[OPEN] December Catch-All

[judgementor]

Who: Red Wine & OTA.
When: All through December.
Where: All over the place!
What: Event things, full moon things, wildcard.
Warnings: None yet, will add as needed.

---
Snow Way Out
The cold weather doesn't bother him overly. Red Wine doesn't enjoy being cold... but he has had a low body temperature for some weeks now and as a Food Soul will not die of exposure if he doesn't wish it. But he notes the difficulties and suffering of those around him, and it's in his nature to lend assistance no matter how much his current circumstances lead him to want to simply hide himself away...

i. A Chill of Dread

[Anyone who is willing and able to help defend Aefenglom are asked... and Red Wine answers. The sun is well-masked by clouds, and though it still bothers him he keeps any complaints to himself as he heads out to beat the Shades back from the failing Bright Wall. He may hate it here, but he understands a need is a need, and that innocents may be hurt if he and others do nothing.

Ranged attacks are not his strength, but speed certainly is. He paces the length of the failing sections of the wall with his sword in his hand, cutting down the Shades that he finds moving too close to the wall. There's a certain, blind enthusiasm with which he falls to this task. It's something he was made for, summoned for, but it is also a more than adequate distraction from thoughts he would rather not be having.

Should someone be on the ground along with him, they may suddenly find themselves with assistance, or hear a shout to watch their back from a Shade they didn't see coming. Those using ranged weapons from above get a thanks, genuine enough, should they shoot something down as he battles with it.

And if anyone is stupid or unlucky enough to be out with no weapons... they can expect a rescue, followed by an exasperated scolding.]

ii. Lending a Hand

[In the Refugee District, he is quick to get his hands dirty. Mornings find him indoors, for the most part, handing out what meagre supplies there are with gentle smiles and answering questions as he's asked them. He might stick his head out of a door and hail someone in the street--]

Oi, have a moment? The roof needs bracing up.

[And in the evenings or during the night, when the air grows colder still, he walks the streets with his hearing keen for any sounds of anyone calling for help. Now and then, the creaking, groaning crack of a roof collapsing under the snow and ice atop it will pull his attention and he will break into a run, grabbing anyone along the way who will come along with him.]

This way-- Did you not hear that? Come on!

[In the Aristocratic District he spends an hour or so a day helping to dig people out (or into) their homes, or to bring them a small supply of firewood. If he knows the resident of the home, he will knock on the door to alert them to his presence. If not... they'll find him hard at work regardless.]

iii. Warm Company

[Eventually, the cold does start to bother him. When he decides to take a break, it's usually in the dormitories where he will get as close to the fire as he can and warm his hands and frigid body until he can feel his extremities again. If he spots someone lingering as if unsure of approaching the warmth, or anyone (particularly women, or children) who need the spot he's taking up far more than he does, he'll try to get their attention before silently offering his place.]

Here, you look frozen. Get closer to the fire.

[And though he enjoys sleeping - very much - he hasn't been getting very much of it lately. The closer the date draws to the full moon the more likely he is to be found outside when most are asleep, wrestling with the increasingly strong desire to taste blood.

Not something he wants to introduce into a crowded room.]

The Full Moon
iv. Deceuer 12th - evening

[The questionably fortunate thing about resisting the lust for blood for most of your existence is that you get very, very good at it. Red Wine has never felt anything quite as powerful as what plagues him during the day before the full moon rises, but he keeps it under wraps despite the way it makes his hands shake and his stomach feel as if it's burning.

The heartbeat of everyone who walks to close is an audible THUMP-- THUMP-- THUMP-- and he spends the day distracted, avoiding crowds where he can, more prepared this time and yet more anxious of what is to come. If it becomes much worse...

And he refuses to drink to sate it. No, he won't. He refuses. Despite being warned of that risk, as well as the risk of not taking a Bond. Stubbornness runs through him in high doses.

As night begins to fall, it becomes almost overwhelming and he finds somewhere quiet in the silent, snowy cold to sink down and put his back against a wall while his temples throb and the back of his throat feels thick with something he can't put a name to.

He hears footsteps, heavy or light, and looks wearily towards them.]

I'd turn around, if I were you. Or have a weapon if you're to come closer.

Modranicht
v. Kiss-tletoe (Deceuer 21st)

[With the full moon over and done with, spirits lift without too much prompting. The sun is still a new enemy in a way it has never been before, but as yet isn't keeping him from his usual activities in Aefenglom.

He's searching the shops in the early morning for a new coat when he finds himself stuck, feet locked to the floor, and an accusing glance upwards finds the culprit immediately - a sprig of tinsel and mistletoe attached to the lamp post.]

Oh, this is ridiculous. [He snaps out. What does a guy have to do to not fall prey to magical hijinks for one single bloody day? He doesn't notice right away that someone else is stuck with him...

Who is the unfortunate party?]

vi. Eat, Drink & Be Merry (Deceuer 23rd)

[And yet again, he's at a celebration that he wouldn't have really chosen to be at, but as found himself attending regardless. He doesn't engage much until the bonfires start being lit, at which point he takes up a spot with a hot drink clasped between his hands and watches the flames dancing.

It reminds him a little of festivals back home, enough to soothe him somewhat as the evening draws on. Anyone he already knows will no doubt be asked if they'd like to join him for a few moments, acquaintances will be mildly acknowledged, and he ignores any peculiar looks he gets from locals for being there entirely alone.

To someone standing nearby, he may casually comment--]

Do the people here ever tire? It was only two weeks ago that we were digging them out of the snow.

Wildcard
vii. Wildcarding

[Want to do something that's not covered above? Hit me up on hardtostarboard or at hardtostarboard#7737!]

Comments

[judgementor]

[The worst of it is that despite knowing full well what it could do to him, Red Wine is likely to resist every cursed urge he has until he no longer can. If it were only a simple matter of being squeamish, or finding the idea of drinking blood to be unpleasant...

He'd prefer it to just be that.]

I'll... consider it. [The reply is clearly difficult, not entirely committal and working its way out around centuries of solid aversion to the concept.]

Where is it?

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ Meanwhile, Judar knows the stories of those that refuse to feed. Mostly because he indulged in some curiosities while visiting the bar catered for vampires. ]

Donation places would be...

[ He'll point in a few different directions, with two being relatively close to one another, pointing out their distances. At the very least, as a faun, he could be trusted for accuracy in some parts. Then he points to one final direction, back towards Haven. ]

Then you've got Desmodus Mori, the main place you'd want, right back in Haven. Even if you refuse human blood, you can get some kind of fix for your cravings there. Maybe even take your red-haired idiot with horns, when you find him. They've got a menu for living people.

[judgementor]

I'm not dead yet.

[There's another part of this fantastic situation that he doesn't like to spend too much time dwelling on. Eventually this transformation is going to kill him, but he won't even be allowed to rest after that.

What is it that the humans on Tierra say kills a vampire? A stake through the heart? Seems ridiculous - that would kill anyone.]

Why are you so familiar with the place?

[kuroi_taiyo]

Ah. My bad.

[ How's he supposed to know? The guy looks like death was rolling over him several times over, in a few ways. It's one of those times where being able to hear heartbeats from a distance away would be handy, and that's not what he's got.

Though what he did get comes up pretty easily. ]

On what's where? Pretty sure it's a faun thing. With Desdemonus, I've been there a few times to... Meet people.

[ You know, meet people in the incredibly faun and puca way. ]

[judgementor]

'Meet people'. [Red Wine repeats with an audible sort of sigh in the words. Just what kind of a place is being recommended to him, here...]

I appreciate the information.

[Not a thanks, exactly. He's not sure what he's going to do with that information just yet. A weary glance goes up to the hazy halo of moonlight pressing through the clouds.]

It gets worse, doesn't it?

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ It's surprisingly nice, even for those who weren't looking for a good time in the way that a faun usually was. The mood was just right for most kinds of people, with the necessary option for further privacy.

With the question, Judar does look up as well. ]

... Supposedly not, for those that do the whole Bond thing and accept the way they're becoming. Everyone else... I mean, I'd say for myself, it's gotten worse each time. You lose more control, and the changes rip through you more harshly with whatever's about to come about.

[judgementor]

[His head cocks, almost imperceptibly. Accept the way he's becoming? Not likely, for as much as the faun's words make sense. It wouldn't be for lack of a wish to, if only to make things easier, but asking Red Wine to accept the needs that come along with being a vampire would be akin to asking the sun to rise in the west instead.

A fancy and a fine ideal, but impossible.

The smile that curves one corner of his lips is small and humourless.]

You count yourself amongst 'everyone else', in that matter, then?

[kuroi_taiyo]

More that I'm not sure how it is for everyone else. Just how it is for myself.

[ Sure, they gave vague warnings about how it wasn't recommended, but the natives never really gave a proper reason. So he decided to give that system the middle finger and do things as he pleased. ]

If what I said about how it's been getting matches how it's been for you, then I guess it is how everyone gets. Given that I haven't done it, I'm not about to go really telling people to just take everything that this world's trying to force you to. Just find a way to do it that really works.

[judgementor]

[He could respect that, in a way. A sharp 'fuck you' to the system as it is and just doing things the way that suited him best. Red Wine is likely still more rattled by being pulled here than he realises, and adapting can be difficult for someone with so many years behind them.

A thoughtful hum escapes. The conversation - and the biting cold - are relatively good distractions.]

I'll keep that in mind. [Said with somewhat more grace than his earlier acceptance of Judar's advice.] Thank you. This has been... enlightening.