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@luximperator
"I am the dazzle at the heart of the pantheon, and the glint in the eyes of the mad. I am the last thing you see before you fall into the abyss." - Mr. Ring-a-Ding
an indie multifandom/multiverse rp blog for Lux Imperator/Mr. Ring-a-Ding from Doctor Who
-written and adored by Alex (he/they)
minors dni
mun is 30+
spoiler heavy for episode Lux
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Raven barely had the patience for Ring's hesitation at the door. Raven played out in the yard all the time, so the door was NOT the scary part! In fact, he carried himself with the confidence of somebody who was not gently influencing a family friend to believe that it was a perfectly normal and smart thing to take a child away from home without telling anyone. Particularly THIS child, who had a very predatory DNA donor out there waiting to snatch him up.
Devang didn't possess the yard, far as Raven knew. She probably wouldn't immediately flag a problem with Raven leaving the house with Ring.
But impatient or not, he did feel Ring's concerns, and had just enough empathy to wait until his companion was ready.
When they finally got outside the property, Raven was oddly content. No fear, and no huge surge of excitement either; it was just...normal. It was normal out here, just like everywhere else. He was determined not to let that morph into disappointment. It was kind of morphing into the a hint of anger, to be honest. Why wasn't he allowed out? Why couldn't he GO anywhere? It was fine! Nothing bad was happening!
Both his paws slapped against the glass of the shop display, making big prominent prints on the glass. His eyes narrowed slightly, the shopkeeper's weariness about children not keeping their greasy hands to themselves drifting into his awareness. He ignored it. Who cared about the prints on the glass? He pointed at several different donuts, all things HE wanted..before he remembered that of course, his siblings would like donuts too. He mumbled this one for Duck, that one for Goose. Lark likes all kinds, but he'd probably like this one best.
Raven's hair stood up a little, sensing something nearby. But to him, this ominous something was a friend. His tail lifted slightly, and he didn't give Sutekh away. Raven is good with secrets.
Lark gave a knock before letting himself in, carefully balancing the drink carrier on top of the donuts as he elbowed his way inside. "Uh- hi-ho cherry-o?"
An absolutely absurdly stupid greeting that Envy had heard Lark utter once. They hadn't the slightest clue why that was what he picked. Social anxiety? Okay, maybe they have the exact idea.
"Who wants coffee and donuts? None for Lake, he says he's gotta steel stomach, but I'm pretty sure it's titanium." Hopefully Lake wasn't even there. Lake was probably the biggest risk in immediately giving Envy away, here.
Ring added a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles for himself to add to the bunch before finishing the order, fishing out the money from his wallet. Don't ask where it came from, he didn't think about it - neither should you! Toon logic!
With the purchase finished, he offered one of Raven's choices to him with a napkin so he could have an early breakfast snack for the walk back while he'd carry the box and his coffee, pushing the door open with his back, whistling his signature song with a pep in his step. He didn't know what he'd been so worried about, everything was fi- When they stepped onto the sidewalk down the street, he couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of cold dread, his chest tightening. He didn't even see the shade coming out of his shadow, forming behind him into an almost solid mass. He was too terrified to turn around. His adam's apple bobbed.
This felt just like that time he and Worth were inside that weird...void...place. That he tried to forget.
"Raven, get in front of me," he whispered, first thought trying to protect the kid. "That's no way to greet an old friend." --- Lux beamed a smile over at Lark, taking a coffee out of his hands to help with the balancing act. "Don't make me laugh! He's not here anyway, so he doesn't have to feel left out."
He gave the coffee a sniff. The aroma wasn't unpleasant. He didn't mind coffee too much, though he definitely preferred it with sugar. Bitter flavors were hit or miss. But that was what the donuts were for. He snapped his fingers and conjured up a table for Lark to set the boxes down and a place for them to sit in the lobby. "What made ya decide to visit this mornin? Not that I mind, of course! I'm always happy to see a familiar face!"
The god of light paused, a shiver running down his spine as he sensed something through the ether drawing his attention. He scrunched his nose and turned his head to glance out the window, antennae twitching.
Raven’s tail lifted immediately at the suggestion, and he even put on a proper smile. Not an insincere one! He just didn’t tend to emote outwardly unless he very specifically wanted somebody to know he was happy. And obviously, when Ring not only took his suggestion but immediately ran with it, Raven was very pleased.
Some small part of the back of his mind was trying to remind him that he wasn’t actually going on an outing with Ring; he was taking him to see Sutekh. And maybe the secretiveness made that weird? Something about it was weird.
But Raven liked Sutekh. And he liked to think maybe all three of them could go get donuts.
And he absolutely wanted to pick his own!! “Yeah,” was all he said, quiet and leaned in to match. He reached up to take Ring’s hand, enthusiastically pulling him towards the door. Let’s go!!
Meanwhile
Across town, Envy Lark was on an early morning walk to the palazzo…by some strike of incredible coincidence, he carried two coffees and a box of donuts.
Normally, Lark would have called ahead and asked for whatever specific coffee and donut order Lux enjoyed…but not today. Lark felt like he could guess.
He was the best at guessing people’s wants and needs before they asked. He didn’t NEED to ask.
Ring gave a little victory 'whoop' with his free hand before quickly putting a finger to his mouth to shush himself sheepishly. Right, everyone else was still asleep here! "Alright, let's go and surprise 'em with the goods."
He led Raven towards the door, trying not to look a little nervous at the door. Sometimes he imagined some kind of force was going to stop him from stepping out, or even the simple touch of sunlight would just...make him disappear. Nothing like that had happened since that day that changed everything, but the fear still gripped him every time he tried to take a step outside again.
Didn't stop him from pushing the door open, though. It just took him a moment, was all. He let out a sigh of relief when the worst did not come to pass and he smiled reassuringly over at Raven. "I, uh, think it's this way!" he chirped as he led the way to the donut shop he was pretty sure was down the street. With his sense of smell, he was sure to follow the scent of coffee and sweets anyway!
And soon enough they did come upon the donut shop. Ring's antennae twitched at the sound of the bell jingle announcing their arrival. Grinning, he hurried to the display, pressing his face against the glass. "Ooooh, they sure have a lot!" When he pulled away, he motioned for Raven to point to whatever he wanted while he ordered himself a mocha. He was completely oblivious to the three set of eyes lingering in his shadow, watching and waiting.
---
Lux had been finally let the nanny-bot take over Desiderium for the morning so he could have a bit of a break, settling down to watch a movie when he sensed company approaching the Palazzo. He perked up immediately, heading for the windows to peer out. Lark? Oh!
He stepped back and slapped his cheeks to perk up a bit so he didn't look so tired. Not that the god really could get all that tired like mortals did, but, well, as a toon...appearances could be a bit dramatic when it came to the emotional side of things. And he'd been a bit gloomy lately.
But this was a good sign! A friend(???) had come to see him??? Maybe??
ooc;
internet is back babbyyyy
OOC;
Modem/router should be replaced in the next couple of hours or so if they aren’t late! Crossing fingers lol
5 0 Y E A R S A G O
Almost 57 years ago!
Happy Moonday!
OOC;
of course when i have muse my internet decides to cut out. These storms are never ending aaand i’ll be flying out to see family on tuesday. If the router/modem really is caput tho we have a guy coming tomorrow morning to replace it but blegh
Vox remains mostly limp as Lux works on undressing him, his only movement an occasional brush of his hand or a light shift of his hips to readjust himself. Pet on the cheek and called good, he smiles small and puts aside his disgruntlement. “Good, good… ‘cause I seemed very….” Looking to his now-removed suit jacket, he narrows his eyes. “…Glittery?”
He takes a greedy breath when air flows up beneath his shirt, cooling his sides, which he didn’t realise had felt so warm and stinging, like he’s scratched up the skin around the edges. Lux asks —would you do this again?
He wasn’t under the impression it was a choice. Vox can’t be removed from the public. They’d tried that, initially, but he was too important, obviously, and had to be brought back out; and they didn’t trust him (his own partners, friends) but they let him out for the people to see and all Vox has left to think is that he might be forgiven. But, if he can’t remember….
“I don’t think it’s up to me,” he murmurs, batting Lux’s fussing hands away so that he can instead pull him to his chest like a plush toy, legs pulling up to trap him in the embrace. “Can't just... disappear.” He almost smiles. “Like before.”
"You and me both," Lux smirks. His suit had been in mostly sequins, himself, only having changed it a little bit when his usual color scheme already fit with one of the flags he could see himself identifying with to join in. "Don't worry, ya fit right in." Vox's answer earns a pinched brow in response, pouting even more when his hands are swatted away. He's ready to say something before being suddenly pulled into the media overlord's chest, giving a very undignified squeak he's hoping Vox will forget hearing later when he's far more sober. Lux settles easily enough, though, despite the warm glow to his cheeks. If he's soaking in some of the body heat from Vox's own output, he's doing it very subtly. "Well, gee, and here I was, all ready to resort to keepin' ya all to myself again," he mumbles, only half joking.
The little god likes this, though. The situation isn't perfect, but it is a balancing act. Nuzzling his fuzzy cheek against Vox, he hums. "I'll still talk them into lowering the dose for next time. Ain't no good if ya can barely remember what's goin' on around ya. Not safe. And if they say no, I'll just sneak about and change it!"
Raven woke feeling just as rested as he often did these days. Which is to say, maybe slightly less rested than he would have, had he not been hanging out with Sutekh. But that was fine, he would have his cat nap later in the day, and the moment his eyes snapped open, he was full of anticipation.
Duck and Goose were still asleep as Raven carefully extracted himself from their room, shutting the door quietly behind him. The first thing he did was go to his dad's room to check if he was awake. Lucky, Lark was stirring, but not quite ready to get up. Raven took a minute to suggest to his mind that everything was okay, and Raven was safe hanging out with Ring. It was so much easier to plant a suggestion when Lark wasn't quite awake yet to put up any defenses.
After that, down the stairs he went, carefully clinging to the handrail so as not to stumble. He was quiet, and still quite small, so he doubted Ring would see him before he made his presence known. He waited until the mess was mostly under control before tugging on his sleeve. "You spilled your coffee," He mumbled, with a yawn.
Already, he was projecting a suggestion, trying not to be too obvious about it as he planted the idea. Aren't there places you can go to get coffee?
Ring had finished cleaning up the mess with an almost guilty expression when he was seemingly 'caught' by Raven. If he wasn't so tired, maybe he'd think twice on thinking about leaving the coffee pot behind and contemplating going to the nearest donut shop. But something about Raven's comment had him thinking.
Lark and the others had been so kind and patient since they'd taken him in, and, well, shouldn't he do more to show a bit of growth? He puffed out his chest a bit and tossed the soaked paper towels in the trashcan.
"Y'know what? I think I'm gonna go grab some coffee. Ya wanna come with? Y'can help carry the boxes of donuts." He winked. "I'll let you pick out your favorites as first dibs," Ring added as he leaned down to whisper conspiratorially.
ooc;
sorry again for people waiting on me, my energy has really been hit or miss and unreliable blegh
Hm. Raven didn't necessarily...see what was wrong with Ring. He liked the guy well enough, although he was kind of silly and...didn't seem to do a whole lot. Didn't he have the power to leave the house? And yet he never did? What was that about?
Even DAD left the house more than Ring.
And there were the nightmares. He could see Ring having nightmares and being sleep-deprived. Maybe Sutekh was right. Ring needed to get out more, at the very least. Raven certainly needed out! And Sutekh promised just that.
Raven didn't really see how this proved his strength to his dad...it would probably freak him out, to be honest. But Lark was already trying to convince himself to loosen the leash; Raven had heard him thinking about it. Maybe this would tip him over the edge.
And, well, if it didn't...could Lark really...stop him?
Raven puffed up his chest and nodded. "I can do it," he squeaked, and he felt a streak of irritation at his voice for betraying his youth, but he didn't let it ruin his courage. He COULD do it. If anything went wrong, he could always turn around and go home. He knew the way.
Sutekh waited patiently as Raven appeared to be thinking through his options. He had little doubt what the boy would choose. His lip curled into a faint smirk of approval, regardless of that embarrassing squeak he'd heard, long pointed ear having given a twitch.
"I look forward to it." With that, he turned into a mass of shadows, fading away into the dreamscape to allow Raven the rest of his sleep...and to torment Ring's nightmares without being distracted.
Even without the memories of such nightmares, Ring had woken up that morning looking worse for wear, dragging himself to the kitchen almost half asleep as he tried to make a cup of coffee. He managed to fill the counter, rather his cup, and yelped, scurrying to clean it up before anyone else noticed. "Shoot, just my luck! Ow ow, hot-" He used an absurd amount of paper towels to try to stop the dripping onto the floor, antennae drooping.
Raven was young; to him, though it started serious (and surely would end serious), this constituted as play. He was proud and happy, and with every lesson his trust in Sutekh grew.
As well, there was this feeling in the back of his mind, that maybe before too long he could show Lark how strong he was, and he'd be allowed to go outside. Not just outside, not just to a safe house, but outside. In the world.
Raven didn't straight up laugh at Ring-a-Ding's name, but he gave a little sniff and his tail swayed. "Dad calls him Ring, or Rad." You don't HAVE to call him by his full title every time.
Duck had a tendency to call him Ringady. Raven didn't imagine that Sutekh would like that much better.
"Just...outside? Or...all the way outside?" Outside the border of protection? Raven's fur prickled with anticipation, and a little apprehension. He'd never snuck out without his siblings, or without being on the heels of Lark.
"Mm. Ring, then." Sutekh could deal with that, at least. His eyes narrowed some at Raven's question, maneuvering his hand through a swirl of shadows. "All of the way. This is both a test of your skills in the real world, and to see how far you've come under my tutelage. You wish to prove your strength to your father, yes?"
He created a vision through the shadows, like a mirror, catching sight of the poorly rested Ring-a-Ding in his room, twisting and turning. "And he is getting worse. I will fix what ails him."
Not a lie, outright. Intentions and influence unspoken. "I can not reach him without your aid, Raven." His eyes fixed back onto the boy, eyes returning to their green shade.
I BRING SUTEKH’S GIFT OF DEATH TO YOU AND YOUR TINY VILE INCESSANT UNIVERSE
(hey did you know doctor who is good again?)
Pride bubbled in Raven's chest, even as Sutekh didn't double over in pain, he didn't seem disappointed in Raven, and that was encouragement enough.
The many staffs all seemed just as real at first, and he was entirely ready to believe they were cloned matter, something that would strike him for real. But as Sight was mentioned, the little calico quickly swiped his hair out from in front of his third eye.
There.
Raven had to throw himself onto all-fours to avoid tipping or tripping over himself, but he confidently threw himself THROUGH the fake staffs while dodging the original.
Raven's eyes were bright with enthusiasm. He may be small, and his claws weren't made of steel, but if there was one thing he could do, it was See.
And avoid being seen.
Raven melded with the shadows just long enough to get behind Sutekh, before leaping for the one real staff with teeth and claw...like it was a teaser toy.
Well, he was a cat child, you couldn't expect perfect seriousness from him. But Sutekh did have Raven's full attention, for as long as he wished.
Sutekh was not disappointed, reminded of days long ago when he would duel against Horus in their youth. As the illusions were ignored and he was faced with the small attacker, he found himself quirking an eyebrow as Raven hung on the staff with his teeth.
The god was only a tad bit amused. Chaos had a sense of humor, after all, even if Death itself was a buzzkill - ha.
"That is a start. Let us continue." He shook Raven off with a snort.
And thus began training with the God of Death, even if his protege was none the wiser for it.
Sutekh would visit every other dream to test Raven's progress, and when he was satisfied on the young one's growth, he knew he would be ready for the next test. "Tomorrow, I believe it is time you suggest to...Mr. Ring-a-Ding, to come outside with you." Saying the name was a bit of a struggle, given the ridiculousness of it, but Sutekh bit through it.
A small sense of alarm crosses his face. He’d never taken to drugs that dissolve your acuity; not tolerated a hospital unless he’d been put there by force. Sure, they call alcohol a depressant, but how bad is it, really? It doesn’t make him feel like this. And as quickly as the thought had come by, it fades, chipped away. He becomes frustrated, but by what? Lux’s touch settles him. He leans the weight of his head to where its cradled, and he shifts himself to curl closer around him.
“Do I feel hot?” His expression scrunches into a squint as he assesses himself. He doesn’t feel warm, just floaty, while his limbs simultaneously are blocks of cement to move and puppet. His gills are loud, blustering clouds of hot air. Maybe he is warm, and he’s forgotten to feel it.
He asks, “Did I look good? I didn’t…. do anything stupid, did I?”
"Little bit, sweetheart," Lux murmurs, though he tries not to sound too concerned so he doesn't worry Vox more after he saw that flash of alarm cross his face earlier. The television was easy enough to read. "Let me help ya dress down a bit, yeah?"
The firefly moves his hands to the flamboyant suit jacket, tugging it off of Vox's shoulders to start with. He pauses at the question and smiles big. "Oh, you were perfect out there, starshine!" He brings his hand back to the glass of Vox's 'cheek' to fondly pet him. "Very handsome. 10/10. No notes. That's what they say, right?"
Could've worked on that smile, but Lux holds back on that critique. As if he didn't look spaced out most of the time, himself!
Lux continues on removing the suit jacket and un-tucking Vox's undershirt so his gills have more room to breathe, humming thoughtfully.
"Would you do this again?" Is this sort of thing...worth it, for Vox?
ooc;
every time i think im gonna lock in for the day i end up with a headache. god keeps nerfing me. this is bullshit
new Into the Inkwell pages! four of them this time- and everyone say and extra big thank you to @celebi9 and @lizzybeanbutt for their enormous help with all the crowd shots!
updates might be slow as we enter yet another heat wave and survival is the priority, thanks for your patience!
read this whole dang comic from the beginning here
