middaeg | (closed)

[ at least eren more than vaguely remembered the way towards one theater hall a turnskin loosely calls home. the more he walked the more he remembered, really— even though once he had gotten through the doorways things got increasingly foggy. he remembered he was there, but not so much what he said or did, with a rather floaty sensation to any memory he attempts to recall.

that is what happens when you put the innards of a changeling in your mouth, where it’s not supposed to be, then again eren has eaten crystal in the past. his reasoning wasn’t comparable to anything here, but. it happened. it’s ironic.

the dragon doesn’t make much of a habit when it comes to knocking, even when situation has proven time and time again that he should reconsider a different approach. that day wasn’t today, and to signal his entry far more than his footsteps, he rams his fist against the door behind him, and creates a booming echo across a vast, acoustic ceiling. reverse knocking, that’s what this is. knocking when you’re already inside. ]

Edited 2020-02-12 00:24 (UTC)

[the response comes after time - the softest of footfalls that know the layout of this place make no more than a breath of sound, dark clothes shield him in low light and shadow. an intruder that loud sets off all his self defense reflexes, and so he quietly, quietly creeps out. if it's some street rat trying to break in again, he'll scare them into quiet before he'll decide where to chase them off to.

he practically melts out of the darkness behind Eren - oh, he remembers and recognizes him, but instinct rages so high that he will not cease his planning - and the cool metal of a blade will touch the side of Eren's neck, the edge sharp and keen. a threat, not an action just yet.]

It's rude to storm into someone's house without a word. One might think you were intent on robbery.

[ there's not a move of eren, not a sound, still as can be if only not for his tongue, which flits right across the blade's flat face so close to the scar that not only gashes from behind his ear, but lines upon lines around his neck, as if choked once upon a time with wires that cut through hide.

eren knows that death would've tried itself upon him far before words could be spoken if dantes was truly intent. the threat is heard, perhaps for a next time, but it would not lead to action. the blade has his lovely attention, and only then does he casually lift a crystal talon to test its edge until the two softly clash and make a sound— like music to his ears, and very sharp. he could just take it. but, he won't. yet. ]

I knocked.

[ he kind of . . . . did? who knocks after? eren. ]

Edited 2020-02-15 21:34 (UTC)

You should have waited for someone to answer the door.

[his own negligence, not locking that. but he withdraws the knife, stashing it away and drawing himself fully out of the shadows.]

In these times, I hope you shall pardon me for needing to be doubly alert in my home, Eren. May I ask why you decided to drop by?

[the Rathmores, after all, had simply snatched people from where they stood. that he's got his nerves keyed up is only logical. but, casual knife moment over, he can lead the way back to where the living room exists in the building, where they had originally been witness to Eren's adventures of getting stoned on crystals.]

You’re in your right. [ all things considered, he should have. maybe it’s something he’d start changing soon, if and when. again, it hadn’t been the first time after the incident that eren was jumped for breaking an entering (and honestly, he should know better!). his eyes, regardless, never move away from the knife and only cease following it when it’s out of sights. a disappointment that pangs his chest and urges him to follow the other to a more comfortable place.

by the way, we do not speak of The Stoning. ]

There might be something that could interest you.

[there's a small fire going in the grate, enough to warm the room slightly, and the scent of spiced tobacco stronger than it normally is - the recently stubbed out cigarette in the ashtray the cause of that. he must have immediately killed it when he had gone to investigate the noise. a book is lying open on the little table, one that Dantes moves to go shut before he sits back down where he was before. one leg crossed over the other, he gestures that Eren can make himself comfortable as well.]

You have my attention.

[ luckily, anything related to smoke doesn’t bother eren, from the thick cinders of destruction to the little fumes of a cigarette— did he count as a smoker if he’s experienced it through memory, or is that just second-hand smoking all together? questions that don’t particularly matter as he’s lead to the sofa, eyes briefly on the book closed shut, before . . . pacing. perhaps he’ll sit in a moment, but his thoughts are hot. ]

How much of Dewaint Forest do you know about?

Not much, apart from its existence and the scattered rumors one can pick up on. But clearly, there's more to it from your words.

[he's been selfish, these past months - self contained, focused on his and himself. but now with how much things have changed, he needs to look beyond, and see what will occur.]

[ it’s time to get freaky with his notes: eren pulls out a worn, leather covered notebook with loose papers folder into it. finding the page only needs a few flips, offering a larger slips that needs unfolding. if dantes wants, he could take the notebook and give it a look as eren prepares the separate sheets. ]

I have expedition accounts, all aborted because of a Cwyldtid at the heart. [ well— not the first ever expedition, but that one doesn’t seem as alarming as the latest ones. he exposes the first drawing, not his: a rendition of some kind of lanky, hairless creature set in front of dantes as the dragon finally takes a seat. ] Look at this.

[ guess what it is. ]

[he does pick up the notebook, opening it and scanning the pages he can before Eren offers the drawing out, and his eyes narrow a little as he takes it in. not as distorted as other enemies he can think of, but unknown. he looks, and commits the drawing to his memory.]

Is this what stopped them? If it's been fending off multiple expeditions, then I wonder if the forest is somehow feeding it power.

[a hypothesis, thrown out carelessly. but a single creature doing this more than once? it speaks to cunning.]

[ that’s where the twist comes in. it’s disgusting, isn’t it? a true horror, but . . . eren shakes his head. ]

It’s what the survivor looked like after he came back. It’s supposed to be a harpy. [ lost every single one of his feathers and was simply never the same again. it looks. it looks hideous, to be honest, as if life had been sapped from him, and left just an empty, scatter-brained husk behind.

but the last thought isn’t one to shrug off, no. next, eren pulls up another picture drawn with messy charcoal— this beast has bird-like wings, draconic eyes, a serpentine tail and— it’s hard to make out the rest. ] This one’s the monster. “The Guardian”— Said to consume magic and protect the Fae courts.

[the frown on his features deepens more when he hears what the creature truly is - and he trades the unfortunate harpy for the Guardian. it vaguely reminds him of some of the creatures he's faced in the past, only none of them ate magic and were leashed to the Fae in any aspect.]

Is this what he saw out there?

[kind of a rhetorical question, and he studies it more.]

If it's meant to be a Fae protector, then either the Fae are hiding something out there, or it's very near the entrance to at least one of their courts. Makes no sense to station something far out when you need a guard, unless you have multiple, which is its own consideration.

[putting the paper back down, he looks Eren in the eye.]

Consuming magic shouldn't be a problem if you take up a nonmagical solution. But I don't think you're showing me this to hear me state the obvious.

Maybe themselves. [ of course, though. eren nods and leans over his legs, elbows and wings still resting upon his thighs and folded collide to his ribs. ] There could be reason to believe that True Fae are involved in why we’re here. The Queen was said to be the only other being on Talam to come from a different world.

[ if they could unravel that . . . it’s one step into the right direction. dantes might be able to catch the only other similarity there, even if it’s just a hunch: mirrorbound. ]

Would it interest you, looking into it? [ and after a beat: ] This, I can’t do alone.

[ lest he wanted to prolong their stay. ]

If we combine efforts to clearing the Wilde and knowing what to expect in Dewaint, we’re closer to home.

[his mind takes the information and runs with it - if there was a way to trace back the Mirrorbound, to find who the very first ones were, this could give them something. answers to questions posed, choice that might be restored.

would it interest him? if there wasn't a fire in his eyes to show it, his next words carry a tone that brooks no argument, a subtle straightening in his spine. that same sort of purposeful air that had been there when he met him.]

You can't offer such an intriguing proposition and expect me to say no.

[he's the Count of Monte Cristo. he'll find a path forward or forge one on his own. whatever needs to be said, whatever resources need to be pulled up and procured, he'd do.]

Tell me where to start and what you need, and it shall be so.

[ a little bit of turnskin excitement in sniffing something out? it’s a dantes thing, surely, and now eren’s even more certain that he’s come to the right person. there’s like-mindedness between them— eren himself sits both on the path he was meant to follow and the one he’s created by his own right. the greatest weapon was all . . . and that was freedom. ]

I’d speak to the city’s elders, especially the monsters. They’ve probably lived enough to hear about Dewaint more than the younger generations. The records aren’t always as descriptive alone.

[ details go missing, but it isn’t like the former is disposable. both could be used. ]

I’ll trust your judgement for the rest.

(closed)

@ dantes

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