꒰ Monica Lovelace ꒱

tma oc blog

[lace-loveless]

hi

i'm monica. i like my fog and i like reading and i like music. i dont like you probably. if you want to leave everything you know behind i can probably help you otherwise uh idk why you're here. go away

ooc under the cut :)

hello this is @plukascoded's first rp blog ^_^

monica is an avatar of the lonely! she does not know she is an avatar of the lonely. she does have a pretty good grasp on her abilities however. she has a domain that she can put people and herself into but that's kind of it.

EDIT: okay she knows now lmao. she's still a bit confused about the whole thing but she's correctly been identified as an avatar.

WARNING: she will probably express distaste at you... existing near her, and act rude because of this. please do not take this personally, you didnt do anything she is just Like That. she might also try and manipulate you into joining the lonely, or "her fog" as she calls it.

she is 16 years old and a lesbian, you are welcome to try and romance her if your character is not a man and 15-18

please no nsfw, angst and stuff is ok! feel free to dm me on my main if you want to do some sort of longer-form arc or have something specific in mind with your rp :)

her textpost tag is #monica's posts, rp chains will be tag with #rp chain and asks will be tagged with #monica's asks

divider by @/sisterlucifergraphics

[lace-loveless]

[Sparrow had already been gone when Mason woke up. Left a note about going into work early in their normal, shaky English writing. Several crossed out attempts above. Now they came home, late, sitting down at the table and burying their face in their arms and just sitting there. Something was off, reality looking strange and warped around them]

@a-poem-poorly-written

[Mason stared at them. What was going on? Had he done something? Had Lancelot done something?

He stood awkwardly in the kitchen for about a full minute before finally making up his mind. He slowly approached Sparrow and gave them a small wave.]

Hey, are, uh... are you doing okay?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I think that's how most people became avatars.

I guess I'm just weird.

[lace-loveless]

Did they send you to avatar school or something?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

No, they were avatars too.

They hunted me down and stuff until I taught myself how to defend myself.

[lace-loveless]

Sorry, they what??

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm.

You heard me.

[lace-loveless]

Oh my god. That’s awful.

[He splutters.] I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but yeah. I’m sorry.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine.

I'm fine now, right?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares.] I mean, uh, I wouldn’t know? Do you feel fine?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm.

Anyway, I should probably be going home before any police catch me.

[lace-loveless]

Oh, uh, alright. Good luck, then!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I think that's how most people became avatars.

I guess I'm just weird.

[lace-loveless]

Did they send you to avatar school or something?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

No, they were avatars too.

They hunted me down and stuff until I taught myself how to defend myself.

[lace-loveless]

Sorry, they what??

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm.

You heard me.

[lace-loveless]

Oh my god. That’s awful.

[He splutters.] I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but yeah. I’m sorry.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine.

I'm fine now, right?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares.] I mean, uh, I wouldn’t know? Do you feel fine?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I think that's how most people became avatars.

I guess I'm just weird.

[lace-loveless]

Did they send you to avatar school or something?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

No, they were avatars too.

They hunted me down and stuff until I taught myself how to defend myself.

[lace-loveless]

Sorry, they what??

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm.

You heard me.

[lace-loveless]

Oh my god. That’s awful.

[He splutters.] I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but yeah. I’m sorry.

[backstage-passout]

//open rp

[In the bleak, cold daylight of a London morning, an old covered bus stop sits in a slow part of town. Slumped against wall inside is a young man who looks to be asleep, though the bags under his eyes make it look like he hasn't been for long. Buses pass by the stop, clearly not even noticing he was there]

[lace-loveless]

[A teenager walks up to the bus stop, a thin trail of fog coalescing behind them. He raises an eyebrow at the man and slowly sits down on the bench as quietly as he can.]

[backstage-passout]

[He doesn’t wake, but flinches when his foot slips and a part of it reaches into the small amount of sunlight the bus stop let in]

[lace-loveless]

[They stare at him, a bit concerned.]

...Are you okay?

[backstage-passout]

[He wakes up a bit, covers his face with his arm and mumbling]

mmyeah. . . just uh. . . just missed my bus I’ll um. . . I’ll get the next one.

[He definitely won’t with the state he’s in. He’s barely awake let alone coherent]

[lace-loveless]

Look, do you need help or something?

[backstage-passout]

I uh. . . no. I just gotta wait for the um. The next one. When it’s dark. Can’t be in the lights it’s um. It’s too bright. Got a uh- a condition kind of. Medically. Light gives me um. . . what do you call that. . . Migraines. Bad ones like uh, can’t walk or talk or things. It’s ok I’ll get the next bus.

[lace-loveless]

Uh... you know it's like, seven in the morning, right? The sun's been up for a bit. ...You should probably get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He buries his face in his hands]

I know. But uh. Can’t really. The sun is out there and that makes things ten times worse. Passed out last time. M’not doing that again. Hopefully. . .

[lace-loveless]

Oh man. That’s, uh, that’s not good…

[He thinks for a moment before pulling out sunglasses and an umbrella from his bag.]

Here, would this help?

[backstage-passout]

[He glances up, squinting at what he was being offered and trying to see]

Um. . . oh! Uh yeah actually the sunglasses would. . .

[He takes them and puts them on, blinking a few times before sitting up a little more and trying to get a better look at him, still trying to block the sun with his hand. He gives him a sort of half smile]

Thanks, man. I owe you. I don’t know where mine went, I usually have em.

[He yawns]

Jeez. I uh. I’m Leroy.

[lace-loveless]

It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it. Oh and I-

[He pauses for a moment, seemingly considering something, before making up his mind.] Mason. I’m Mason.

[backstage-passout]

Mason. Gotcha. Nice to meet you!

[He goes to offer a handshake, but the sun in his eyes stops him]

Uh, sorry. I would usually be better at this- the sun’s a little bright. Got a sort of- um. Sensitivity to it.

[lace-loveless]

Yeah, you mentioned it.

Hold on, I have an idea. If you keep the sunglasses on and keep your head down, I can hold the umbrella over you and we can try and get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He thinks for a second]

Maybe, yeah. I hope they have somewhere dark. . .

Ugh. I should have just tried to walk home last night.

[lace-loveless]

[He looks around. All of the nearby buildings have lights on inside, but he does spot an alleyway that’s almost completely dark.]

Would over there work?

[backstage-passout]

Um. . .

[He squints, having to take a few seconds to focus before seeing the small dark spot where the alley was]

Yeah, yeah that could work.

[lace-loveless]

Okay. Come on, let’s go.

[He holds out the umbrella.]

[backstage-passout]

[He stands, being very very careful to stay under the umbrella as they walk.]

[lace-loveless]

[When they both get to the alleyway, Mason puts the umbrella away and sits down, leaning against the wall.]

Okay, hopefully this helps.

[backstage-passout]

[He leans back against the wall, running a hand through his hair and letting out a long sigh.]

That is like, worlds better. Thank you.

[He shakes out his arms and paces a bit, finally in a space where he can walk.]

You’re a life saver.

[lace-loveless]

It's really not a problem. Don't worry about it.

So, uh, what are you doing out here? If the sun is so bad for you, I mean.

[backstage-passout]

I missed my bus last night. Or it just didn’t come. I don’t really remember. But I was out watching a show last night and I didn’t make it on the bus home. But it’s too far to walk, and the streetlights were already killing my head so I decided to go in that bus shelter and try to wait for the next bus to come. And I don’t think it ever did.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry.

[Mason stands there awkwardly for a bit.]

Wait, what kind of show?

[backstage-passout]

Uh, band of a guy I know. We played a show together a month or so back and he and his buddies landed a gig at some underground bar and invited me to come and see them play.

[lace-loveless]

Oh, you're a musician?

[His eyes light up.] That's so cool! What genre?

[backstage-passout]

Blues and rock mostly, but I’ve dabbled in lots of things. Whatever a show calls for.

[He smiles. Clearly he’s very fond of the subject]

I play the bass!

[lace-loveless]

That’s awesome. Seriously.

Do you have a band or something?

[backstage-passout]

//open rp

[In the bleak, cold daylight of a London morning, an old covered bus stop sits in a slow part of town. Slumped against wall inside is a young man who looks to be asleep, though the bags under his eyes make it look like he hasn't been for long. Buses pass by the stop, clearly not even noticing he was there]

[lace-loveless]

[A teenager walks up to the bus stop, a thin trail of fog coalescing behind them. He raises an eyebrow at the man and slowly sits down on the bench as quietly as he can.]

[backstage-passout]

[He doesn’t wake, but flinches when his foot slips and a part of it reaches into the small amount of sunlight the bus stop let in]

[lace-loveless]

[They stare at him, a bit concerned.]

...Are you okay?

[backstage-passout]

[He wakes up a bit, covers his face with his arm and mumbling]

mmyeah. . . just uh. . . just missed my bus I’ll um. . . I’ll get the next one.

[He definitely won’t with the state he’s in. He’s barely awake let alone coherent]

[lace-loveless]

Look, do you need help or something?

[backstage-passout]

I uh. . . no. I just gotta wait for the um. The next one. When it’s dark. Can’t be in the lights it’s um. It’s too bright. Got a uh- a condition kind of. Medically. Light gives me um. . . what do you call that. . . Migraines. Bad ones like uh, can’t walk or talk or things. It’s ok I’ll get the next bus.

[lace-loveless]

Uh... you know it's like, seven in the morning, right? The sun's been up for a bit. ...You should probably get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He buries his face in his hands]

I know. But uh. Can’t really. The sun is out there and that makes things ten times worse. Passed out last time. M’not doing that again. Hopefully. . .

[lace-loveless]

Oh man. That’s, uh, that’s not good…

[He thinks for a moment before pulling out sunglasses and an umbrella from his bag.]

Here, would this help?

[backstage-passout]

[He glances up, squinting at what he was being offered and trying to see]

Um. . . oh! Uh yeah actually the sunglasses would. . .

[He takes them and puts them on, blinking a few times before sitting up a little more and trying to get a better look at him, still trying to block the sun with his hand. He gives him a sort of half smile]

Thanks, man. I owe you. I don’t know where mine went, I usually have em.

[He yawns]

Jeez. I uh. I’m Leroy.

[lace-loveless]

It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it. Oh and I-

[He pauses for a moment, seemingly considering something, before making up his mind.] Mason. I’m Mason.

[backstage-passout]

Mason. Gotcha. Nice to meet you!

[He goes to offer a handshake, but the sun in his eyes stops him]

Uh, sorry. I would usually be better at this- the sun’s a little bright. Got a sort of- um. Sensitivity to it.

[lace-loveless]

Yeah, you mentioned it.

Hold on, I have an idea. If you keep the sunglasses on and keep your head down, I can hold the umbrella over you and we can try and get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He thinks for a second]

Maybe, yeah. I hope they have somewhere dark. . .

Ugh. I should have just tried to walk home last night.

[lace-loveless]

[He looks around. All of the nearby buildings have lights on inside, but he does spot an alleyway that’s almost completely dark.]

Would over there work?

[backstage-passout]

Um. . .

[He squints, having to take a few seconds to focus before seeing the small dark spot where the alley was]

Yeah, yeah that could work.

[lace-loveless]

Okay. Come on, let’s go.

[He holds out the umbrella.]

[backstage-passout]

[He stands, being very very careful to stay under the umbrella as they walk.]

[lace-loveless]

[When they both get to the alleyway, Mason puts the umbrella away and sits down, leaning against the wall.]

Okay, hopefully this helps.

[backstage-passout]

[He leans back against the wall, running a hand through his hair and letting out a long sigh.]

That is like, worlds better. Thank you.

[He shakes out his arms and paces a bit, finally in a space where he can walk.]

You’re a life saver.

[lace-loveless]

It's really not a problem. Don't worry about it.

So, uh, what are you doing out here? If the sun is so bad for you, I mean.

[backstage-passout]

I missed my bus last night. Or it just didn’t come. I don’t really remember. But I was out watching a show last night and I didn’t make it on the bus home. But it’s too far to walk, and the streetlights were already killing my head so I decided to go in that bus shelter and try to wait for the next bus to come. And I don’t think it ever did.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry.

[Mason stands there awkwardly for a bit.]

Wait, what kind of show?

[backstage-passout]

Uh, band of a guy I know. We played a show together a month or so back and he and his buddies landed a gig at some underground bar and invited me to come and see them play.

[lace-loveless]

Oh, you're a musician?

[His eyes light up.] That's so cool! What genre?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I think that's how most people became avatars.

I guess I'm just weird.

[lace-loveless]

Did they send you to avatar school or something?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

No, they were avatars too.

They hunted me down and stuff until I taught myself how to defend myself.

[lace-loveless]

Sorry, they what??

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I think that's how most people became avatars.

I guess I'm just weird.

[lace-loveless]

Did they send you to avatar school or something?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Right.

It isn't that complicated, just been training to be this for my childhood, tried to escape my fate, died, and became a hunt avatar anyway.

[lace-loveless]

They train you to become avatars? I didn’t know that was a thing. Mine just kind of happened.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Just trust me, okay.

I'm fine, I swear.

[lace-loveless]

Uh, alright.

[He continued walking in silence for a bit before turning back to them.]

Alright, I told you about my Entity, you tell me about yours.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It's fine..

You get used to it after a while.

It stops hurting.

[lace-loveless]

[He gave them a worried luck.]

Uh, alright. If you say so.

[backstage-passout]

//open rp

[In the bleak, cold daylight of a London morning, an old covered bus stop sits in a slow part of town. Slumped against wall inside is a young man who looks to be asleep, though the bags under his eyes make it look like he hasn't been for long. Buses pass by the stop, clearly not even noticing he was there]

[lace-loveless]

[A teenager walks up to the bus stop, a thin trail of fog coalescing behind them. He raises an eyebrow at the man and slowly sits down on the bench as quietly as he can.]

[backstage-passout]

[He doesn’t wake, but flinches when his foot slips and a part of it reaches into the small amount of sunlight the bus stop let in]

[lace-loveless]

[They stare at him, a bit concerned.]

...Are you okay?

[backstage-passout]

[He wakes up a bit, covers his face with his arm and mumbling]

mmyeah. . . just uh. . . just missed my bus I’ll um. . . I’ll get the next one.

[He definitely won’t with the state he’s in. He’s barely awake let alone coherent]

[lace-loveless]

Look, do you need help or something?

[backstage-passout]

I uh. . . no. I just gotta wait for the um. The next one. When it’s dark. Can’t be in the lights it’s um. It’s too bright. Got a uh- a condition kind of. Medically. Light gives me um. . . what do you call that. . . Migraines. Bad ones like uh, can’t walk or talk or things. It’s ok I’ll get the next bus.

[lace-loveless]

Uh... you know it's like, seven in the morning, right? The sun's been up for a bit. ...You should probably get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He buries his face in his hands]

I know. But uh. Can’t really. The sun is out there and that makes things ten times worse. Passed out last time. M’not doing that again. Hopefully. . .

[lace-loveless]

Oh man. That’s, uh, that’s not good…

[He thinks for a moment before pulling out sunglasses and an umbrella from his bag.]

Here, would this help?

[backstage-passout]

[He glances up, squinting at what he was being offered and trying to see]

Um. . . oh! Uh yeah actually the sunglasses would. . .

[He takes them and puts them on, blinking a few times before sitting up a little more and trying to get a better look at him, still trying to block the sun with his hand. He gives him a sort of half smile]

Thanks, man. I owe you. I don’t know where mine went, I usually have em.

[He yawns]

Jeez. I uh. I’m Leroy.

[lace-loveless]

It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it. Oh and I-

[He pauses for a moment, seemingly considering something, before making up his mind.] Mason. I’m Mason.

[backstage-passout]

Mason. Gotcha. Nice to meet you!

[He goes to offer a handshake, but the sun in his eyes stops him]

Uh, sorry. I would usually be better at this- the sun’s a little bright. Got a sort of- um. Sensitivity to it.

[lace-loveless]

Yeah, you mentioned it.

Hold on, I have an idea. If you keep the sunglasses on and keep your head down, I can hold the umbrella over you and we can try and get inside.

[backstage-passout]

[He thinks for a second]

Maybe, yeah. I hope they have somewhere dark. . .

Ugh. I should have just tried to walk home last night.

[lace-loveless]

[He looks around. All of the nearby buildings have lights on inside, but he does spot an alleyway that’s almost completely dark.]

Would over there work?

[backstage-passout]

Um. . .

[He squints, having to take a few seconds to focus before seeing the small dark spot where the alley was]

Yeah, yeah that could work.

[lace-loveless]

Okay. Come on, let’s go.

[He holds out the umbrella.]

[backstage-passout]

[He stands, being very very careful to stay under the umbrella as they walk.]

[lace-loveless]

[When they both get to the alleyway, Mason puts the umbrella away and sits down, leaning against the wall.]

Okay, hopefully this helps.

[backstage-passout]

[He leans back against the wall, running a hand through his hair and letting out a long sigh.]

That is like, worlds better. Thank you.

[He shakes out his arms and paces a bit, finally in a space where he can walk.]

You’re a life saver.

[lace-loveless]

It's really not a problem. Don't worry about it.

So, uh, what are you doing out here? If the sun is so bad for you, I mean.

[backstage-passout]

I missed my bus last night. Or it just didn’t come. I don’t really remember. But I was out watching a show last night and I didn’t make it on the bus home. But it’s too far to walk, and the streetlights were already killing my head so I decided to go in that bus shelter and try to wait for the next bus to come. And I don’t think it ever did.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry.

[Mason stands there awkwardly for a bit.]

Wait, what kind of show?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You'd be surprised.

[they sigh, flattening their ears, not enjoying this conversation.

He hated death]

[lace-loveless]

[He raises his eyebrows.] That's gotta be rough.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Too many times to even count.

[lace-loveless]

Oh. I didn't know you could do it more than once.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...have you died yet?

[lace-loveless]

Yep. You?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[Mason was walking home after a day at the Institute, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking suit and wearing a very tired look on his face.]

- @lace-loveless

[meanwhile, Alex is scurrying home from stealing stuff, trying to get home as quickly as possible.

A bag brushes against Mason's leg]

[lace-loveless]

[He’s immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turns around. He looks confused, as if he’d forgotten other people even existed in the first place.]

What-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

[he perks up.

He's been discovered]

Fuck-

You never saw me.

[lace-loveless]

Huh? What? Who are you-

[His eyes fall on the back packed full of stuff and the anxious look on their face.

Oh.]

Listen, uh, it’s okay, I’m not a cop or anything.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Good.

[they flatten their ears]

But tell me who you are.

[lace-loveless]

[That really snaps him out of it. He takes a small step back.]

I’m, uh, I’m Mason! Seriously, I’m not gonna do anything, I uh, used to do this stuff all the time… The point is, it’s fine! Don’t worry!

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

If you say anything about this to anyone, I will kill you.

..

[they take a deep breath.]

But you don't sound too untrustworthy.

[lace-loveless]

[He laughs nervously.] Uh, good luck with that.

Yeah, no, seriously. I’m not trying to get you arrested or anything, I promise.

…What’s your name?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Alex.

[they looked mason down, questioning why he was so nicely dressed]

[lace-loveless]

Nice to meet you.

[He follows Alex’s gaze down to his suit.] Oh! Uh, this… isn’t mine. Well it is, kind of? I don’t even know anymore. It’s for my job.

[He starts muttering to himself.] Never mind the fact that the Institute dress code only mentions business casual and doesn’t say anything about needing to show up in a full three piece suit every goddamn day, that idiot just can’t resist finding the stuffiest outfits known to man-

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Oh, you work for the institute?

You need to do better..

Get out of there before it's too late.

[lace-loveless]

I don’t even want to work there! It just… happened. And apparently he-I’ve chosen the one department that literally isn’t allowed to quit, so. I think it’s already too late.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He?

[lace-loveless]

I meant me. Sorry, it’s been a long day, words keep getting mixed up. You know how it is.

[He looks nervous.]

Anyways, yeah, trust me, I don’t like it anymore than you do.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why work there?

There are plenty of other nicer places nearby that probably pay better.

[lace-loveless]

…It wasn’t my decision. Someone thought it would be a good idea to sign me up for an interview without telling me.

[He has an annoyed look on his face as he says this.]

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

But if they aren't you, how'd they sign you up?

..wait, are you like Sal?

[lace-loveless]

You know Sal?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, I live in the treehouse.

They're pretty nice.

[lace-loveless]

…Treehouse?

Anyways, like Sal how? We’re both, uh, avatars. If that’s what you mean.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Both with like..

The multiple people in your body or something..

I think it's called a system?

[lace-loveless]

[Oh God, not this again. He really didn’t need even more people knowing about… whatever was going on in his brain.]

No, I’m not. A… friend of mine signed me up. And pretended to be me.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Well, they don't sound like a very good friend if they signed you up without your permission.

[lace-loveless]

He really isn’t. He’s annoying as hell, and he’s ridiculously pretentious. Like “arguing with me about the superiority of black coffee” pretentious. And he says “good lord” all the time. Like unironically. He’s not even British! He’s from California!! It just sounds like he’s trying too hard. I just know thinks he’s better than everyone.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Hm.

You should ditch him.

He sounds like a twat.

[lace-loveless]

Believe me, I’m trying. And yeah, he really is.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Then why haven't you done it already?

It can't be that hard, right?

[lace-loveless]

It’s… complicated. I’m trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

He sounds desperate.

Does he have any more friends?

[lace-loveless]

Nope. None that I know of. He’s kind of a dick to everyone else.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What if I tried talking to him?

[lace-loveless]

No! No, it’s fine. That wouldn’t be a good idea, I can handle it.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

You sure?

Why wouldn't it be a good idea?

If something goes wrong, I can beat his ass.

[lace-loveless]

No, seriously, it’s fine. Just let me handle it.

[He scrambles for a change of subject.] Do you need help getting that stuff home?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

..sure.

[they hand him a bag.]

It is kind of heavy, I'm just warning you.

[lace-loveless]

It’s fine, I can handle it-

[He takes the bag and immediately almost drops it from the weight.]

Oof- okay, sorry about that. Let’s go.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Its fine.

That's probably my heaviest bag actually.

It's full of peanut butter.

[lace-loveless]

What do you need all that peanut butter for?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Personal use.

Also, restocking for my stall at evilcon.

[lace-loveless]

At what?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Evilcon.

You haven't heard of it?

[lace-loveless]

…No? What is that?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

It has a bunch of avatars doing presentations and selling stuff.

Also, lots of people just snuck in there.

[lace-loveless]

Oh! That sounds fun. Do they have any Lonely stuff?

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Yeah, they have pretty much everything.

I do suggest taking lots of breaks from being there though, it gets crowded and too much easily.

[lace-loveless]

[He nods.]

Yeah, I don’t like crowds. I’ll keep that in mind.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair.

You're lonely, right?

[lace-loveless]

An avatar of the lonely, yeah.

You? I’m assuming you’re aligned with something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Mhm, the hunt.

Hence the tail and ears.

[lace-loveless]

Oh- those are-

Right, that makes sense. I kind of thought it was a costume or something.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

...is that why people keep calling me "furry"?

[lace-loveless]

...That'd do it, yeah.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

What even is a furry anyway?

[lace-loveless]

Someone who likes dressing up as animals, I think.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

I don't blame furries, it's nice to have the ears and stuff.

[lace-loveless]

...I guess so. I've never had dog ears before. So I wouldn't know.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Wolf ears.

Get it right.

[lace-loveless]

Right, sorry. I've never had those either.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

Fair, I've never actually met another Hunt avatar who has animalistic parts in their human forms.

Anyway, what's being a lonely avatar like?

[lace-loveless]

[He stares off to the side for a moment.]

I'm pretty sure it's different for everyone. For me, it's kind of like...

[God, how was he going to explain this without sounding too depressing?]

It's sort of like you're halfway there all the time. It's easier for me now cause I live with other people, but I used to hang out in my domain a lot, and you kind of get... fuzzy at the edges? I guess? You forget how to properly feel things and talk to people. It takes a lot of effort.

There's some cool things too, though. Like, technically I'm made of fog, so I can just become transparent sometimes. It was pretty good for breaking and entering back in the day.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That's kind of cool.

Probably would be useful for stealing.

So it's just..

Numbness to it all?

[lace-loveless]

Kinda? It's not like I can't feel things, it's just more difficult for them to break through. It's been getting easier lately, though.

[youstillhauntthecornersofmyheart]

That sounds nice..

Easier.

[lace-loveless]

It can be, yeah.