≠ ━ 「 If I Can Live Through This / I Can Do Anything 」 Ic. - Blog Posts
shieldedchild·.
“Um. Excuse you? I love painting my nails. It makes me type way faster.”
What she really meant was that it made her feel cooler to type with painted nails, but this is one of the rare occasions where she’s willing to blend fact and opinion.
Although, she does admit, “It’s just been a while since I’ve done my nails. And I usually scratch all the paint off pretty quickly.”
With a bustling sound, Katie drops his hand and squints Shiro down, “Look, are you really going to talk yourself out of a free pedicure? Because I don’t give out family discounts.”
“ no, no, i’ll take the manicure offer. i know how high your rates are. ”
he can’t help but to laugh affectionately at katie’s words as he runs with the joke. it’s a laugh he doesn’t get to use often enough these days, but this... this conversation about something MUNDANE as painting nails and the kidding around... it feels a lot like things used to be, and it’s nice.
“ why don’t you go grab your supplies, and i’ll wait here for you. set up a space for us to do all this. sound good? ”
grimesucker.
TOO LATE, HE’S ALREADY AWAKE. aggravation sees upper-lip CURL, but fifteen should know well-enough that dox’s temper EBBS & FLOWS - he’ll be GROUCHY for some time, but it’s not as though he could actually remain upset with the kids—he KNOWS that he’s, well, their SOLE SOURCE OF COMFORT - if one of them has something that demands they rouse him at UNFUCKLY HOURS, than he’ll get over it & tend to their bullshit. he’s all they got.
“ nah, c’mon kid. ”
pushing himself from frankly derelict mattress, dox adjusts into a sitting position & beckons fifteen back over.
“ i’ll be MORE pissed if it ends up bein’ for nothin’. what’s goin’ on ?”
there’s HESITATION, even as dox gestures for him to come back, and shiro simply remains paused in place for a long moment. he really does hate waking dox, and not JUST because it’s rude and the mender gets crabby, but... well, he’s almost an adult. he shouldn’t be waking his effective CARETAKER up in the middle of the night like he’s six.
“ it’s fine, it’s not... ” trailing off before finishing the sentence, the boy exhales and shuffles back into dox’s doorway, hand gripping at what remains of his right arm. “ ...my arm just hurts. ”
something which sounds small and not worth waking someone for, except that with SHIRO... if he feels the need to tell someone that something hurts, it means that it really hurts. used to being in pain more often than he’s not, he won’t bother anyone about it until he’s about in AGONY. tonight, he’s been unable to sleep due to the pain, even having to remove his prosthetic in an effort to ease it.
“ i can’t get to sleep. ”
shieldedchild.
“Okay, fair, but…” True to their sibling nature, she snatched his prosthetic hand and splayed out his fingers like they were hers to splay.
“Consider this: I could paint your nails, or your approximate to fingernails. I could do jet-black, so you could be discreet and fashionable.”
“ yeah? ” stifling an amused chuckle at her suggestion, he flexed his fingers, head tilting slightly to one side. fashion had never been something that came to mind when he thought of katie, but if she was THIS invested in customizing his arm, he could indulge her a little.
“ that would be a lot more subtle. alright, let’s do it. ...do you even have any nail polish around here? i don’t think i’ve ever seen you paint your nails. ”
grimesucker.
@kienokoru | ♥ 44 574R73R
“ it’s FOUR IN THE MORNING. ”
words spoken on rough growl, an IMPRESSIVE glare darkening the mender’s face ; lip CURLS in something of a SNARL, aggravation blatantly APPARENT at having been woken up so early—whatever it is, if it hadn’t woken dox on it’s own, that’s indicative of it being something that can WAIT - it’s too damn EARLY for BULLSHIT.
“ what do you want ?”
“ s-sorry. ”
taken aback by the unreserved aggression, shiro stumbles over the apology. it’s his own fault, really, he knows how... annoyed dox get upon being awoke in the wee hours of the morning -- he should have been prepared for a less-than-welcoming response. quickly deciding this was a MISTAKE, that he should just let the mender return to sleep, he shakes his head and takes a step back out of the room.
“ --nevermind, it’s not important. ” making to slink away, he murmurs one final; “ sorry. ”
shieldedchild.
@kienokoru
“Hey, Shiro? Have you ever considered, Idunno.. accessorizing your arm? Maybe try some pastels instead of emo-gray?”
“ ...i’ve never really thought about it. the idea is kind of... ” frowning as he contemplates, his gaze drops to the prosthetic. “ ...a brighter colour would only draw more attention to it. ”
stolenbystars.
CHIN UPON PALM , adam sits towards the side ZONING OUT as a slumrat barters with his parents , the tones edging JUST SHY of AGGRESSIVE— THAT doesn’t concern him , he’s USED to this sort of thing by now - NO , the only thing that brings him back to reality is a HUSHED VOICE at his side .
BLINKING , young shopkeep looks towards the side & spots shiro , a familiar face for which inspires a SMILE to spread across his own—
the request is met with adam glancing over his shoulder towards his parents , the two showing STEADFAST PERSISTENCE in their position , giving the buyer their TOTAL ATTENTION— so it’s with EASE that adam slips from the stall , grabbing at his loose jacket & tugging it on , knocking shoulder against shiro’s own part in GREETING , part in urge to quickly blend into the crowd—
“ thanks for the save - did you come out here just to get me ?”
unable to prevent a smile of his own from spreading WIDE at the sight of adam’s, shiro moves quickly at the other’s side, brushing past shoppers so adam’s parents don’t notice them slipping off. did he come out here just to get adam? one hundred percent yes. but... does he say that? or does he say he was just in the area? which one is less... DESPERATE and BLATANT in just how much he’s been craving the other boy’s company? does it... does it even matter? god, he’s so BAD at this.
“ i--- ...yeah. ” he decides to admit, warmth rushing to his face and eyes dropping to their feet. a quiet, sheepish bit of a chuckle leaves shiro, and he shrugs. “ i thought you’d probably like a break. and... i missed you. ”
--was that too much? oh, it was too much, wasn’t it... continuing to AVOID glancing over at adam, shiro clears his throat and quickly adds on;
“ i mean--- it’s been a while since we’ve hung out, you know? ”
nightiingaled / kit.
❤️ for a starter || @kienokoru
Rage. It does not make her, it does not become her. Or so she tries to remind herself. But it does exist, in abundance. A river running deep within her veins, deeper than pain, deeper than the nanites. Or was it SORROW?
❝ I hate them! I hate them ! I hate — ❞
Loud bangs echo over her shrieks in the derelict hangar, fists making contact with steel. Steel bends under the burden of her force and crimson splatters like paint in her wake. Again and again, Kit’s rage stained the steel, a masterpiece of emotion and fear.
Behind all the violence, another sound — footsteps. Blinded with rage, Kit launches loose debris at the intruder with a warning wail.
while he’s not certain what he’s expecting to come across as he tracks down the source of the loud noises, he knows it can’t be GOOD. of this, shiro grows more certain with each step closer, with each increase in volume as he closes in. of course, he’s proven right as he enters the hangar and his gaze finds kit. ---kit, dented steel, and RED spread across it.
“ whoa whoa whoa, hey--- ” pace quickening in an instant, he only pauses to dodge out of the way of the thrown debris. “ kit, hey--- ”
he knows he has to be careful. anyone in such an emotionally volatile state can be potentially dangerous, but kit can be that much more so if she chooses to be. that said, shiro tosses concern for himself out the window and, once he reaches her, he GRASPS for her hands. it’s part to prevent her from causing herself more damage, and part an effort to ground her, to bring her back to the moment. touch always helps him when he has his own episodes, so he hopes it’ll do the same for her.
“ kit, ” he starts again, tone gentler but still with enough FORCE to hopefully reach her. “ kit, look at me. ”
☆ @stolenbystars is back!!! gets a thing
“ hey. ”
it’s a hushed attempt to get the other’s attention, coming from off to the side. shiro’s hesitant to draw the attention of adam’s parents, but then... he’s nervous about the attention he’s TRYING to get, too. cheeks flushed slightly, he runs a hand awkwardly through his hair and glances BRIEFLY off to the side once the other boy looks over.
“ uhm. any chance you’re not too busy? i thought... maybe we could hang out? ”
grimesucker.
a TILTED grin cracks across his expression , the mender looking ALL-TOO SMUG as he reminisces a GOOD NIGHT ; it’s not OFTEN that he indulges in booze , but it’d been a GOOD BOTTLE & GOOD COMPANY—
slinging on his jacket , adjusting the collar & smoothing the fabric over weapon straps , dox peeks back towards fifteen with a raised brow—kettle , meet pot .
“ sure am . i’m ABOVE house rules. —wanna come along ?”
shiro MATCHES the raised brow with one of his own, though his expression weakens some when the offer comes for him to join. he WAS just going to sit up and try to find something to watch or reread those old astronomy books for the hundredth time, but... going out sounds better. more of a DISTRACTION from the thoughts keeping him awake.
“ yeah. ”
a nod, a quick pat to ensure his knife is still strapped into place, and he hurries to the door. only THEN does he seem to hesitate.
“ ...where are we going at this time of night, exactly? ”
grimesucker.
“ what d’you want me to say ? they brought the GOOD SHIT. ”
a single-shouldered shrug , made as dox crosses the space & collects his old jacket from where it hangs by the door ;
“ S’IDES , i couldn’t let ‘em drink without adult supervision. ”
“ they may as well have been drinking without your supervision; they might have gotten LESS DRUNK than they did with you encouraging them. ”
dox gets an unimpressed look tossed his way, shiro folding his arms. watching the other gather his coat, however, the slumbrat squints.
“ what are you still doing up? you’re not GOING somewhere this late, are you? ”
grimesucker.
@kienokoru | 574R73R C4LL
“ the fuck’re you still doin’ up ? it’s late as shit. ”
“ what, now you care about healthy choices? LATE NIGHTS is where you draw the line? i watched you join the other kids in chanting ‘chug chug chug’ when one of them showed up with a full bottle of booze. ”
@criticalebwidogast. (x)
there’s an amount of HESITANCE in accepting the assistance— this , a STRANGER , & one that exudes a certain CHARGED aura - the sort of air of a being to which there’s more than meets the eye ;
( he rolled an 18 on his insight check. )
STILL, there’s a nod of APPRECIATION as the wizard is freed from the vines that made to GRASP at his legs , the vegetation falling limply aside under the ministrations of the white-haired young man - the foliage obeys without RESISTANCE , it would seem , leaving KEEN MIND to wonder towards the strangers relationship with the sentience of the forest .
“ i do not mean to aggravate the flora - ”
( it was just that he rolled a 5 on his dex save— )
“ - are these woods under YOUR care ?”
no one MEANS to aggravate the flora, it’s just something that happens in dox’s forest; particularly to strangers with a clear magical aura about them. lucky for dox’s plants ( and this stranger ) that he was around to INTERVENE before there was more reason for aggravation on either side.
“ mine? no. i mean, not really. ” standing once the vines have simply fallen back to the forest floor with no fight, shiro takes a step back, allowing the other some space. “ i just help. ”
rather than elaborate further on that, he offers a smile --- friendly, if a bit SHEEPISH --- and rubs at the back of his neck.
“ i don’t have any control over the plants or anything but they, uhm. they trust me. ”
grimesucker.
@kienokoru | ♥’d 44 574R73R
“ stay quiet, ”
demand given in assurance they don’t SPOOK their target , a young DOE who is already frightened ENOUGH— taking CAUTION in his footsteps , dox travels slowly closer , hands raised to present NO HARM as feet carry him to the fallen deer ; she lies upon the ground with a WOUND across her side , hunters already DEALT WITH before they could claim their victim——
near enough , the shaman eases into a kneel , one palm coming to stroke along soft fur , SHUSHING the creature as she makes pitiful whimpers ;
“ hello , sweetheart ; it’s me. ”
CARETAKER — the shaman is known to the beasts in his forest , & while the doe’s flinching doesn’t HALT , her shudders at least appear to LESSEN. with gentle COOS he further endeavors to calm her , providing positive ASSURANCES as he continues to stroke her pelt ; & while he does so , a GLOW emanates from his palm , source of LIFE channeled into her in order to seal her injury.
glancing back to shiro , dox beckons him nearer ;
“ the salve - come apply it , like i taught you. ”
order followed, shiro REMAINS in place and silent as he watches as dox deescalates the situation, doing what he can to calm the injured doe and assure her that she’s safe now. he’s seen this sort of thing before, but shiro still can’t help but to watch in awe as the shaman works, so caught up in it that he nearly JUMPS when word is finally addressed to him once more.
“ ---right. ”
hurrying over, the boy pulls a jar from the satchel slung over his shoulder and lowers carefully to his knees upon reaching the other two. in the past, his mere presence had been one which FRIGHTENED the creatures of the woods --- werewolves are not so beloved by humans nor animals --- but fortunately, he had been able to prove himself to them through good deeds and little rescue missions not unlike this one.
now, they almost consider him one of their own.
jar seal removed, shiro dips in his fingers and brings the thick salve over the injury the doe has sustained. just as dox taught him, he begins the application; carefully, gently, he spreads the ointment, all the while sharing his OWN calming aura with the deer.
“ she’s still SHAKEN by what happened, but she’s already thanking you, ” he notes quietly, eyes unmoving from his work. “ ---like this, right? ”
@widespreadroots // velum. (x)
Velum listened to Shiro, and empathy tugged at her heart as he spoke. There was a weight behind his words that Velum would never truly understand; secrets that Shiro kept just to make sure everyone else was comfortable… With a small, comforting chirp, she crawls into his lap and envelops him in her wings. He didn’t have to tell her anything he didn’t want to, but, she felt that this was the least she could do for her dear friend. A silent way of letting him know she was there, and would be there, whenever he needed it.
sudden weight in his lap managed to take him by surprise; he hadn’t, at least on the SURFACE, meant much by the words beyond a statement on how no one’s life is perfect and that... well, there WAS a lot that could go wrong. he hadn’t been speaking of his own --- and yet, maybe subconsciously he HAD been.
blinking, he peered down at velum, his surprise quickly wearing away to something softer. a smile spread, though small, and appreciation showed itself clearly in his eyes. arms slid around his small friend, returning the hug, one hand raising to sort of PET along her head.
“ thank you, ” he spoke in a murmur, the moment now hitting him HARDER than he’d initially intended, and quite abruptly so. there was a clench in his chest, but having velum there... it was a comfort. “ you’re a good friend, you know that? ”
@fearfcrged / fantasy sc.
“ you’re... not from around here, are you? ”
it’s the distinct scent of WATER, water from no familiar nearby body, which tips him off. sometimes people from the nearby town venture into the woods, but it’s RARER for strangers from farther away to turn up. shiro can’t help but to be intrigued --- ON HIS GUARD of course, just to be safe, but intrigued. this is no mundane; he can sense the magic of the other, though he can’t tell what sort it is. most of what he picks up on from the man, he gathers through scent.
“ not anywhere nearby... ” a wanderer, perhaps? dox would tell him to be more SUSPICIOUS of someone like this, but the stranger appears more lost than determined. it’s unlikely he’s here for anything to do with the shaman or his werewolf companion. “ did something bring you here? ”
@blackvials / fantasy sc.
“ you’ve been sneaking around here an awful lot lately. ”
observation comes from some distance behind the assassin, where shiro stands next to a large tree, arms folded and a stern, SUSPICIOUS look set across his features. while, granted, the guy is good at leaving few traces, it’s near impossible to escape the nose of a werewolf. a few glimpses have been caught here and there but, for the most part, shiro has only caught SCENT of the stranger through the woods lately. he’s glad to finally have an opportunity to CONFRONT him.
“ mind explaining your purpose here? ”
if he had to wager, he’d say this guy has no idea there’s anyone living this far out in the forest, but he’ll be damned if he takes any risks. the last thing he and dox need is someone out here ACTIVELY LOOKING for them, regardless of reason.
@grimesucker // 5liip. (x)
HEAD RISES as fifteen enters , a TIMELY appearance since his summons— the boy stands STIFF , 5liip notes , inspiring a slight TILT to the angle of his head in endeavor to come across as QUESTIONING , portraying personality more INQUISITIVE than REPRIMANDING.
answer soon comes regarding the member’s rigid posture , to which a soft BREATH escapes 5liip , lips spreading into small SMILE.
“ it’s alright . it’s not something we could have planned. ”
says the man who planned it.
—it wasn’t as though he ACTIVELY pushed the two into the same space at the same time , he merely… coaxed them into the vague area , & provided enough circumstantial conditions to ensure there was nothing else to do BUT encounter one another—
a gesture of his arm , 5liip invites shiro to take a seat , to RELAX ;
“ it must have been JARRING for you, to see him again. i’m certain he wasn’t expecting to see you EITHER. ”
a CERTAINTY by his OWN craft.
having expected REPRIMAND for causing a scene, it’s both surprising and relieving when the gang leader doesn’t seem remotely bothered. in fact, he seems mildly amused, if understanding. when it sinks in that he’s not going to be punished, let alone lectured, the tenseness in shiro’s body RELAXES some and, when waved toward a seat, he accepts the invitation.
“ it... yeah. jarring might be putting it lightly, ” he replies, lowering into the chair in front of 5liip’s desk. hands fold in his lap and his gaze rests on them for a few moments, mind CHURNING with thoughts of this afternoon, as well as the last time he’d seen dox.
“ the last time i saw him, he kicked me out of his life with NO WARNING. ” and it still hurt. more so after today, after the way dox had regarded him, the things dox had said to him. when you had come to view someone as a BROTHER, you never expect them to abandon and turn on you at the drop of a hat over ONE THING. metal hand clenches into a fist in his lap, and shiro lifts his head to meet 5liip’s gaze.
“ he might not have been expecting to see me either, but it was sure easy for him to THROW INSULTS. i’ve never felt so... i don’t know... betrayed? ---i’ve never felt like that before, and i just... i SNAPPED. ”
something which only ADDED to his emotional turmoil over the situation. control is something he’s always been able to maintain, under EVERY circumstance, no matter how strong his emotions. and yet... here he had snapped and been the first to physically attack. it’s genuinely SCARED him, left him all the more rattled by the encounter.
@starwritten / fantasy sc.
‘ weren’t you told to leave these woods? ’
during his regular herb-gathering for the month, wherein he goes around the forest and collects bunches of the herbs which dox uses on a regular basis, shiro had come across an UNFAMILIAR SCENT. one which, upon being followed, has unexpectedly led him to a faerie. he’s never seen her before, but it’s easy enough to assume that THIS is the fae dox was complaining about last week.
despite the nature of the question, there’s no harshness to his tone --- merely SUSPICION. a shuffle of paws, and the werewolf shifts his stance, jostling some of the herbs tucked away in what is, effectively, the saddlebag across his back. head tilts, and his eyes watch her CURIOUSLY; it’s not often that he meets a magical being who isn’t a witch or a shaman or any of the more commonly found types. most magical creatures, for lack of a better term, don’t like to cross the boundary into dox’s forest.
‘ showing up uninvited around here isn’t the best idea, you know. ’
grimesucker.
MOST PEOPLE wouldn’t have such a TOUGH TIME picking a weapon - a lot of people came in already with an idea of their FAVORED TYPE - something SHARP ? something BLUNT ? something HEAVY ? —but dox supposes there’d never really been much fantasizing towards PERSONAL COMBAT MECHANICS during fifteen’s time up on MED-LEV. lot less CRIME, lot more KUMBAYA.
…& in all honesty , he’s pretty surprised he got the kid to AGREE to come weapons shopping—DON’T GET IT WRONG, he’s GLAD that there wasn’t any HEEL-DIGGING, he’d just been prepared with a whole SPEECH that now he feels STUPID for rehearsing over & over in his head.
—though he doesn’t feel this way for LONG, self-criticism making way for something like PRIDE as fifteen’s attention seems caught by a KNIFE - dox’s own favorite type of weapon , & he wonders if fifteen’s into it for the TACTICAL benefits , or because he’s seen dox’s own proficiency & thought it NEAT .
…most likely the former , but the grimesucker still awards himself a ‘ 6 ′ .
“ nice choice. ”
praise given sincerely , dox more than a little SMUG in the face of any option taken that involves BLADES— a nod towards cipher, who recites ‘450 counts,’ these of which dox passes off with a quick transaction between cipher’s collection device & his online drive ; during which they make remark, ‘ corrupting the kids again?’ to which dox responds with a shrug , ‘ i’m only equipping them to better handle it. ’
—with purchase made cipher passes over a nylon of which fifteen may attach to his person, the knife nestled neatly inside. as dox loops an arm around the kid’s shoulder & steers him away, cipher bids farewell with ring-adorned fingers waving goodbye in disconnected intervals. half-joking , dox grins in fifteen’s direction—
“ wanna get some PRACTICE in ?”
with the knife, neatly sheathed, handed to him, shiro grips it in his hands and continues to eye it with some degree of WARINESS. this is his now. this is something he has to keep on his person at all times. while he may have been living in the undercity for a number of MONTHS now, it’s still difficult for him to grasp just how likely it is to wind up in a violent and dangerous situation at any time of any day.
giving a slight start when dox’s arm wraps over his shoulders, the boy blinks and PULLS his attention away from the weapon. allowing himself to be steered away, eyebrows raise skeptically at dox’s prompt.
“ that seems UNSAFE, ” he notes, frowning slightly. yeah, he’s going to have to learn how to fight with the knife SOMEHOW, but armed practice just seems like it’d be asking for unnecessary injury. ---dox’s healing abilities aside, shiro doesn’t want to harm him, and he’d really like to avoid a knife piercing his own skin. he’s still recovering mentally from the first time he experienced that.
“ maybe some hand-to-hand instead? ”
biotiq.
❛ if they’re craving a fight, let’s give it to them. ❜ | > ♡ : / / @kienokoru
“ right. ” a decisive nod, and a DETERMINED gaze is turned to rest on sara. body readying on instinct, his arms raising to chest level, hands already curled into fists --- his primary weapons, though he does have a pistol strapped to his thigh for emergency scenarios. shiro gestures with his head in the direction of their opponents, who lie on the OTHER SIDE of the cover they’ve taken, and raises his eyebrows slightly. “ on three? ”
@grimesucker. ( x )
[ text » 15 ] well [ text » 15 ] exCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE [ text » 15 ] me [ text » 15 ] i was doing something important
- SMS image attached -
[ text » 15 ] (:
[ txt: dirt mom ] .... [ txt: dirt mom ] i’m gonna alter my previous statement [ txt: dirt mom ] i hate texting you, period.
grimesucker.
@kienokoru | ♥’D 44 574R73R
“ SO ? WHAT D’YOU THINK ?”
inquiry made with slight NUDGE to the slumbrat’s shoulder, followed up with a vague gesture to the stall front whereupon sits a plethora of weapons set between them & the vendor , a neon-colored punk named CIPHER— a BRAT to the HIGHEST DEGREE, but the one vendor in the black market that dox has had the most dealings with - neither would consider the other a FRIEND , but dox doesn’t steal from cipher & cipher doesn’t cut off dox’s fingers for thinking about it.
they’re out here now because dox is ADAMANT on getting fifteen some kinda WEAPON, something to at least ease his OWN mind to know the kid has some means of self-defense ; whether or not he’d USE IT remains to be seen , what with his penchant for trying to remain the VOICE OF REASON , but better to be SAFE than SORRY . …actually , dox has never been sorry a day in his life - so SAFE it is.
fingers tap across the assorted weaponry - knives , throwing stars , retractable batons , knuckle dusters , a whole-ass MORNING STAR—
“ anything ya like ?”
“ ...i dunno. ”
clear INDECISIVENESS clings to the response, dark grey eyes scanning over the wide range of weapons for at least the fourth time now. he hasn’t WANTED a weapon, he’s only here because dox almost literally dragged him here and is now forcing him to pick something out. ...if he were to be COMPLETELY honest though, shiro doesn’t think it’s the worst idea --- he knows dox only wants to get him a weapon for his own safety and, really... decent as he is with his fists in a fight, having something more would help him protect himself ( and the other slumbrats ) a lot more.
“ maybe... this? ”
fingers move forward, a glance cast to cipher tentatively, and curl around the handle of a steel black combat knife. the weight feels good in his hand, but it feels WRONG to be holding something like this. it’s something obviously MEANT for combat, nothing else, but out of everything laid out before him... this is what’s caught his eye. perhaps because it seems the least BRUTAL of everything.
grimesucker.
during the process of shiro’s physical shift the shaman stands, hands finding placement upon his hips. a brow ARCHES in reaction to the boy’s words, followed by a NOD. he’s already AWARE of the trouble in the woods, & has been speaking with the roots & the leaves in search of a TRAIL - but all the nature tells him is that there’s an unfamiliar DARKNESS, not one that WELCOMES nocturnal existence ; the roots remain hidden beneath the earth , & the shaking to the leaves is not always by cause of a BREEZE—something out there FRIGHTENS them, & dox is having some difficulty in PINPOINTING it.
there’d been a time some days ago wherein he’d tried to project his consciousness into the woods, meld into the earth & astral travel to find the SOURCE of the wickedness, but there’d been something that CUT him OFF—whatever corruption has intruded his woods is VILE & jam-packed with it’s own runes & enchantments meant to BLOCK him OUT—not only had dox hit a BARRIER in his search, but he’d been forcibly SHOVED back into his body, & had been met with a churning SICKNESS that had him spitting up thick, black BILE for two days.
his concerns towards the source have him wondering towards the FORM it takes—the tenebrosity is, itself, more a GLOOM than anything else, a SICKNESS, but where it sprouted from has the shaman curious - a curse ? an angered spirit ? a practiced warlock’s phylactery left to spit forth darkness where it’s been set ? whatever it is, it’s causing a DISEASE to his WOODS, & dox will see the infection dealt with.
“ i know - i’ve been looking for it, but it blocks me. ”
the shaman is certain that if shiro COULD pick up on the scent, it’d be rather NAUSEATING - as it is, even the werewolf’s capable nose is deterred by whatever warding the entity protects itself with.
“ so far there’s been no DAMAGE, but it sure as shit doesn’t feel PASSIVE. just—be careful goin’ out, yeah ?”
…urges the shaman who keeps sending the werewolf on ERRANDS. LOOK, he ensures the kid’s got his charms on, & things on this side of the forest haven’t faced the worst of the Gloom - as it’s to be henceforth referred as ; whatever it is is spreading, certainly, but it’s SLOW-GOING, & while dox carries CONCERN for the ENTIRETY of his domain & that which lives within, he has to keep asking tasks of shiro to ensure he’s stocked up on what he needs - were dox to step off the grounds of his woods, his forest would be severely weakened, even more susceptible to the affliction.
“ —but i’ll get it, it’ll be handled. c’mon, you hungry ?”
that’s news. this is all news, actually. the fact that there’s some... ---WHAT? force? entity? --- in the woods alone is something he hasn’t realized, but the fact that dox ALREADY KNOWS this is what catches him more by surprise. how long has he known? and why hasn’t he said anything? especially if he’s already been trying to look for it?
eyebrows furrowing further, shiro shoves himself up from the floor, wiping the dust from his hands --- both that of FLESH and that of FOLIAGE and MAGIC --- and pursing his lips. he hates it when dox hides things from him. he doesn’t want to be protected, he wants to HELP when something’s wrong.
“ yeah, starving, ” he nods slowly, though the expression doesn’t leave his features. having spent most of the day walking, yeah, he’s pretty darn hungry, so he’s not about to TURN DOWN food even if he does want to have a serious word with dox.
“ how long have you been aware of this... thing? whatever it is? ” question comes as the boy steps further into the kitchen area, coming to lean back against one of the counters. “ and why haven’t you SAID anything? you had to know i’d notice something’s wrong at some point, even if i’m not as in tune with nature as you are. ”
grimesucker.
it’s with a fluid, albeit LAZY action that the shaman sits up, his floating flora coming to circle around his head like an earthen halo. as the werewolf provides DENIAL, a slow smirk begins to overtake dox’s mouth. YEAH, he doesn’t believe shiro for a SECOND—
but he doesn’t FAULT the kid ; SHIT, part of the reason he’d sent SHIRO on the errand was so he COULD swing into the bakery - he’s earned some GOOD KARMA, & if his good karma is the baker’s son, than dox will cheer him on. —reaching to take the coltsfoot from where it’d been dropped to his lap in his rise, the shaman pushes further to his feet, free hand landing on the wolf’s head & giving a slight RUFFLE to the fur ;
“ thanks, romeo. ”
& across the space he moves, bare feet padding across hardwood flooring ; sunlight illuminates the inside of the cabin, motes dust caught in the rays of light that speckle the floor through dirtied glass windows—not in FRAMES, simply SET into the wood & clay walls.
above the clay & copper appliance that serves as KITCHEN SINK does he go to hang the herbs amid a collection of various others ; after letting it SETTLE for a few days in the glow of the sunlight, he’ll store half for medicinal purposes later on, & SMOKE the rest.
—after tying the bundle to the cord from which his other herbs hang, dox turns to shiro & drops to a squatting position in order to better meet the werewolf face-to-face, teetering mildly from side to side in INSPECTION ;
“ you made it in & out okay ?”
there’s been TROUBLE in the woods lately, & while dox never lets shiro leave without a DEFENSIVE ward strung around his neck, it could be said that he’s a little OVER-PROTECTIVE of the kid.
another huff, this one something more along the lines of EXASPERATED at the dumb nickname, shiro gestures with his head to insinuate a rolling of eyes. he doesn’t, however, shove dox’s hand away from the brief affectionate gesture. moving along behind the shaman, tail swaying behind him, he watches the herbs be set to hang, gaze following when dox drops to his eye level.
‘ yeah. i didn’t even SEE anyone or anything that far out in the forest. ’
this is where he pauses for a beat, brow furrowing some at the prompt about his trip bringing back some of the things about it which had... bothered him a bit. for a few moments, shiro doesn’t say anything more, even glances AWAY, trying to decide how to word his observations. another beat, and he shifts --- where previously an abnormally large white wolf stood now sits a semi-gangly seventeen-year-old with white hair.
“ but it’s QUIET out there, dox. weirdly quiet. ” grey eyes meet dox’s gaze once more, uncertainty clear across the boy’s face. “ it feels like something’s wrong, but i don’t know what. i couldn’t even smell anything out of the ordinary. ”
@grimesucker: ( x )
IT’S FINE - dox has spent his OWN time lying on the floor, a handful of various objects floating above him under the influence of his magic - a mushroom, a ball of moss, loose petals from a flower ; like a druidic mobile . the items remain floating even as dox turns attention towards shiro, returned from what was meant to be a simple errand run ;
“ s’okay. time is fake. it means nothing to the trees, it means nothing to me. —were you at the bakery again ?”
padding across the room, eyes on the objects floating above dox, one of shiro’s ears simply twitches to acknowledge that he’s heard the response. ---THEN a half-second later, the question brings him to a screeching halt, his gaze snapping to dox, looking both STARTLED and perhaps a bit found out.
‘ what? --no. ’ the answer is immediate, and shiro internally curses himself for reacting on that denial instinct. it only makes him sound more guilty. in an effort to LESSEN his obviousness, he continues; ‘ the bakery’s nowhere near where i had to go, why would i... ’
trailing off, allowing the words the HANG in the air like dox’s ball of moss, he realizes it’s no use. dox sees right through him and already knows that yes, he went to stare at the cute bakery boy again. conceding, though not without some embarrassed irritation, the werewolf puffs an exhale through his nose and moves to stand over the prone shaman, DROPPING a bundle of herbs onto his chest.
‘ --just take your coltsfoot. ’