driftfleet | [Open Moons Mingle Log]

[all of this trauma has, funnily enough, been the only reason he's been able to sustain this form for so long. everyone's pain, including his own, has kept him powerful, and kept the spell running. but... his limbs ache and his heart is heavy, and his body was not meant to be shoved in such a little form for so long.

in reasonable spirits (thanks to his augment malfunctioning), he asked Riku to come with him. he invited him down to the moon where everyone looks strange, in the hopes of minimizing the chance for any accidents. there's a park just to the north of the main docks, big and well-kept, with just enough shady, wooded spots for a person (or two) to hide in. that's where he asked them to meet.

he's waiting for him, not far from the entrance to the park... already crouched down and seemingly speaking with some birds on the ground. pigeons, or some space variant.]

Ha lifa il gyr nymaz? Gry l'ribe...? Meil...

[the words themselves hold a certain power... the syllables just sound like gibberish to everyone but Robin, until one starts to pay attention. the sound of them hold their own meaning. he's asking the pidgeons about smuggling, of all things, someone carrying things out of town. that is, if anyone is paying attention enough to notice.

otherwise he's just talking nonsense to a bunch of birds. ...which would not be entirely uncharacteristic of Robin to do.]

Edited 2015-02-05 06:25 (UTC)

You know, aren't you in enough trouble without adding smuggling?

[ riku isn't too far away--sometimes he forgets that not everyone has his same talents. he forgets that robin can't sense him. it's weird, and he tries to not think about it too much.

if he does, he just thinks about the past few days. he's agreed with what had come to pass, but that doesn't mean he didn't see the fallout. he's not sure he should be feeling angry or sad, so he's just squashed any feelings under his heel for the sake of helping robin.

and lloyd. and kaneis. and whoever.

he fidgets where he stands, looking over the surface before fixing his gaze on robin again. ]

I hope you didn't call me here for a family reunion.

[he can sense magic, and he can feel the blood of everything living around him, but when you're packed tight around a bunch of fantastical weirdos and blood-filled creatures for long enough... the sense dulls quite a bit.

as such, he looks a little surprised when Riku starts talking from right over there. he looks over at him, some of the birds scattering quietly away to go on with their birdly lives.]

Ah, yes. You're very funny. [his look spreads into a smile, until he decides to stand again.] I'm not going to go into smuggling, don't worry. I just like hearing what the locals have to say.

[he tips his head a little, indicating where he's about to walk.]

We're going this way. There's a good spot not far from here.

[ he shrugs a shoulder, a little smirk on his face. yeah, he knows he was hilarious.

he sobers when he nods towards their path, and riku starts taking a few steps forward. ]

So if we're not smuggling something, what'd you call me down here for?

[his smile grows a little wider as they walk--he spins so that he can face him, stepping backwards with unusual dexterity.]

It's been too long since I've shifted forms, and there's nowhere to hide that isn't densely populated, so... If you don't mind me asking the favor, I called you down here to watch my back while I look inhuman and terrifying.

[ he raises his eyebrows, lips rounding in a silent 'oh'. he shrugs again afterward, scratching his cheek. ]

Sure. I'll watch out for you.

[he nods.] Thanks. I know it's a little sudden, but I should have done it a week ago...

[part of it really is just his good mood, but he also... likes Riku, and he trusts him. his ribs ache with a want to be free, just for a little while, even now. one of the first things he said was "I won't think of you any differently". he can't trust that it's true, but the thought behind it had left a very positive mark.

he spins back to walk forward, quickly taking them off the beaten path. between some bushes, over a short little "do not walk past here" wall, and finally towards a very dense bunch of trees. he knows exactly where he's going, pushing aside a large, low-hanging branch to reveal an open space.

a very large tree, an evergreen, with thick, drooping branches... it's grown tall here, leaving space around its large trunk. it's thick enough to make it hard for some passer-by to see what's going on inside, but not so dense that it blocks out the sun... which filters dreamily in from up above.]

All right. This'll do.

[ when robin pauses in the clearing, riku peers to the sky. this is actually a pretty scenic place... he wonders if robin scoped the place out first or called him first and just found it. it looks like something out of a storybook. ]

You should've done it a week ago? You've gotta keep some sort of schedule, you know.

[ after a moment, he half-turns, but looks at robin with concern. ]

Should I... turn around?

Hey, I got busy...

[with, you know, releasing a former slave and restructuring his entire life... whoops he's already halfway through taking his shirt off when he looks back over at Riku.]

...If you would, please. [he flashes him a quick smile.] I'm shy.

[ riku gives him a flat 'yeah, right' look before he actually does turn around. ]

Whatever you say, captain.

[Robin throws his shirt at the back of Riku's head.

and then will crouch down to start some very serious circular drawing in the dirt around him.]

[ a sharp noise of frustration escapes him before he yanks off that shirt. ]

This smells like oil and grease. Don't you wash your clothes?

Yes I wash my clothes. I just don't love that one as much as the others....

[he gets quiet for a little bit, finishing up his circle--quickly scribbling the last bit of syntax into the dirt with his finger. he steps out of his boots, carefully, placing them outside the circle's circumference, and then...

...hesitates, because he is shy. secretly, under his stupid smile, he was being honest. no one ever likes seeing him in his true form. back home, most people wanted to kill him over it. it's only ever been a horror to other people, regardless of how he feels about it, so he's not exactly racing over himself to peel himself back another layer.

but he's got to. so he... relaxes, lets his illusion finally slough away. there's a sound... or maybe not a sound, but a feeling, a very soft sort of whisper through the air as his energy spills out, hits the edge of the barrier, and is quickly gathered up under his conscious effort.

...there he is, all pale skin and white hair, long limbs and claws and sharp teeth. he stays crouched up in a little shape, bizarrely collapsible, with his arms tucked in close and his knees up near his face. he almost looks small, hardly a threat at all. he keeps his gaze away from Riku, nervous.]

...You can look, if you want.

[his voice sounds different--really nine distinct voices, all speaking quietly at once.]

[ riku's hit by it all at once--he staggers when he feels his energy pour out like water, and he clutches onto a tree. ugh, his senses are going haywire. it's funny, he can tell if most energy is light or dark, but he can't pinpoint this. what is this? he doesn't understand. it's like explaining the color red to someone who's never seen it before.

he breathes in slowly. count to seven, hold your breath. count to seven, exhale.

eyes gazing over trees and shrubs, he makes sure he can neither see or feel or hear anyone coming, eyebrows knitted together and focused.

he hesitates when robin calls to him, and he keeps his eyes on the path for a few seconds before he looks over his shoulder, speaking-- ]

But what if somebody--whoa.

[ he can't help but turn all the way around when he catches sight, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. surprise, not fear, not horror. no, robin's true form is nothing he's ever seen before, but it's not... scary. it's interesting. ]

You look... cool. [ yep. ] --you hurt? You look hunched over.

[and to someone who isn't trained to think this way, he doesn't look monstrous. he looks alien and bizarre--but his sharp teeth are small and he looks much too thin, and his blood-red, unblinking, featureless eyes reflect the light in a way that almost makes them look kind of childlike.

he reels in what's left of his aura. after a moment, he barely feels like anything. just a weird creature surprised enough to finally look up at Riku with those giant eyes of his.]

...No. I am... fine.

[the voices all sound a little unsure, but he reaches up to show... unfolding, standing and easily grabbing one of the branches up above them. he must be nine feet at his full height, before he pulls himself up into the tree like it's nothing.

and then he comes back down again, happy just to be moving. he returns to a crouching shape, though he leans forward onto his knuckles this time, for balance. ]

Geez... how tall are you?

[ robin's true form was huge. there was very little scary about him, in riku's opinion--then again, riku had a penchant for horror movies and found them more intriguing than anything. he raised a hand to touch before pulling back. no, what if that hurt? he didn't want to do anything. ]

Should I get you anything?

I don't know.

[an honest answer to an honest question as he shrugs down into his shoulders. he settles into looking at Riku (probably, since his face is pointed just a little bit wrong and his eyes have no point of focus). maybe he's thinking, maybe he's... looking at something.]

...You really aren't scared of me, like this.

[the hope of it swells in his chest... makes him feel light, and a little scared.]

What?

[ his brows crease, and his lip presses into a smile. incredulously, riku shakes his head. ]

No way. I'm not scared of you, why would I be? You haven't hurt me, and you're still you. I can feel it--this [ he gestures to him, up and down. ] doesn't change anything.

Mm...

[he hesitates a moment before padding the short distance closer--walking on his arms as easily as if they were legs, his feet elongated like a proper quadruped. it's no wonder he took off his shirt and his shoes; they would have been ill-fitting at best if he'd kept them on.

he is now very close. he stays crouched, shorter than Riku, but lifts his hands. his fingers are long, bony. clawed on the end. very, very pale.]

What do I feel like?

[ when riku tenses, it's just like normal. it's tiny and only noticeable if you're really paying attention--a moment's flinch when his hands are lifted, and riku exhales afterward.

he takes a hold of him and closes his eyes. breathe in for seven beats, hold for seven beats, exhale... repeat. riku focuses on robin's being, on his presence. it's a little more difficult now, somehow--riku has to wonder if it's because he has to get past all of this energy buzzing around him, or because he's still slightly wobbly himself.

but robin shouldn't feel any different... ]

[he doesn't, really. he is still Robin, with his light and his dark and his strange, grey core. his energy is very strong... he's just short of a god, after all.

Robin, meanwhile, sees the battle in Riku's fingers and the tenseness of his shoulders, the way something stems from his heart and spreads through the rest of him like tangled tree roots. he can see scars and threads, but says nothing of them. not yet.]

[ there's, perhaps, a minute difference. riku knows there's a slight tilt between his darkness and light, something changed, but it's not so much to assume a complete personality change. his heart is still the same--and riku is still not scared.

he finally exhales lowly and opens his eyes. ]

You feel normal. Nothing really changed--except what you look like, I guess.

[ he ventures a little smile. ]

But you knew that already.

[he blinks. which wouldn't be worth noting if it was not the first time he's blinked this entire time. his thin lips bend into a little, shy smile as he lowers his hands back to the ground.]

How did you learn to do that...? [he turns, moving back to the center of his circle. he starts focusing on swiping away the old design.] Is it common where you are from?

[ the more time robin spends in that form, the more riku is calmed by it. he's actually kind of cute this way--like a little kid with his big eyes.

the questions have him pausing, and he rakes a hand through his hair while the other one slides into his pocket. he stares at the ground. ]

... I don't know. I didn't know I even could until a friend helped me do it the first time--and then, I started training myself to use it.

[he busies himself with drawing a new circle in the ground. it's very intricate. it'll take him a while.]

I see... It is a good skill, all the same.

ADSUM, locked for Riku

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