middaeg | When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love

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When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love

Who: Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower and OPEN
When: December
Where: All over
What: Catch-all for December! Snow, snowglobes, fighting some oogie boogies, and feasts. Not much mistletoe, though. She's not prone to it.
Warnings: A bit of blood and violence

[1: Does it kill? Does it burn? - Haunted Mansion]

[Well. This isn't so much different than what she's used to. The cold rain giving way to a blizzard of this proportion is certainly A Thing, though. It's been since Cainhurst that she's seen something this bad. Yharnam got a lot of rain, but tended toward that rather than any large amount of snow. Not that she thinks most people would've noticed, even if it did snow a lot there.

Well, it matters not. The Haunted Mansion is normally kind of shadowy and cold, but Maria's garden has been well-enchanted, so the grounds immediately around it are... mostly clear of the snow. In places, the wards fail for a brief period, and she can be often heard sighing as she watches the snow pile up on the plots for her plants. Inside, however, it's not so much magically enchanted as it is just sort of full of well-burning fires - naturally made, in hearths, and plenty of candles around when the power inevitably flickers and dies.

Anyone who wants or needs a stop over - or already lives there - is invited into the kitchen for some mulled cider (and a bit of rum, if they wish to splash some in there from the bottle next to the pot - Maria's cup is pretty much spiked the whole time.), or tea, or just a moment to shake off the cold and snow.

If they dare. After all, the place looks like something out of a horror story at the best of times; tall and imposing, with narrow windows set back into the facade, and spiky towers. The ivy that normally grows up the sides is mostly dormant for the winter, and all the winterized trees make it look especially haunted. But maybe the otherwise relative lack of snow is enticing... or the fact one knows who lives there and wants to brave it anyway.]

[2: Is it painful to learn that it's me who has all the Control? - Around town]

[Or maybe it's the opposite. Maria isn't afraid of a few... feet... of snow, anyway. So she bundles up in her hunter gear, and tromps out into the snow. The streets are mostly abandoned - honestly, just the way she likes it - as she sets out. Perhaps one runs into her in the few stores that remain open, hoping to eke out a bit of business from those brave (or foolish) enough to brave the winter weather.

Or maybe she's making a house call, if she knows the person well enough. She knocks the snow off her hat and boots before ducking through doorways.] It's not slowing down out there... [If only she didn't hate Cainhurst. She'd make a joke about it being just like home! Or maybe not, it is Maria, after all.]

[3: Does it thrill? Does it sting? - Snow Global]

No, no, it's... taller than that. The Astral Clocktower is built into the front of the front wing of the Grand Cathedral, but the tower stretches up far above the face of the clock itself. [She's explaining it to the crafter, who frowns a bit in concentration, and comes up with a new prototype. It's starting to shape up - the Astral Clocktower is an impressive thing, in the end.] And the front of the Cathedral is a large staircase down into the Central Cathedral Ward's plaza.

[Once they're out, though, it seems to become a bit of a commodity. Maria looks a bit bemused as, several days later, she sees yet another couple shaking theirs and setting the flurries about.] ... For as much as magic seems to rely on astronomy... I'm impressed they've never seen a star-reading clock.

[4: When you feel what I bring, and you wish that you had me to hold? - Modrainicht]

[And, again, Aefenglom loves itself a good, huge party, regardless of what else is going on. Mounting tensions among the populace? Doesn't matter, have a party. She has nothing to add to the giant potluck... and probably with good reason, because she's pretty sure nothing but the Vampires here would have taste for food that's been... imbued with Blood, and that's the only thing she can think of that's unique to her world. She doesn't even have the right type of Blood for it, anyway.

But, she'll partake, and enjoy the way the mood seems to have lightened up. She feels a few compulsions of friendly cheer as she mills about the place, but the mistletoe doesn't seem to stick when she's under it - that's on someone else to bring it up, because she's pretty resistant. Instead, she drinks the drinks, eats the food, and... sits down by a face - familiar or not - beneath the warmed tents. She picked up something from a serving dish that didn't look like it belonged, so it must've been brought in potluck style. She picks up a morsel of it, and puts it in her mouth... and immediately grimaces. Eugh. It's fish. The briny taste is immediately offputting. She's had enough of seawater and blood, thank you.

And with that, she slides the plate back out.] ... If anyone has a taste for fish, help yourself.

[5: Like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams - The Woman]

[If she hadn't been pre-warned by the Wilders about this she might have - okay, no. She never would have fallen for this. Not only is this one of the oldest folklore tales in the books, the baby is a dead giveaway. No one just carries a baby around in the woods like that.

Though the haunting, ethereal cries of the infant make her skin crawl, for reasons entirely related to her time at home. How unpleasant.

Maria's swords spark into fire, into life, burning down the edges, illuminating the area. It's trying to lure her out. Again, nothing new. She can only think it's that the people here live such comfortable lives that this thing has claimed so many lives. It wants to be hunted like a Beast, well, Maria hears the hunt calling... and she will answer it. The itch for violence has been working its way into her arms for some time, her fingers aching to take someone apart - this will be the perfect outlet for it.

And then, she holds her sword out, stopping whoever is coming up from behind her.] Shh. She's waiting in ambush. She thinks she's clever.

[6: Is there anyone out there? Cause it's getting harder, and harder to breathe.]

[Wildcard! If anyone needs her for anything, might wanna bounce ideas off of her for the infiltration thing she isn't going to be actively participating in, but is more than down for being tangentially related to. Or anyone being harangued by the Hunting of the Wren? She's more than happy to scare off the crowds if she knows you. Hit me up on plurk at

Reslari on Discord at Reslari#9561 or at Maria's monthly plotting post here!]

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[In all the time that Ozymandias has known Giorno, he hasn't been over to his house all that often, but certainly not with the frequency in which he has been since Giorno fell ill. It seems with each passing day, Giorno's condition either holds somewhat steady or worsens considerably, but it never seems to improve. Thus, Ozymandias' visits started as once a day and have morphed into multiple times per day. It seems at this rate, will likely not be long before those multiple visits simply evolve into a prolonged single visit.]

[The weather appears eager to push this development along as the blizzard outside picks up steam, howling and raging. Ozymandias lives within walking distance, but the trek back would only be prolonged and miserable compared to waiting it out here. Because as it turns out, as dreary as it looks on the outside, he finds it to be actually quite the opposite once inside.]

[Ozymandias sets the rum bottle back down and then he neither sits nor takes a drink of his cider. There may be a degree to which he's feeling tired -- hence why he was looking to return home for a while -- but he is still a little tense. It's impossible not to be. He watches the snow outside and folds his arms, lightly swirling his drink in his hand.]

I grow tired of this weather already.

[The rain from the previous months had been bad enough... But more importantly, he doesn't feel like talking about Giorno right this second and there just isn't much to talk about with this woman. Not when he knows her so little.]

[It's not particularly a big deal, to Maria. She's from a cold place. But, that's why the cider, and the rum, and all the candles and hearths blazing brightly without relying on the Magitech heat.

She's watched this one appear more and more often the more that Giorno's condition deteriorates. It's been fascinating, is what she'd say out loud, and mean it, as well as a bit worrying - which she will not say out loud, though she does still mean it - to watch someone just sort of slowly... die. It's not the first time she's seen it happen, it probably will not be the last time, but the fascinating part about all of it is that this is supposed to happen, according to all the information. Giorno is a vampire. Vampires must die eventually, so they can reach their full transformation, and their full potential.

This visitor must understand that as well, but... mostly the reason she hasn't said anything is because she understands the undercurrent of worry, as well. And the idea that maybe, just maybe, Giorno won't come back. That he'll just die and be inanimate and the vampire thing will have not actually taken full root.]

Luckily, I don't think it can last forever. But it will be annoying until it can be outwaited. [She is drinking, because that's about all there is to do when housebound like this. Drink, eat, read books, walk up and down the stairs a dozen times to keep in shape and to keep moving. Though Maria is less shy about suiting up and just... going out in this weather. The cold doesn't bother her, anyway. Advantage of being a fire witch.] I hope not all their storms are like this.

[Ozymandias himself is not entirely unaccustomed to colder weather. Despite somewhat popular belief, deserts are actually just as harsh at night as they are during the day, but in the opposite direction. It is all the heavy snow and wetness that he continually takes issue with.]

[...And yes, there is a degree to which he also feels restless, too. Being cooped up inside doesn't suit him when it's not by choice and it's only made worse by Giorno's...condition.]

As do I. Between the rains and these snowstorms, I'm beginning to wonder how exactly it is the city does not become flooded. [He sighs, turning away from the window. Staring at the weather won't exactly make it pass faster.] Thank you for allowing me to wait it out here.

I suppose they must have accounted for it somewhere in the magic enchantments... [Doesn't make the weather any better, perse, but it is just a thought. She looks back over at him as he turns back into the house. Watching it is probably kind of depressing.]

There is plenty of room in this place, it is no bother. [Really, if she wants to not interact with anyone, she can, easily. Her room is in the back of the house and full of almost everything she needs to ignore everyone else.] You would be here frequently enough to check on Giorno anyway, no? It's a natural conclusion.

[She sips her drink, then sets it back down. She's curious, and a little tipsy, so she knows it's a bit forward to ask, but she does anyway:] Is it the idea of him dying in the first place, or that he may not return that has you so restless?

[Ozymandias' gaze lifts suddenly from the liquid in his cup to her almost immediately that the question. It is a very direct question, which Ozymandias is not expecting less because of the content and more because it tends to take a rare sort of personality to feel comfortable enough asking such a direct question of Pharaoh. He doesn't bristle at the question or that it's being asked, however, when he cannot so quickly interpret the motivation behind the question. But Ozymandias also doesn't offer her an immediate answer.]

[Ozymandias shakes his head a little.]

If he does not return to this body or world, I would feel sorrow and grieve for the loss, but I do not fear that outcome. [Death is merely a transition to Ozymandias, after all. It would be no different than if Giorno were to embark on a journey from which he never returned and Ozymandias could not follow at least for the time being. He would miss the boy, miss the time they've spent together, but he would not think of Giorno being lost or no more. He would only be somewhere else. The only real...challenge around the potential of Giorno not returning is something that he would not say to most. Even after thousands of years, it's still something that fills him with such...uneasy feelings. It's something better kept private.] I will admit, however, that I do not relish in watching him linger.

[His suffering could be worse. It seems the more Giorno weakens, the less often he's awake or even really coherent, and so in whatever ways his body is slowly shutting down, Giorno is probably not even aware of most of the time. But that does not make it any less unpleasant to witness for Ozymandias.]

[If only she cared about him being a pharaoh - or really, had much reverence for any kind of high royalty figure, even the ones that are likened to gods. Maria does not, but... well, normally she's a bit more polite. It was just an interesting question.

And it garners an interesting answer. Which is about all she can hope for anymore.]

It would be a bit better if it was more swift, wouldn't it? [Death is a mercy, as far as Maria is concerned, so, of course, a slow death isn't much of a mercy at all. But she's not going to be the one to make it quicker, because she's not sure if it'll mess up... whatever his body is doing.

So limbo it is.]

I wonder if he has died before... if this is much different. [She could definitely see the slow part of dying being the worst part for her - last two times she died, it was pretty quick, albeit not very painless.] I suppose we will never know, hm?

[Ozymandias shakes his head a little.]

I would find it difficult to believe he has a previous experience to compare.

[Death marks those that return to the world of the living. There's really no mistaking it for anything else. And Giorno? Well, there is obviously a degree to which this boy has had experiences that have caused him to mature in some ways more than most his age. But his own personal death is not one of those things.]

But I suppose in some ways, this is still typical. We rarely are afforded the option of how it is we depart for the next life.

[Not even the mighty Pharaoh was capable of eternal life, his body eventually failing under the weight of age and a life well-lived. He did not meet a violent end, and most would consider his death to be the ideal if one did have the ability to choose, but he struggled against it until his final breath all the same.]

Hm, I think you are right. [Giorno could still surprise them both, but she doesn't feel like that's the case. There's not much grounds for a philosophical discussion on such a thing at the moment.

There is one about his second point, but that is a bit more... personal. Years as a hunter, as contacting Great Ones, as working in a secret research lab with patients that could easily turn toward the violent at a moment's notice... and yet the only thing that ever had managed to kill Maria had been Maria herself.

She sips her cider, instead, enjoying the tang of alcohol, and the sweetness of the apple flavor.] He didn't really have much choice in this matter, though. Of all the unfortunate side-effects of Monsterhood in this place... this one seems to be one of the more terrible ones. What person would like to wake up in an unfamiliar city and be told that some day - someday very soon, no matter how healthy or young you are, how much you avoid combat and a warrior's death - you will die? You will return, but you will die in very short order. [She shakes her head.]

I suppose.

[When it comes to the matter of death, Ozymandias has perhaps a bit of a complicated relationship towards it. He does not resent death itself. He does not begrudge those still among the living and even now has no desire to return. Unlike most of the Servants who have fought in their respective Holy Grail Wars, his purpose was never rebirth but to serve the purpose he was denied with the removal of his body from the Valley of Kings. So, to that extent, he does not particularly agree with her. Death comes for everyone eventually and having a better estimation of when is not particularly better or worse in his opinion. It simply is and how one chooses to conduct themselves in the face of it is really what truly defines it as better or worse.]

[But he does resent his mortality. That any body he has ever occupied has been destructible, has decayed and faded with time and age or through wounds delivered to him on the battlefield. That any part of him can be destroyed and erased. He supposes that is something he shares in common with most humans even if he doesn't see himself as one of them or his reasoning to be different.]

Any living creature could choose to dwell on such a thing, however. Even without the opportunity of returning to this life, living things are guaranteed only so much time in these bodies in any world.

Yes, but no one presumes that their times will be measured in days and hours, rather than months and years, unless they are already very aged, or live a very violent life. I don't think anyone likes to think about it, either. [Which Giorno is not - he's... not a kid, though many would probably use that word, but a fully grown adult he is not, either.

Well, but she still can't say much. She knew the doom was setting in as she spiraled further into her own despair. She knew, and she embraced it. She knew, and she was more than happy to see if it would provide the long-wanted escape she wanted.

Then it didn't.]

But, he has conducted himself admirably for one who has found their time cut short, and his return will, I think, see him all the stronger for it. Not just as a Monster, either. [Less depressing talk. Less reminding Maria of her own fate, and how she's not sure she totally escaped it, just by coming here.]

[It is a positive way of looking at things, but Ozymandias does not seem quite so keen to adjust to thinking that way just yet and takes a drink of his cider rather than offer an immediate response. To say that he would rather Giorno earn his strength in other ways is no doubt shared between Maria and himself. There's little point in saying it. So, instead,]

Giorno has already made himself stronger by those he surrounds himself with.

[There was a time when he was first here that he did not seem all that interested in getting close to anyone, closing himself off before anyone had the chance to grow close to him. Ozymandias is pleased that Giorno seems to be making efforts to turn that around.]

Zelda I could see being quite a good influence. When she is not so busy fretting about others that she forgets to see herself in the whole equation. [That's not... all of whom Giorno surrounds himself with, but Maria definitely doesn't think she's much of a good influence on anyone, and she thinks Kaede is about the same.] I don't know much about his other companions to say. I don't pry deeply into his social life.

[None of them do. Fugo knows more by default, of course, but the rest of them seem perfectly content to tiptoe around things like "the past" and too in-depth of conversations, because hey, who knew, a house full of serial killers tends to like to keep to themselves and have a hard time empathizing with others. Shocker.]

When he and I first met, he was intent on isolating himself and maintaining merely superficial relationships with those around him.

[It was ultimately a futile desire, as there are far too many within this city that would not allow him to remain so isolated. And it's that which Ozymandias contrasts with how Giorno's life is now. Even if those he surrounds himself with are not categorically "good" people or as strong of a positive influence as someone like Zelda, that matters very little in the end. Isolation is what makes one weaker, particularly if it is by choice.]

That doesn't seem to have held, but he is young. Perhaps that is for the best, so he doesn't squander his time. [She speaks a bit like she doesn't have strong opinions on it - because she doesn't. Friendship is definitely not magic to Maria, though she also understands that it's just difficult by nature of how this place works to remain completely isolated.

So she just maintains merely superficial relationships with people around her, at least in her opinion. Maria is not here to make friends, so she doesn't even try. Kanyeshrug.]

[Friendships. Alliances. Whatever purpose others might serve, Ozymandias doesn't believe that any one is served well by isolation regardless of whether that isolation is by choice or not. But he does not detect that she would disagree with him and so, she's spared any potential arguments he might make to the contrary. It stays focused on Giorno instead.]

He has never struck me as one who does well on his own even if it might be at times his preference.

No, no I think he probably should have someone check in on him sometimes. [Needs Constant Adult Supervision, more like, but that's also not Maria's business. No, she doesn't disagree about Giorno - Maria's opinions on friendship and whatever are her own and centered around her. She can adjust fairly well for others] Or at least to distract him from the things that go on in his head.

[Which is something Maria can sympathize with. She shouldn't be left alone with her own thoughts for very long, either.]

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When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love

1 - i am gomen about being so hecking late

Such are the holidays

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