Re: You Killed Something I Cannot Remember, Now Prepare To Die

Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:06 am

Rudi?? Transformed!

This was... different. But... perhaps he was just mistaken. The little arrancar scratched at the bottom of his own mask comically with his claws, as if he was rubbing his chin. His little paws pitter-pattered on the carpet, the little claw-like toes digging into the fabric in a way that made him make tiny ripping noises as he walked. He scratched at his snout again, making soft rasping noises as he did so.

Then he approached Yaksha and gave him as he bid, a nice big hug. Rudi was quite warm to the touch, and his entire body was covered in an almost velvety fur. It was gloriously soft to the touch, not unlike his fur-like hair. The collar-like fur was even softer, like touching clouds. He was very careful not to mess up Yaksha's clothing with his sharp claws, and he snuggled in, closing his glowing red eyes.

"Sorry... I saw the... the eyes and I didn't know what you were saying and I got scared." He admitted, but still didn't quite desire to shift back. He was much more content being warm and fuzzy all over, and besides, he felt stronger and safer as he was now. "Let's go somewhere warmer? I'm sorry... how do I fix this?"

Coding By: [THEFROST]

Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:16 am

"Fix...what, Rudi? The window? A bit of epoxy and a few days of drying is a good start. But that's not something I need you for; I have people who can do it for me. I'm afraid I don't quite know what you're talking about. I'm the one who screwed things up, after all. I went a little too melodramatic, there; I've always had in me the spirit of a thespian, and you did accuse me of being a bad guy. I thought I'd give it a try, for a minute. It felt...odd. I won't say it felt bad, but...I'm not sure I'd want to do it again."

His fingers gently, lazily twirled through the sort furs, once more sliding lazily towards Rudi's neck, and squeezing against it. He began to walk with the boy, towards a very large room, with a very large bed; it was easily big enough to seat three or four, and it seemed quite solid, quite firm. As soon as Yaksha sat on it, the rest of the bed shifted and wobbled precariously, leaving the hollow riding a wave for a moment, hand folded over his lap. He rose a brow, his lip once more quirking in excitement.

"Ever tried sleeping on water, Rudi? It's pretty damned sweet. Makes you feel a little odd the first few times. It makes you feel vulnerable, being buffeted by forces beyond your control. But after the first few times, you actually notice that...it's not that bad. That you can put a tiny spin on it, that if you shift your weight just right you can get to where you want to go. Perhaps you can't resist the irresistable force, but you can...direct it. You can make it work with you, rather than for you. Or work for it. It's...almost hypnotic."

The way he said that last word, and the queer light in his eyes as he patted the bed, said that the word hadn't been a mere accident. There was still something going on here. And Rudi would be quite the smart little arrancar to run screaming from that room, and forget everything ever spoken from the mouths of smiling snakes.

Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:33 am

Rudi?? to bed!

Again, that gentle grip on the neck. The neck was a little hard to find this time, hidden in the collar of his fluffy coat as he was, but it was there all the same. It seemed his body was still like that of a child, even if the appearance was a little more fearsome. He seemed to blink- without facial muscles to discern his gaze, he could be thinking anything from violence to obedience...

And as before, he went with Yaksha to the big room without a second of hesitation, with only the hand around his neck to guide him. He seemed to buy the explanation- a mistake, to play a role. Of course Yaksha wouldn't really be bad, there was a mistake somewhere, wasn't there? Surely- wait, did that bed just jiiggle?

The little arrancar stared with his inscruitable eyes as Yaksha seemed to ride on a liquid bed- a water bed? What was that? He had never heard of such a thing before. Of course, water beds wouldn't exist in Hueco Mundo- a land where the only water was the crimson flowing from enemies. He tilted his head, listening to Yaksha's words... If he were a smart arrancar, a perceptive one, one that wasn't so full of designed naivete, he would run...

But, it sounded nice, didn't it? An irresistable rolling force, that seemed scary but perhaps actually exciting. Hypnotic... well, he'd never experienced what that meant. It's rather interesting, if he would admit. He scratched at his mask again, and then moved to caaarefully climb into bed, trying not to scratch anything. The bed jiggled, parting under his touch like the plush flesh of a lover, and he tumbled into bed, bouncing and flailing.

"W-woah! It's so... it's like jello!" He seemed to flail about helplessly for a bit, paws and claws waving in the air, before going still and the water bed eventually returning to its seeming calm. He let out a breath, and then began to laugh. "I like when you show me new things, Yaksha. Like this... not like the.. playing the evil guy. Bad guys are bad and go to jail."

He moved, carefully, trying not to disturb the bed too much, to snuggle his velvet-soft body into Yaksha's side.

Coding By: [THEFROST]

Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:23 pm

"Is that to say they should go to jail, Rudi? Or that they will? You seem to be missing part of this whole topic of conversation. Bad guys go to jail. I think there may be a middle stage there. I think someone has to prove they're bad, and make them go, first."

Yaksha's hand rested behind his head, still radiating that infuriating, noxious calm as he circled Rudi, gently nudging the bed with his hip periodically, to get more waves of motion going, and keep the little arrancar sloshing about on the surface of the water bed. His smile was calm, polite, and ever so amused, as always; it looked as if he were always and only ever thinking of how fun the rest of the night would be. There was no fear there, not even the faintest hint of concern as he sat down on the bed, with Rudi. His hand slipped out, gently teasing and tousling through the hair of his mane.

"They're not new things, Rudi; there's nothing new under the sun, anymore. Everything good was made long long ago. All we've got now is variations on the same old thing. The only reason these things seem new to you is because you spent so long living out in those dingy, dismal old dunes, wasting away your days sucking up to a man with no vision. A king who was content to sit on a pile of sand and sing his own praises. True kings are far greater than that...and true kingdoms bring awe to those who see them. Hueco Mundo isn't a land for kings, it's a land for...pretenders. People who look out onto the world, like what they see, and wish to take credit for things that long predated them. I've never had any interest in that. I don't want to make my own kingdom. Especially not when all the work's been done for me! All I want is to pick up the pieces, and keep things running smoothly, so people millions of years from now can appreciate how spectacular this world is."

Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:14 pm

Rudi?? to bed!

It was difficult to keep his balance as Yaksha kept shifting the water bed, generating wave after wave for him to deal with. His little paws and claws struggled to find purchase in the sheets while also preventing the sheets from becoming scratched by them, and eventually he ended up more or less clinging to Yaksha's side like a shy child meeting a stranger for the first time. His long arms curled around Yaksha's torso, his claws curling into his side, and his paws left to flail around on the waterbed surface.

The hand at the back of his head didn't move, and while it was there he seemed more or less placid and comfortable in this awkward position, with his head now resting in Yaksha's lap. If there was any discomfort, Rudi didn't show it, albeit it probably wasn't that comfortable to have a skull in one's lap. Totally bereft of comfortable flesh to cushion him. He blinked and looked up, his glowing eyes watching Yaksha's mouth a she was rocked gently up and down.

Yaksha seemed to talk a lot, in his impression. Perhaps a little overly much, but he didn't mind it. His voice was really nice to listen to, and paired with the gentle rocking motions, he found the fear quickly fading to a memory. He made soft, pleased sounds that resembled something like a growly chitter.

"I didn't spend that long in the sands, Mister Yaksha. Maybe a year or two... just woke up there. Don't remember anything before." He shrugged. "Like I said, I just had a dream of kings... never met a king before besides you, honestly. I think you'll make a good king for this place. You're a great king. And... you'll judge who's bad and go to jail, since you're king. That's only natural, right? As king."

Coding By: [THEFROST]

Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:39 pm

"That's very good, Rudi. You're learning. But it's not that simple, you know. I'm a good king, and good kings don't just decide things all by themselves. That's what a bad guy would do, isn't it Rudi? Just say 'this is the way things are', and force you to listen? Bad guys are the ones who tell you that you should hurt someone because you think they deserve it. I'm here to teach you things you need to know. I'm here to show you why things are right, and why they're wrong. It's no good if I just tell you something is good, and something else is bad. I can't hold your hand forever, after all~."

He very nearly sang the last part, his eyes lighting up with excitement, and delight as he did. He was riding on an indescribable high right now, a sensation that made him feel powerful and larger than life. There was something in the way Rudi looked down at him, at the simple naivete in his gaze and his words that made Yaksha tremble with pleasure. It was such a simple, profound feeling...that trust, being extended upon him. Being thrust upon his shoulder. He smiled, nodding down at the child before him.

He recognized him, of course. Old as he was, it was still rather difficult to completely forget the things he'd seen and done. It seemed the boy didn't remember him, and that was good; the things he'd done could've turned this contentious very quick. Yaksha hadn't really even thought twice about that time, save as a faint footnote; another would-be king, another arrogant shit who didn't understand the concept of loyalty. He hadn't even regretted what he'd done. It was hardly treachery to bite the hamstrings out of a tyrant when you had never promised loyalty in the first place.

But this boy...this one little child, looking up at Yaksha so innocently, so expectantly. That was loyalty. That was trust. And for the first time Yaksha felt buoyed by something that he couldn't put into words. For the first time he could feel something from outside pushing him forward, telling him that it was all worth it. He'd spent so long being self-motivated, tapping into reservoirs of himself, of his own desire, that he could hardly explain. Now, for the first time, the notion of tapping into the reserves of others seemed possible.

Oh, what a wonderful thing a body was. What a wonderful, wicked temptation had fallen upon him.

He reached up towards the light, gently and slowly flexing his fingers, speaking in a slow tone.

"I am sick, you know. Very sick. It's hard to put into words. But I can feel...a presence. A malignant, persistent presence, in the very back of my head. Always pushing, niggling, influencing. I can never quite be sure if I'm the one looking out through my eyes, if it's my own opinion I'm expressing. I could use...someone around. To help spot when I'm not being myself."

Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:16 pm

Rudi?? to bed!

Yaksha looked like a man radiant, or a child in a candy store, the way he looked down at Rudi as if he was realizing something. Strange, Rudi thought. He wasn't used to being looked at like that. He was familiar with the look of a predator examining prey, or of prey examining predator, or a confused adult trying to figure out what a child was doing alone and unattended in this strange world. But this gaze was entirely new, it was something innocent and deep all at once, and Rudi found himself rather drawn to it.

Yaksha promised guidance, and teaching, and comfort and position, all at once. The sing-song tone was soothing, and Rudi couldn't help but nuzzle into Yaksha's chest at the idea of the two of them. These moments were timeless to the child, and perhaps a few days from now he will forget what a water bed was or the original circumstances of which they met- his life in his memory was like water through a sieve, for which he remembered very little. But he would remember the feeling of the man's hand on his neck, the voice in which Yaksha spoke, the unspoken promise of rewards for loyalty.

And then Yaksha started to talk about being sick. Although he had no facial muscles, the worry in the eyes were clear. The glowing orbs seemed to widen slightly, and their edges became less distinct. His white teeth clacked against each other with his concern, and he moved up to examine Yaksha's hand as he did, although he couldn't understand- was his hand sick? Was it the frightening gaze in his eyes?

"Sick how? What happened? Yeah, I'll help you." He didn't know what the word malignant was, but he understood that something was wrong, and his friend was sick. He sat up, struggling with the water underneath him as he tried to examine. "How do I help you, Mister Yaksha? What do I do? Is that person in you now? If you let me have a taste I might be able to locate the person's, uh, body. Taste of your blood, I mean. I've never tried it before but it might work- and then we can make him not make you sick anymore... or... what do you think should be done?"

He had just made his friend. The thought of losing what little he gained now seemed downright frightening.

Coding By: [THEFROST]

Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:55 pm

Was this the universe handing it to him? Was there someone out there looking out for him? This boy was electing to be infected, was asking for it! And it was so damned perfect, at that. To have such a convert, right off the bat. And...appealing? To have a retinue of faithful retainers, ready to jump to his aid the moment things went awry? It was perfect. It would leave him free to focus on much simpler arts. On perfecting things he hadn't ever expected to need before now. He reached out, his hand slowly pressing against the surface of the bed, once more.

"It's a parasite, Rudi. Not a person, but...a billion tiny animals, too small to be seen. Mostly, they seem quite content to just sit around, doing nothing at all. But I've felt odd tugs, a few times. Pulling me off in odd directions, telling me to do things that, in retrospect, seem so very foolish. So reckless and unimportant. I'm unsure anymore, if they're really effecting my mind. And...I suppose stranger things are possible...I wouldn't be surprised to hear that these parasites gave us some measure of connection. And drinking blood has...always been an act of exceptional significance in the world."

He flexed his fingers, slowly, one at a time. His lips moved slowly, silently, as if he were thinking to himself. Even now, they could be influencing him, tinkering around in his head, trying to mess with his sense of self. Had he ever felt this lonely, before this moment? Had it ever been that important to him, to have those around him he could trust? He'd certainly always wanted to be a part of things, to have his own little niche. But where did that end, and these familial instincts exist? Wanting this person to look up at him, to keep trusting him and speaking of him in such high terms...was that new? Had he ever felt that before now? And would he have felt it, before he had partaken of that treacherous gift?

Damn it all, at some point he had to make a choice. Perhaps he was playing right into their game. Perhaps he was setting the stage for things to go horribly wrong. It was hard to be sure. But in the end? Yaksha would do it anyways. It would be hard to deny that there was an appeal to having someone by his side, as the world fell to hell.

"What do you think, Rudi? It's worth a try, isn't it? The worst thing it'll do is mean we're both damned. I can think of worse fates."

Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:11 am

Rudi?? a blood drinker!

A parasite that made someone think differently? Hmmm. He had never encountered it before and, while he was quite certain that most diseases didn't affect him, he wasn't certain if this parasite would do the same. He clacked his teeth a few times, and scratched at the bone snout of his skull-head, thinking deeply. This is an odd situation...

Rudi almost didn't want to purposefully expose himself to something that sounded so scary. To be infected with something that made him like not himself? That was nightmarish. He was tempted to try and leave him, and run down, perhaps that elevator still works. And then never speak of this ever again. And yet, Rudi also knew that... he wouldn't abandon his friends. And Yaksha was a friend.

Quite suddenly, the little arrancar began to shove Yaksha down into the water bed. He crawled over, steadied himself, and leaned down on the arm connected to the hand that Yaksha was examining. His teeth pressed in, lightly at first, just running over the arm until meeting somewhere in the middle of the forearm. His tongue, thick and slimy, lapped at the underside of the forearm.

Then he pressed his jaws down, hard enough to pierce the skin, deep enough for a splash of blood to meet Rudi's teeth and stain them crimson, but not deep enough to leave permanent injury to muscle or tendon. It might leave a scar, however. Rudi spent the rest of the time patiently, insistently, wordlessly lapping at the wounds until they stopped bleeding. He made soft, almost growl-like sounds as he did so. It might have been something like a purr.

Rudi could taste the parasites. They tasted foreign from Yaksha himself, which is how he knew. They were darker and denser in internal texture, or this is how it seemed to be to Rudi. Compared to the blood, which he could also taste. Yaksha was well-fed. Plenty of iron. Maybe could do with more D-vitamin. Healthy amount of immune cells. While he analyzed thought and dwelt, he seemed almost asleep by Yaksha's side for a good five or so minutes, within which Yaksha could do anything he pleased.

"I don't feel anything different right now... But there was definitely parasites... I could taste them in you. Gross and bitter, like something burned." He looked up from his laid-down position to Yaksha, wondering. He certainly didn't feel horrific.. but probably parasites don't work instinctively. He licked at his teeth and jaw bones as he does what he can to lap up the last of Yaksha's blood. "What now?"

Coding By: [THEFROST]

Thu Jan 12, 2017 6:15 pm

Again, the little arrancar surprised Yaksha. Or perhaps it was more appropriate to say he showed initiative; Yaksha hadn't expected it, but certainly wasn't taken aback by it. There was nothing more he would've wanted from his newest acolyte, after all. To realize what was expected, to acknowledge a concern, and take measures in this short a span? That was the next best thing to perfection. All Yaksha had to do was identify the problem, and pass it along to his capable faithful. It was an intoxicating feeling.

Almost as intoxicating was the sensation of the young one, lapping away at his palm, allowing the blood to freely flow. There was something so right about the sensation of another person, with their lips pressed directly against his wound, gulping down his life's blood as freely as they would water. Or was that the parasite, toying with his mind, rewarding him for being a good little puppet? Would he even be able to tell if he was losing himself? It was like trying to open a box with the crowbar that was found inside the box; to even try started straining reality near to the breaking point.

And he felt the compulsion, not from within, but entirely from without; it wasn't his own mind, it wasn't the parasite, it was something else. Narrative causality? There was something pressing down on Yaksha's chest, telling him that this was a pivotal moment. That to let this go unnoticed in the annals of time would be an unforgivable sin. There was something that needed to be said, some commemoration that needed to be said. But what could he say, to annoint the first of his acolytes? "Eat, drink, and be merry"? No. Far too tame, too simplistic. It seemed to bring to mind a man partying with his friends.

He needed something more momentous. And yet at this moment blasphemy seemed so...unnecessary. Hadn't he risen above such petty trivial games? He was something else now. Something greater. Heathen antics had gotten him this far, and no further; it had taken him nearly a thousand years to rebuild himself, after the damage that had done to him. Blasphemy, heresy, these things were the acts of a petty, spiteful man. Yaksha was something else entirely now. What was he, however? Something that defied words, something that couldn't be described. He was an anomaly.

Yes, that was a good start. Anomalous. It had such a nice ring to it, didn't it? To stand outside, to be part of, and yet not of.

And then the words came to him, unbidden. They felt so right, so natural. He didn't even speak them; the words simply seemed to drop into both his head and Rudi's. The words were nice, pleasing, and yet seemed to leave a faint nauseating trail behind them, something that made them twitch for a split second...and then left behind a pleasant numbness.

I am the thought pathogen. Let me in.