she would often take care of whatever she could.

Though, she can't deny that the recently owned store catches her attention. She looks to inside of the store from the window before deciding to go inside--

Only for the mistletoe to catch her attention. ]

... I've never seen a plant like this before.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack isn't usually one to buy gifts for people. He feels like he's pretty shit at making those sorts of decisions. But the new shop opening up has a lot of hustle and bustle so he decides to at least check it out. He's not really expecting it to be as fancy as it is. And he's not expecting to see Aqua here either.]

Aqua, hey. Fancy seeing you here.

[He glances up at the strange-looking plant.]

What is it? Some sort of witch charm?

[lightblooming]

Zack.

[ Aqua feels her heart leap in her chest. The last time she'd seen him was on their date. The memory of it all still felt so vivid to her.

She looks back to the plant, shaking her head. ]

I don't know. ... I'm a little surprised you don't recognize it.

[ He's been here much longer than she has. ]

It could be a plant that's also native to the shopkeeper's world.

[activatingcombatmode]

[He hasn't seen much mistletoe anywhere and who knows if this sort of plant even exists or not in his own homeworld. Zack peers at it and he can't seem to sense any magic on it? At least for now?]

Yeah, maybe. It seems pretty popular around here, though. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of charm.

[He glances at her and smiles a bit. It's nice to run into her like this.]

[lightblooming]

[ She smiles at that. ]

From what I know, this is a time for cheer for a lot of the people from another world. This could be a part of that.

[ She doesn't realize that what she had just said had been overheard by someone else. They stop then, glancing at the both of them with a rather quizzical look. ]

You don't know? It's tradition to kiss under the mistletoe if you stand under it with someone else.

bursts through the wall

[sparkstrikes]

[Some merriment can be a little too much merriment for Lightning, but she's trying! Her attempts to acclimate to this world and her fellow Mirrorbound is met with minor success – she made it out here with a homemade cake and has had conversations with both familiar and nonfamiliar faces, which is all a start for her. And while she's tired, she wasn't ready to go home just yet, and was in the middle of searching for others she might already know to offer them some of her cake when she felt it.

The very same surge of sharp pain coursing through her arms that she felt on the day she and Zack dealt with the cwyld. It's been coming and going since then, occasionally interrupting her in the middle of a run, or even in her sleep, making her tense up and try to fight back against it. It used to be easy. It wouldn't last more than a few seconds, but those seconds became minutes, and those minutes became hours.

Now, she can feel the onset of it coming before it even hits. It feels like tiny pinpricks under her skin, only this time, it's started to spread up from her fingertips all the way to her shoulders.

She pushes her way through the crowds, excusing herself along the way and even ordering others to move, as she tries to find a quiet, secluded spot for her to deal with it in the only way that she can. It's between two buildings where she stumbles and rests herself against the wall, eyes shutting tight and her quickening breaths turning to smoke in the cold air.

And as she rolls up her sleeves, she can see her veins lighting up once more, looking like thin lines of electricity that she wishes she could rip out from under her skin.]

... Damn it.

[activatingcombatmode]

[The weather outside is cold and snowy but it doesn't seem to stop many people from going about their days even on the less blistery ones. There's a gift-giving festival of some sort coming up that Zack doesn't know much about but it's sort of entertaining to see all the crowds in the streets. He's pretty much here for all the holiday food that seems to be cropping up because of it.

He's not that bothered by the cold, himself. His wings quiver slightly in the nipping icy wind but he's barely in a warmer coat thanks to what he assumed to be his chimera blood. But what does bother him is the sudden sharp scent of magic that smells awfully familiar. Like burning roses-

Zack turns and his body moves almost automatically as he searches it out. He flinches when he finds the pink haired woman escaping down a quiet backway and he comes to follow her. Hell or high water...]

Lightning.

[He sees her just as she's pulling her sleeve up and a stone drops in his stomach.]

[sparkstrikes]

[His voice is an echo in her head for a moment. The pain and fear are too much for her to be able to process more than that, but as soon as she realizes that he's there, Lightning quickly folds her sleeve back over her arm, brushing a hand over it to straighten it before her fingers wrap around her wrist.

Of course it had to be Zack who found her.

She straightens her expression into an angry one, almost like she's trying to scare him off.]

What do you want?

[Except Lightning doesn't sound as angry as she could have. The pain she's in cracks her voice, and it's more of an exhausted sigh than her snapping at him, which she definitely would have done any other time.]

[activatingcombatmode]

[It's too late and Zack gets a glimpse of her skin before she pulls her sleeve down over the marks. Even if he hadn't he can still smell the subtle change in her. Something's wrong-]

It's not me you should be worrying about.

[He comes closer, concern clear in his bright blue eyes.]

Are you alright...?

[And don't try to hide it or be tsundere about it Zack can detect the burning magic like smoke!]

[sparkstrikes]

[The moment he takes a step closer, Lightning is on her guard—well, as much as anyone can be in her condition. She can hardly get away from using the wall as a means of keeping herself upright, and small cracks form under her boots whenever she shifts her feet. She isn't sure how long she can go like this, but she's lasted just fine so far...]

I'm fi— [But she's cut off by the searing pain in her arm again. She bows her head, using her hair to hide the clenching of her jaw and her rapid breathing, but it persists even when she tries to talk through it again. There's really no use in trying to hide it, is there?] I... don't know.

[She sounds angry about it, and rightfully so. Just... give her a few more seconds to compose herself again, as she flexes her fingers to try and get the feeling to return to them again.]

Everything hurts.

[But the thing that hurts more than any of the pain flowing through her is having to admit that out loud to someone.]