caughtinanetwork | 1 ♐ Voice ♐ A brief check up

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1 ♐ Voice ♐ A brief check up

[Wow, Darkleer is actually communicating with the network on a whole for once instead of being a miserable hermit. Must be a special occasion. Does anyone know his wiggling day?]

Now then. Have we all cleansed ourselves of the mess and done whatever strange death rituals foreign species feel the need to do?

[Okay, maybe it is just Darkleer being a coldhearted dick. Eh.]

I believe we should focus on the more important matter here. I have seen discussions scattered throughout the network, but it would be best to have all our thoughts and speculations focused in one place on both the destruction of those so-called faeries and on the recent appearance of that Carol individual.

For those of you who are oblivious and prone to missing the obvious, things are changing in this place. It would be best to be prepared.

[Don't be fooled, he's not doing this to be nice. He's doing what any troll knows to do: looking out for himself and the few he cares about. If that means even faintly working with others, well, he'll learn to deal.]

[Also, that's all the network is getting from him. Click goes the camera!]

[Filtered to Summoner]

[Darkleer hesitates before sending this one out, although his voice is just as stoic and stern as ever.]

Since your children in particular seem to be taking this badly, perhaps it would benefit you to know that those things which followed us were nothing more than mere robots. The technology may have been organic in nature, but it was still nothing truly living. No pain, no loss of life.

That's all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I know, I know. I just, being here is a thing I don't w-w-w. I don't want. How can you stand it, not being w-w-w... Not being where you should be?

[He ducks his head down more before going to crouch down, wings smoothing out over the grass as he curls into himself, hands going to grate hard into his hair, mostly like splitting his scalp here and there, but Lysunder doesn't seem to mind. If anything the pain will drown out the pounding in his skull.]

I'll never give up, ever. That isn't something I can allow myself to do. Giving up isn't a choice i get to make, it's selfish.

[With how Lysunder is crouching down into himself, it's easy for Darkleer to stride over with just a few long steps. Leaning down, he goes to wrap a large hand around the troll's wrist. As he draws himself down, he bows his head enough so that he's staring right over the rim of his glasses into Lysunder's eyes.]

[The last time they met, when he removed his glasses, it was probably easy to ignore how open they are. How much they give away. They were both intoxicated, after all, and everything was hidden underneath a false kind of hazy pleasure. But now, there's nothing to hide behind. Everything is out in the open.]

[All the exhaustion, the weariness, the pain and misery, the concern- it's all there. All there alongside a kind of jaded age that shows that 200 sweeps can be far too long.]

[His voice is still very quiet.]

I don't. [Then he adjusts the angle of his face, and the shades are back in place again. He tries to tug Lysunder onto his feet.] What is also selfish is refusing the help of people who are concerned about you. Do you believe you are doing them a favor?

[The hand gripping his wrist makes him jump, and his jerk away from his is violent, almost popping his arm out of joint. The movement is soaked in fear, but he stops once his gaze locks onto Darkleer's, hands shaking, wings spread.]

[Seeing Darkleer's eyes like that meant something, even with them as barely noticeable slits. He felt like his own eyes were going to start betraying him, and they get glassy, but he keeps his lids open, knowing if he was to squint it would ease the salty liquid from his sockets that he was doing so well to hold back.]

Ha...

Th-

[He feels the tug on his wrist, but he doesn't allow himself to stand up, looking down to the grass, eyes searching various strands, wings slowly going to lazily press against the ground behind him.]

Them-- but. No one here should be concerned. It's pointless, this is pointless.

Yes, well, there are a lot of things that should be, no doubt.

[Heaving a heavy sigh, he kneels down properly and guides his other hand to Lysunder's upper arm.]

But we don't get that so easily. Come now. [Another light tug, and he'll pull him up with him if he has to.] Back to your camp.

[He lets out a slight whine when Darleer grabs his arm and tugs again, but he reluctantly stands, wings buzzing slightly before folding behind him. He doesn't want to be here, here as in Vatheon, here as in this forest, here as in right here, with Darkleer, grabbing his wrist and arm, and caring about him.]

[Empathy, right. Sometimes it was painful being so empathetic; and idiot could could see this as pity, and Summoner really really wished he was less intelligent then what would be considered 'idiotic'. That would make this easy, that would make this ...]

[A sigh.]

[Daaaaaamnit]

Fine, w-what- what ...Fine.

[Even with those wings settled and Summoner on his feet, Darkleer doesn't let go of his wrist. It's more a precaution than anything else. After all, the other has already proven he's more than eager to try and make a run for it, or lie through his teeth about himself. All he has to do is bring the fool back to his camp, clean him up, force him to sleep if he has to...]

[And completely ignore the emotional implications of all of this. For his own sake, if nothing else.]

[Quietly, he begins to pull Summoner along towards the direction of his camp. After a few minutes, he speaks.]

I don't know what anyone is going to do with you, Cavalreaper.

[Let alone myself.]

Are you- you. Are you really saying that to me? Or is that more to y-y-yourself?

[He eyes the hand on his wrist intently as they walk, his nostrils flared, actions stilted and rigid.]

[There's a pause in the conversation, and Darkleer just keeps moving. It's only when the camp is in sight does he answer.]

I don't know.

[And that is the honest truth.]

[He ushers him to sit down at one of the benches so that he can get a better look at his face and utterly wretched physical condition.]

[He feels ...so young right now. Just the way Darkleer is treating him, inspecting him, like he's one of the kids here. It frustrating. Part of him is starting to relax a little though. Was this pity something like what the other felt for those younger trolls? Something lusus like instead of anything else? Thinking of it like that made this a bit easier to mentally deal with.]

W-w... What?

[His wings shrink behind him, back curling forward and torso crumpling into itself as well. He does his beck to glare but it's really too weak to portray his agitation.]

What do you think?

[Sighing, Darkleer sits back on his haunches.]

Have you been eating better than you've been sleeping? Or are they both just as abysmally bad?

[This whole exchange is starting to feel a bit more comfortable to Darkleer as well. Without the emotions in the way, the basics of this remind him of times he's had to deal with other Archeradicators who've had some of the same problems, or at least similar ones.]

[Shrug.]

[Keep acting like a kid.]

[Make this weird, and not a, I kind of acknowledge the fact that I romantically pity this person by accident and don't want to act on it, kind of weird, but a, this is like, my lusus, and I wouldn't do my lusus weird.]

...Really.

[Darkleer reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose.]

This is really how we are going to do this. The silent treatment.

[He grabs the edge of the bench on either side of him, teetering back a back and closing his eyes.]

[Yep, really.]

[Fine. Fine! Two can play this game.]

[Reaching into his sylladex, he pulls out a small bar made from trail mix and berries. Well, small by his standards, anyway, and considering how big his hands are... Anyway.]

[Leaning close, he blows into Summoner's ear. The plan? Startle the Cavalreaper so his mouth opens, then shove food inside.]

[Not exactly elegant, but when the idiot is like this, well.]

[He doesn't necessarily get startled shock wise, instead he just slouches, eyes getting wide, his ears flickering. And slowly he turns his head to stare at Darkleer, lips slightly cracked.]

Did you... y-you just...

[Talking? Well, it means the mouth is open, so that's good enough for him.]

[No answer. Just a granola bar attempting to be shoved into your face hole, Summoner.]

[The granola bar is shoved against his teeth which are opening enough to allow some of it to get through into his mouth. A slight flailing on his part and a few sounds of disapproval before his eyes glare and he tries snatching the bar out of Darkleer's hand. Summoner chews and swallows the bit already in his mouth and then decides to just glare at Darkleer while trying to get the bar from him.]

[Darkleer just smirks at him and allows the bar to be taken from his hand. It's really the only thing he can give the other troll, considering he wasn't expecting him to be in this bad of a state. Darkleer may be prepared for quite a few things, but this is one thing that he missed.]

[Maybe he'll change that, considering the sort of things he has run into since being in Vatheon.]

Tell me if you need more. I doubt you will, but I feel something of an obligation to say so anyway.

[A frown, biting the granola bar and yes, talking while chewing.]

Why?

[...Wow.]

[RUDE]

Finish chewing. It's impolite and disgusting to talk with your mouth full.

[Time to purposely act more like a kid! And by that I mean stick his tongue out while it's covered in chewed up granola bar.]

[...]

[that is so disgusting]

[Darkleer doesn't even know]

[Excuse him while he just presses his hand against your mouth in an attempt to get that grotesque thing back where it belongs, the bridge of his nose wrinkled in disgust all the while.]

[Okay, maybe that gesture gets a small laugh from him as he pulls his tongue back in and swallows. Lysunder soon turns his head to stare at his feet, then the granola bar in his hands. A frown.]

Granola?

[He says with a quirk of a brow, looking over to Darkleer now.]

Is there something wrong with it?

[With that done with, Darkleer lets his expression smooth out into neutrality again and wipes his hand against the ground. Only the quirk of his eyebrow is any indication of his thoughts.]

No, nothing. Just unexpected. [He takes another bite, actually quite enjoying it over all. This time he chews and swallows before speaking again.]

I'm used to eat this sort of thing, so, I, I guess it is in some way a pleasant surprise.

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