synfluxmods: (Default)
πš‚πš’πš—πšπš•πšžπš‘ π™Όπš˜πšπšœ ([personal profile] synfluxmods) wrote in [community profile] synflux2025-04-01 10:56 pm

TRAVEL LOG #5

TRAVEL LOG #5


CONTENT WARNINGS: death, nightmares, gun violence, survival scenario

β–Ά 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

"Angels of Lilith, report for duty in the DISPATCH."

The day starts off with alarms blaring and oculars shining bright lights in the Outsiders' heads, waking them up early for an emergency dispatch. Although the current Rift at Mt. Fuji needs to be explored and examined, the Rifts continue to appear in different parts of the world, and this Rift is no different. Captain Yamakawa continues,

"We have received a distress call from EGYPT. Much of the region fell during the first kaiju crisis. Now it is a desolate land that survives with the help of a generator called an ESSENCE which is currently malfunctioning. We assume the cause is Rift energy—according to our radar, there is a heavy amount of Rift energy coming from that area. We will move out immediately. Pack all the things you may need, but each Outsider will be supplied with a care package of their own containing essentials."


Even though it is 4:00 AM Tokyo time, LILITH hopes you all have slept well. It could be the very last good sleep in awhile. While the dataportal to Egypt is operational on Japan's end, because of the malfunctioning generator, Outsiders are unable to come out on the other side. The old method of using the flying cruiser will be used once again.

There will not be assigned seating for this other than by teams. Everlights will sit with Everlights, Brimstones with Brimstones, and so on. The Outsiders will be encouraged to rest on the flight, and a few hours before landing, an in-flight meal will be provided. The meal is surprisingly delicious and consists of chicken or pork katsu cutlet, but with the warning that all Outsiders will know about: it contains high amount of cyber caffeine. This sort of newly innovative caffeine can keep Outsiders awake for several days, but sometimes it may cause restlessness or hyperactivity, causing characters to have a jittery amount of energy but razor sharp focus. Other times, it simply keeps characters awake and they feel no different. The cutlet will be served with KAIJUβ„’ Energy Drink. Any Outsiders that require a different diet will be provided with what they need, and the cyber caffeine will be added to it if they would like.

Yamakawa gives instructions again:

"We have received more information about the kaiju. Civilians have died in their sleep from horrible nightmares, and we are encouraging Outsiders to sleep together in pairs or groups, or disregard sleeping at all until we obtain more information. We are still receiving facts about this monster, but this meal will help with keeping everyone awake as a safety measure."

Those who do not want to have the highly caffeinated meal can have everyone's favorite: a ration bar that isn't spiked with any energy, but it doesn't taste good at all. Outsiders may be more likely to fall asleep and be in danger by choosing this meal. The balance of a dystopian society.

β–Ά 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

When they finally arrive, the air is temperate and dry in Alexandria. The Outsiders might have to check their clocks once more to make sure everything is right; everyone is expected to land in the late afternoon and every clock says it should be close to evening, but the city is already growing dark with the sun setting quite early. Because of the ESSENCE disruption, Alexandria is running on back up energy, which makes for spotty lighting and loss of basic power.

LILITH will be greeted by a small group of researchers at the airport and they will help take the Outsiders to their base: the Alexandria Institute which was once the University of Alexandria. They will give the Outsiders a quick run down of the situation and some background.
1. LILITH does not have a strong defense branch in the region any more. Instead, the branch here seems more focused on research, especially on the origin of kaiju and rifts.
2. This region is extremely prone to spontaneous Rifts. Many of them are small and pass quickly but this most recent one is unprecedented.
3. One evening, in the final week of March, the Alexandria Institute received a corrupt file from their fellow researchers in Greece. It shut down much of their research facility (including their warp portal) and all they have been able to recover so far are the words, "Do Not Go To Sleep."
4. The next morning, they awoke to find the sun rising later and setting earlier. It feels like the days are getting significantly shorter.
5. Many locals developed a fear of the dark and going to sleep. They would then die in their sleep within the next few days.
6. The autopsy of these victims have shown no cause of death, puzzling coroners.
Progress has been slow because the corrupt file shut down many of their facilities. They have not been able to track the source of the Rift or identify the kaiju responsible for it. They believe the answers may be within the corrupt file and will be happy to receive any help they can get from the Outsiders.

When they arrive at the Institute, Outsiders will be set up in the old student dormitories. Each room has 2-4 beds depending on the room, with a common shared area on each floor. Given the current threat, there is also a supply of energy drinks and bars boosted with cyber caffeine. Outsiders have two options:
1. OPTION ONE: Stay in Alexandria and help the researchers with the generators, while keeping themselves and teammates awake during the night by playing games.
2. OPTION TWO: Go out into the Egyptian desert on camel-back, spending time getting to know their camel before heading out.

OOC NOTE: While players may write prompts for both options, we ask that you submit for a clue only once per player (not per character, as we have a lot of characters in game now!)

β–Ά 003. LEARN & EXPLORE. (ALEXANDRIA RESEARCH.)

Times are hard in Alexandria right now with their generators malfunctioning and efforts being split. The researchers are trying to get the generators back up and uncorrupt the data they received from Greece. LILITH will instruct the Outsiders to help with the research but also warn that they cannot afford to just sit around and wait to crack codes. The researchers also agree. Sometimes the best way to get research data is to go out into the field, but they haven't been able to do it due to not having much protection. The desert is vast, and there have been sightings of other small kaiju lurking beneath the sand and in some smaller cities.

Outsiders can decide to stay in the city of Alexandria to help crack the codes, or they can opt to go out into the field. For the latter, they can choose to stay close to home and investigate within Alexandria.

Those who wish to help with the ESSENCE generators and researchers will stay in Alexandria, using any downtime when not investigating to try and stay awake, slumber-party style. Two Truths and a Lie? Maybe Spin The Bottle? Perhaps some games can keep Outsiders enticed so they don't doze off.

β–Ά 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

For those who wish to explore the desert and smaller cities, Alexandria Institute will supply what they need, such as water, food, essential tools for digging, sleeping bags (no sleeping, but maybe for resting!) and anything else. To conserve energy, the researchers supply camels for the Outsiders to use. The camels are mostly tame, but have their own distinct personalities, so they may need a little more handling and can be coaxed to behave with treats like artificial carrots and bananas. Outsiders can spend time getting to know their camel if they are going to explore the desert or cities. A camel can seat two people on its back comfortably, but also carry any essentials that travelers need to bring along.

In the distant small cities and across the desert, Outsiders will come across Sand Crocodiles, one of the smaller kaiju that have been inhabiting the desert. These monsters are basically crocodiles but with a twist: they can spit fire if angered and they can camouflage in the sand. They hide strategically, and one wrong step will cause them to push their jaws out of the ground, harming a person or camel. The stubby quills along their backs or rounds of their horns aren't entirely covered while hiding, so watch carefully. Fortunately, Outsiders will be supplied with a shotgun. Aiming between the eyes or in the mouth will kill it, but also beating it with the back of the shotgun will also do the trick. And yes, they also taste like crocodile too, if anyone is hungry.

After exploring, Outsiders are requested to report their findings back in Alexandria.

β–Ά 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth travel log!

Welcome to the new and improved Travel Log! Below, you will see the link to the MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET post that has information about the kaiju below along with RIFT EFFECTS. Fill out the form for RNG Attacks and whether you would like to receive a RIFT EFFECT. This should give characters some ideas for the status of their character in the next log, which will have more action and monsters in it. Outsiders may use the CHAT to report and discuss any findings.

We thank you in advance for your patience as we try out this new format!

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards April AC.


EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)
1. EYES WIDE OPEN: Outsiders travel to Egypt after receiving reports of their power generator, ESSENCE, being unstable and malfunctioning, leaving citizens in peril. They are instructed to "stay awake." They are supplied cyberpunk caffeine and told to try not to sleep or stay in pairs to be watchful of any danger.

2. ARRIVING IN EGYPT: Arriving in Alexandria, the Outsiders are confirmed that citizens have been dying in their sleep, with coroners unable to determine the cause. The days are mysteriously getting shorter and people are unable to stay awake.

3. LEARN & EXPLORE: Outsiders are given options to stay in Alexandria to help with the generator or find clues to assist the research team. Between researching, they are asked to continue to stay awake by any means possible. Those who will be exploring the desert and smaller cities for clues are given a camel for transportation. Outsiders are encouraged to get to know their camel before traveling.

4. FEELING SANDY: While looking for any clues out in the desert, Outsiders encounter smaller kaiju known as Sand Crocodiles. They hide in the sand and attack at the opportune time, snapping jaws and spitting fire. Shooting them between the eyes or in the mouth will K.O. them.

stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17221611)

RATIO; tw: slavery, murder

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-05 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
( For all that Aventurine understands that Ratio will not leave him, no matter what he sees in his memories that he hasn't already the last time they went through this bullshit, he still doesn't want him to see what lies in his past.

The memory is surprisingly bright, the setting well lit -- an arena comprised of seemingly incomprehensible sections. Comprised of mostly a maze, large open sections are littered within its walls. One holds a fake forest with heavy foliage that blocks the lights from above. Another empty with a dusty floor save for a few concrete slabs that offer little in the way of hiding but perhaps more in the way of protection if one can use them right. Aventurine is young, younger than Ratio has ever known or seen him to be -- younger than the one or two photos that were attached to the incident report before Jade had them scrubbed from the IPC's records completely. He's filthy, his hair unkempt and in mats in places, and any glimpse of his eyes reveals something wild.

And currently scurrying up the trunk of one of those fake trees, small hands easily finding handholds to pull himself up into the branches. He remains there, silent, until someone walks under the tree -- a woman not much older than him, before Aventurine drops from his perch and onto her, grabbing her head on the way down to bring her down to the ground to cushion his fall and break a rib or two. Not waiting for her to recover, Aventurine slams his hands down on either side of her head, the chain between his cuffs tight over her neck. He stays that way, using a knee to the fractured and broken ribs to keep her down on the ground as he strangles her -- the flight slowly going out of her until she goes still.

Aventurine waits even then, waiting until he doesn't see the rise and fall of her chest, the raspy sound of her breath.
)
curingidiocy: https://x.com/Jkn2Pjq/status/1816953277680103757 (frazzled)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-05 06:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ It takes a while for Ratio to understand that he's in a location that is purposefully built to be maze-like. Littered with artificial decorations, there is something distinctly unsettling about the place, but he can't place his finger on what exactly disturbs him. With nothing else to look at, and no one to interact with, he walks.

He walks until he spots someone in the distance, seemingly exploring an open clearing. Once he gets closer, he realizes it's a child. Moreover, she's filthy, emaciated and terrified. He doesn't recognize her at all, strangely, but perhaps it's an Outsider less familiar to him.

The girl turns to face him as she passes by a tree, and before he can call out to her, she's suddenly slammed down into the ground by something from above, andβ€”

Oh. No wonder he hadn't recognized the girl. It wasn't her memory. It was Kakavasha's. The pieces click into place as he watches the younger form of his love strangle the life out of an innocent victim.
]
stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17221610)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-05 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
( Thirty-Five doesn't notice Ratio at first -- once the girl is dead, he tears through her clothes, patting her down until he finds something worth his time. Pulling something from the thin jacket she'd worn, his luck saves him once more: it's a knife, blood smeared across the blade as if someone had hastily tried to clean it but failed. He doesn't think she'd used it or else she would have known to hold it, likely she'd stolen it off the corpse of another slave. His gain.

But Ratio can't escape his gaze forever, and the moment he catches sight of the man he's moving, eyes wide and full of fear before determination and desperation replace it. The collar rubs against the fresh brand, pulling a sharp hiss from him -- the first sound he's made. He could run, Thirty-Five thinks, all of his victories in this place have been lucky breaks for him, but he's far bigger and far more muscular than he is instead of other slaves. Better take him now, before he can do anything, and Thirty-Five is ever so good at taking advantage of openings presented to him.

So he moves, and while the quickness of his movements is practiced, the way in which he lashes out with the knife isn't. He aims for the strange man's stomach, his sides, whatever he can get in order to make him bleed and stumble.
)
curingidiocy: https://x.com/Jkn2Pjq/status/1816953277680103757 (frazzled)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-05 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As a sheltered scholar, Ratio is nowhere near prepared for the harsh reality that is a fight for survival, even with his nearly a year's worth of experience against the kaiju. It isn't the same, of course, so he only watches with pain and pity in his heart as Kakavasha scavenges from the body, and is completely unprepared when those beautiful dawn eyes turn on him.

Ratio gasps in surprise when Kakavasha darts at him with a knife brandished in his hand and he stumbles backwards, managing only to receive a shallow cut on his exposed side for his efforts. Unfortunately, the panicked backpedaling causes him to trip over a mound of dirt and he falls back onto his ass with a pained oof.

If he dies in a dream, does he really die? If it was Penacony, the answer would be no, but here, with the knowledge that people have been dying in their sleep, he cannot rule out that being killed now would have permanent repercussions in reality.
]

Wait, stop, Aveβ€”Kakavasha!
stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17221611)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-05 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
( He goes down and Thirty-Five follows him down with the knife and his body weight, the blade sinking into his shoulder before he pulls it out again, straddling this man's chest and raising it up again for another attack. At least until he calls him Kakavasha, and then his eyes go wide, startled and fearful.

How does this person-- how does he know? Thirty-Five doesn't pull back, doesn't do anything other than lean forward to press the knife against the strange man's throat. Though his hand is trembling, and his free hand is pressed against Ratio's shoulder to keep him down, fingers fisting into the fine fabric.
)

Who are you? What did they pay you to do? ( His eyes flick up past the bright lights, towards the rows of spectators that he can't see. But this would just be something they'd do, wouldn't it? Have someone pay to come down here and have their own fun with them, see how many they could knock off themselves-- ) And don't lie! I'll-- I'll do to you what I did to her if you do!
curingidiocy: (pic#17171049)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-06 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ratio isn't afraid. Despite the wound in his shoulder, he isn't afraid. Despite the knife to his throat, and the wild desperate eyes above him, threatening pain if he doesn't comply, he isn't afraid.

He remains calm, still and compliant, and thinks. How can he explain his presence to Kakavasha? There is no way to explain that this is not reality and he is in no dangerβ€”at least in a way that does not immediately sound suspicious to the mistreated young boy. In that case, he should play into expectations. And who would Kakavasha expect to see in this situation? Well, the child said it himself. Someone who was paid to do something in this maze.

And yet.
]

Use your brain, Kakavasha. Do I appear to be someone who belongs here?

[ Given his fine clothing, perfectly tailored to his physique, and an appearance that wouldn't suggest he's some hired goon for rich clients, he thinks Kakavasha would at least be able to sense something is strange. ]
stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17221610)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-12 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
( His hand shakes, eyes darting all over the man he has beneath him, from his hair to his strange outfit, to the golden leaves adoring his head, the rings on his fingers. No, this man is right. He doesn't belong here... but if he doesn't belong here, then where does he come from?

Thirty-Five... Kakavasha lowers the knife only slightly, his eyes narrowed still. It's the only concession he's going to make at the moment. This man... Ratio, supplies his brain.

And that has him leaning further back, blinking, confusion clear on his face. He hasn't yet learned to mask his feelings, his thoughts, and this man is witness to the facial journey Kakavasha is going through in the moment.
)

Ver.. it... as? ( That's right. He's-- ) Veritas Ratio. Why do I know you?
curingidiocy: https://x.com/tankaku__/status/1783879606980039028 (sweet)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-12 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ The moment Kakavasha identifies him, Ratio smiles. It is gentle and full of affection. Even through the dream, Aventurine still remembers. The warmth in his chest is something he cannot indulge in at the moment, however. He needs to snap Aventurine out of the dream. ]

Why do you? What is it your memory tells you?

[ All throughout their conversation, Ratio remains still, laying on the ground as if there is nothing to fear from the young boy who looms over him or anything else in this maze-like arena. ]
stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17221610)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-13 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
( No one looks at him like that. Not since big sis... no one looks at him like that. Why is he? Like he cares for Kakavasha, like Kakavasha is someone important to him. But he's not, is he? He's just a slave, meant to be used and discarded because no one gives a damn about people like him. Especially someone that looks like Ratio does -- important. Rich. Doesn't he want something from him?

Everyone else does. From his Master to the IPC to Jade and the Stonehearts to Diamond himself--

Kakavasha's face wrinkles further, the information almost there but tantalizingly out of reach.
)

We work together. ( That seems right, that seems correct, and the knife in his hand lowers further -- resting against Ratio's chest with the blade turned up away from his skin. ) I made you shoot me. ( ... ) Three times?
curingidiocy: https://x.com/45_tmyr/status/1783172415692194247/photo/1 (happy)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-13 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ratio watches Kakavasha's expressions carefully. Not because he's trying to gauge his behaviour, but rather, it's fascinating, seeing his face morph with the emotions he feels. Scrunch when he's confused, and thinking. Cute, even.

The smile grows broader when Kakavasha speaks, and when he mentions their first meeting, he laughs. Well, it's more of a chuckle than a full belly laugh, but it's genuine nonetheless.
]

Was that moment truly so important to you, my dear, that you would remember it so strongly?

[ Slowly, so as to not scare Kakavasha, he raises his hand to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. ]
stonehearts: 🦚 fanart β†’ <user name="cs_ao3" site="twitter.com"> (pic#17671458)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-13 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
( Why does this man think that's so strange? )

Well, yeah. ( He might not know much, but part of Kakavasha recognizes that this moment was important. It changed his life, in some ways, supplies his mind -- though he doesn't know why or how yet. ) You didn't react like anyone should. Instead of being scared, or disquieted, or deeply concerned about the sanity of your new partner, you were annoyed. ( Kakavasha chuckles softly, the memory floating in his mind -- unconnected to others, but featuring the man beneath him with a surety that only increases with the way Ratio treats him so gently, with utmost care as if he's something valuable.

No, not something. Someone.
) I was smitten ever since then.

( He hopes that this doctor knows that, feels similarly. )
curingidiocy: (pic#17171137)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-13 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, he had certainly been concerned about Aventurine's sanity that day, but the gambler had more than enough reason and logic, even if flawed, for Ratio to know that there was something deeper going on. It had captivated the scholar and left him wanting to know more. ]

Of course I was annoyed. I do not typically expect any idiot I've just met to gamble with his own life just to prove a point.

[ His interactions with the IPC had been so mundane, so boring. But Aventurine came and smashed all of that into pieces. What he felt then wasn't anything close to romantic feelings, but it had created the foundation that led to his feelings eventually evolving to be romantic. So it comes as a bit of a surprise when Kakavasha admits to his crush. ]

I see. It is not in my nature to feel easily for others, but I was intrigued by you.

[ Even if Ratio had met Aventurine when they were both young, like this, he thinks he would have been similarly intrigued. There is a fire burning in his eyes, a determination to live, that is even more evident in this younger version than in the gambler he knows today. ]
Edited 2025-04-13 19:42 (UTC)
stonehearts: 🦚 hoyofair β†’ <user name=megane98_ site=twitter.com> (pic#17639438)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-13 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It worked, didn't it?

( The laugh that comes from Kakavasha is more familiar, and for a moment it seems like the child is replaced by the Aventurine that Ratio is more familiar with, a flicker before it, too, is gone and it's simply the young slave again. )

But it's more than that now, isn't it? ( Casting a look around him, Kakavasha finally lifts himself up off of Ratio, grip tightening on his knife before the other is held out to Ratio. A peace offering, because yes -- he's certain he can trust this man. ) Not that I think it's fair I liked you first. That's not supposed to happen -- people are supposed to want me from the get-go, not the other way around.

( He pouts, petulant. )
curingidiocy: (pic#17171050)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-14 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
It did.

[ Ratio takes the hand that is offered to him and pulls himself up, being careful not to yank the young boy back down again. Once standing, he dusts himself off, lamenting that his clothes were dirty now. Not that it matters in a dream, but he'd have to deal with it for the rest of it. ]

Would you have wanted it any other way?

[ His attention turns into Kakavasha, and he reaches out to brush dirt off him, fussing over his current state. He's far too thin and quite clearly dehydrated. When was the last time he ate anything?

Could he summon food from his subspace in this dreamscape?
]
stonehearts: 🦚 hoyofair β†’ <user name=megane98_ site=twitter.com> (pic#17639430)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-15 08:30 am (UTC)(link)
( A shocked expression crosses Kakavasha's face as Ratio fusses over him, and he can feel his cheeks grow hot as he looks away until the man is done. Is this what awaits him when he's older? There's a part of him that's jealous of his future self for finding someone like this when he's freshly branded and in chains, but at least he gets there, right? And if they work together then he must be a free man by that time-- )

I dunno. How in love with me are you?

( Kakavasha will slide his hand into Ratio's again, tugging him to follow him as he starts to pick his way through the maze again. He's not going to lose this man to this place, even if he doesn't really understand what's going on, or why he's here, or why he can remember him. )
curingidiocy: https://x.com/UGSFE/status/1795436705262322123 (smiling~)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-15 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ The bashful expression on Kakavasha's face is utterly adorable. This is what he should have experienced as an adolescent, rather than the crazy, sick battle royale maze they're both currently in. But while Ratio may wish that Aventurine never had to suffer in the past, he is also very aware that it is exactly his suffering that has molded him into the person he is today. He does not want to pity Aventurine for what he's been through, because it has made him strong, cunning, and taught him how to survive.

That being said, this is just a dream, and Ratio can't help but want to indulge a little. So he lets Kakavasha tug him along with a smile.
]

'How in love', you ask... That is quite tough for me to answer. I could hardly quantify my feelings. But you may rest assured that I intend to stay by your side for as long as I am capable of it.
stonehearts: 🦚 fanart β†’ <user name="004s_4" site="twitter.com"> (pic#17128500)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-15 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
( Kakavasha laughs a little, shaking his head. He might be young (he isn't that young, he and Ratio are nearly the same age) but he knows what he hears. )

Hey, Doc. I can call you Doc, right? That just makes you sound like a nerd.
curingidiocy: (pic#17171039)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-15 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He'll repeat it a million times, his 'vows', if that's what it takes for Aventurine to believe him. ]

You should be well aware how much of a 'nerd' I am, my dear.
stonehearts: 🦚 animated short (pic#17130131)

cw: blood.

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-16 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
He might, but this is the first I've heard of it.

( There is something about Kakavasha that is more Aventurine than not, even though he still looks like he's the young child. A flicker of something in his eyes, there and then gone as he leads Ratio further in -- only to stop and drop his smile in a second, knife raised up as another slave stumbles into the hallway. He's much older than Kakavasha, closer to Ratio's age than his own, and Kakavasha looks up at his

coworkerfriendloverfiance

before looking back at the other man, now growling as he raises up a bloody makeshift club. Well, Kakavasha knows how to deal with this and lets go of Ratio's hand before he's throwing himself at the other slave, rolling neatly under his feet and tripping him up with the chains. The knife flashes once, twice, as Kakavasha is on him the moment he goes down -- two deep clean cuts to the slave's neck and then it's just him, Ratio, and the sound of a dying man gasping for air that won't come as the blood soaks into the dust and sand and Kakavasha's hands and rags.
)

Lucky me, I'm the smallest of them all.

( And youngest. )
curingidiocy: (smile)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-16 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's hard to tell when the young man is Kakavasha, and when he is Aventurine. At times, he seems to know what he shouldn't, and then at times he is like this, unknowing. Still, he is the man Ratio loves all the same, and that's what matters most.

The sweet atmosphere comes to an end when another slave stumbles into the hallway, and the reality (dream, rather) of their situation slams back into place. And before Ratio can say anything, Kakavasha darts off and the intruder is downed.

It's not pleasant to watch another man die, but he can't help but admire Kakavasha's skill.
]

Impressive. I'm no fighter, but I did not see any wasted movement.

[ He keeps his distance, now scanning the area for any other potential interlopers. It wouldn't do to have either of them caught off guard because of his sentimentality. ]
stonehearts: 🦚 game (pic#17171995)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-17 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
The first one was the hardest. And the second, too. ( Kakavasha admits, looking for a moment like the small, lost boy he truly is in this moment. ) But I have a lot experience with overpowering people who think I'm easy prey. I've been on my own since I was... eight years old? And I'm almost thirteen.

( He puffs out his chest, looking proud of himself for surviving that long, though Ratio is perhaps the only one that can pick out the cost of it lurking in his eyes. )
curingidiocy: https://x.com/tankaku__/status/1783879606980039028 (sweet)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-17 08:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Thirteen. Aeons, he's so young. When Ratio was thirteen, he'd still been tucked away in the safety of his home, beginning his studies of post-graduate subjects despite his enrollment in secondary school. And considering their age gap, Ratio would have been fifteen or sixteen by this memory's occurrence. Already would have proven Rond's Conjecture, and started his studies at the University of Veritas Prime.

The vast difference in childhood experiences makes his heart ache fiercely for Aventurine. He should have been safe with his family still. Not that Sigonia-IV had been any sort of hospitable place, but he shouldn't have had to fight for his life like this.

The smile Kakavasha receives in return for his boast is melancholic, though the scholar does his best to disguise the sorrow he feels for the young boy.
]

You're... [ incredible. Outstanding. Inspiring. So many words he could use but none could truly encapsulate how he feels about Aventurine. ] ...astounding. Beyond expectations. I have always admired you for your resilience and resourcefulness.

[ He comes closer, now that the other slave has died, and places a hand on Kakavasha's head. ]

Though it is not by your will that you are sharing this with me, I consider it a privilege to have this chance.

[ This Kakavasha may not understand what he's saying, but his Kakavasha will. ]
stonehearts: 🦚 hoyofair β†’ <user name=megane98_ site=twitter.com> (pic#17639430)

[personal profile] stonehearts 2025-04-28 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
( Kakavasha blushes a deep crimson, even to the tips of his ears and down his neck. This guy-- he really does like him, doesn't he? Kakavasha finds himself doing likewise if this is the sort of thing that Veritas says to him on the regular. Hell, even now... )

Doc--
curingidiocy: (pic#17171072)

[personal profile] curingidiocy 2025-04-28 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Like this, with shining wide eyes and a bright red flush on his cheeks, he looks every bit the young child he should be. Ratio's smile broadens and he wipes some blood off of Kakavasha's cheek with his thumb. ]

Let us continue. I would like to stay by your side for the rest of this, if you're amenable.

[ Let him see all of what Aventurine has had to suffer. And let him provide comfort in this recollection, that his fiancΓ© may hopefully keep to draw upon for warmth when he needs it. ]