The Colorless King

The fool who persists in his folly will become wise. Closed AU RP blog for V from Devil May Cry 5 affiliated with Kinged. If a thing loves, it is infinite.

[nazo-no-otoko]

soulphrxse​:

There was a bird in the bookstore.

No, that wasn’t right. This bird wasn’t normal in the slightest. Not only was it’s size something Minato found odd based on the fact that they were in a bookshop (how would it have gotten in…?), but it was a strange blue color, it’s beak looked like nothing he had seen before, and it was speaking. He was in a dream, wasn’t it? “…Goodnight.” Not giving the creature any of his attention, Minato simply blinked at him with a blank expression before promptly lying back down and tugging his blanket over him once more. 

Within just a few seconds he found himself asleep once more, but that sleep didn’t last for very long. Koromaru once again began whimpering as a way to get his attention, lightly pawing at the young man’s torso. His grayish-blue eyes opened slowly, first landing on the dog and then on the bird. The bird that was still here. So it wasn’t a dream…but it was still strange. Minato sat up and yawned. The thing, the bird had called him something…what was it? Sleeping Beauty? “…What did you say before? Sleeping…beauty…?” He repeated the words slowly, as if he was unsure of himself. From the fairytale then…was this his way of teasing? Though he didn’t think it was strange that he was sleeping. It was the middle of the night, after all. 

“Who are you?” Rather than answer his question, Minato posed his own. Despite what he was thinking, he didn’t seem all that phased. Shizume was full of strange characters, after all. Maybe this was one of V’s abilities coming in the form of a bird. That wasn’t incredibly crazy to think about. To his relief, Koromaru was taking the appearance of this new creature well. Maybe Koromaru knew he wasn’t in any kind of danger…he was good at sensing those things. 

With hardly any acknowledgement at all, Minato simply laid back down with a “goodnight.” “Hey, hey! Don’t be rude, I’m tryin’ to check on you here!” Griffon protested. “I got half a mind to rip that blanket right off ya, see how long you sleep then.” When he got no response, Griffon sighed, figuring their guest had already gone back to sleep. “You got a weird owner, Fido.”

Minato stirred as Koromaru woke him up again, and Griffon flew from the chair he was on to sit on Minato’s legs, not regarding the weight that came with his size. “Yeah. What, would you rather Little Boy Blue?”

At the question, Griffon puffed out his feathers. “I am only our wonderful king’s most useful companion. His right hand. Or wing, if you will.” Griffon laughed briefly at his own joke. “I’m probably more important than he is, everyone knows the right hand has more power than the king, right? Anyway, call me Griffon.”

“You were coughin’ up a storm down here. Fido here was makin’ a racket, too. You alright?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

That’s Pretty Sus | V and Nyb

bloodstainedshackles​:

Silent, like the wind as it soars through the sky; quick, like the flash of a knife; invisible, like a shadow in the night - these simple tenets were embedded into Nyb’s memory and muscles just like the knowledge of how to walk or breathe. Sneaking around was second nature to him, and indeed it would be hard to outperform him in this task without the aid of a Strain power, he’d been doing it for as long as he could remember. And, of course, the purpose of that was for his superiors to send him out on reconnaissance missions, assassination missions, thieving missions, kidnapping missions. Basically, Nyb was the lackey they used for everything, and his training had forged him into the perfect tool for it.

Well, in every way except one, that is.

There, crouched outside the abandoned bookstore in the shadows, peering through the window at the lanky man inside, Nyb didn’t make a sound. The Colorless King had been deemed a high priority target. The fact that he was low-profile, not widely even known about, meant that if he disappeared, there would be minimal backlash. It was essentially risk-free. On top of that, he possessed the extraordinary powers of a Clan King, something Nyb’s superiors had long sought after as desperation mounted to reach a breakthrough with the research.

He was the Colorless King, but Nyb didn’t know his name. Just that the gaunt, black-haired man fitting his description was his target. Regardless, dread still prickled like a thorn in the young assassin’s heart. He knew what fate lay in store for this man once Nyb’s terrible hands grabbed him. It was the same thing they pulled Nyb in for about once a month or so, and even though that had occurred several weeks ago, he could still feel the chilling sensation of the needle in his arm as the vials filled with his blood. He hated it, and he didn’t particularly want any more people held prisoner for such an awful task.

But he’d already put off the abduction several times on the pretense of information-gathering. He would have to make his move soon, or he would be punished.

And yet, just as the pivotal moment arrived and the Colorless King took his step outside, Nyb balked and his blood ran cold.

Because just as he’d tensed the muscles in his legs, ready to leap out and make his decisive move, the dark eyes landed directly where Nyb still crouched, hidden by loose shrubbery and shadows. And yet, this veil concealing him was somehow easily shattered, because the man clearly saw him, and asked him a question.

Having been seen, the only option left to him was to deceive. Crouched as he was by the building’s window, there weren’t very many options for him.

“Oh, uh… I thought I dropped something important to me here somewhere. It’s small and hard to see, so it’s been kinda hard.” A convenient lie that lent itself to his awkward positioning. “I was trying to see what was going on with the bookstore when my ring slipped off. There was a book I was looking for, but then this place looked shut down, so I guess I wasn’t getting very far. But then… I didn’t expect there’d be anyone inside, so I was surprised. Are there still books in there?” And diversion.

V simply stared at the man as he gave his reasoning for his presence. It seemed a little off, although to the stranger’s credit, V probably caught him off guard. Even so, V didn’t want to let his guard down completely. “A ring?” If it was truly that important, then why was the accessory so ill-fitting that it would slip right off if the stranger was just trying to investigate the bookstore?

“I don’t know about this one, V,” Griffon commented in V’s mind. “Something doesn’t sit right with me...”

V didn’t need to reply to his familiar for Griffon to know that the king held the same idea in his head. “Your eyes do not fail you, as this particular bookstore is indeed out of business. Although yes, there is still a collection of books within.”

“What book are you looking for? Should this store have it, it would be no trouble for me to part with it.” V didn’t care to let people he didn’t trust into the bookstore, save for very special circumstances, and this man was no exception. “The previous owners catalogued every piece that entered these doors. I could simply search for it while you searched for that ring of yours.”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

questionablehero​:

“Well, sure, if being chewed on by rats is skeevy. Though it’s not exactly like I woke up and decided to lay down in an alley full of man-eating rodents. Anyway, what exactly are you saying you even did here that I should be thanking you for? If anything, aren’t you the kind of creature that I should expect to see in Hell?” Shooting such barbed words back at the ugly bird - which, indeed, looked like some kind of monstrous demon - Subaru asserted his own independence this way. Given that his Return By Death triggered automatically, he didn’t believe any of the egotistical bird’s self-congratulating words.

Although, deep down, there was definitely something soothing about having someone right there upon waking up to talk to. Having to wake up from that hell alone… from the madness of having one’s entire self corroded away by rat teeth. He shuddered to think about it, and was silently grateful for Griffon and V’s interference with it.

Unfortunately, as to the question of who he’d pissed off…

“Agh, I really have no idea. Despite what you might think of me, I really don’t get around to doing too much. I guess if anything there might be some people who’d want to finish me off, but this is completely different from anything I’d expect from that.” And his memory, already hazy from the effects of Return By Death, may have only been tampered with further if he’d been drugged prior to waking up. So the identity of this culprit was… “Completely unknown. Unless it actually ends up being you two, I don’t really have any leads as to who did this.” And not that the two of them didn’t look shifty, but it did seem kind of unlikely that they would have let him live this long already if they were truly the ones responsible.

“Well, maybe you’re in hell, kiddo! Who’s to say?” Again, Griffon got a sharp nudge from the end of V’s cane. Still, the fact that Subaru was alive at all was astounding. He was most certainly dead when Griffon and V happened upon the scene, at the very least.

“Regardless, it was a rather gruesome scene. Someone must be harboring some sort of grudge... whether it was directed at you, or you just so happened to be their stress relief, I can’t say,” V theorized.

“Or someone’s just really screwed in the head,” Griffon added.

V would’ve liked to know the identity of the one who did this, if anything just to know who he should steer clear of. Dealing with someone who murders others in such a way sounded like much more trouble than V wanted to ever have to handle. V wasn’t scared of encountering someone like that so much as he thought it would be a pain.

“Speculation with no leads would simply be fruitless. If you don’t know, then you don’t know.”

“Outside of that, your ability intrigues me. Do you feel the pain, or is the way your wounds have healed deeper than the skin? Has this happened to you prior to this experience?” Having someone who is essentially undying could be very useful as a clansman... assuming that the recovery was indeed complete.

[nazo-no-otoko]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

questionablehero​:

“H-huh..?” To call the bird monstrous wouldn’t do it justice. Larger than any bird Subaru had ever seen up close, the eyes boring into him each bore multiple golden pupils that sent a shiver crawling up his spine. Dark blue feathers adorned its large body, and, most unsettling of all, when it spoke, the “beak” opened outward similar to a mandible. Disregarding that the bird itself looked anything but normal, the fact that it could speak stunned Subaru into silence, although its rude and boisterous attitude made him wonder if it was even a bird at all.

Well, regardless of all that, the questions they were slinging at him were only the same questions he had himself, so it wasn’t really like he could answer anything. If anything, their testimony only helped him piece bits of the story together.

Still, though no rats were in sight, his skin crawled at the mention of the creatures, and he had to glance back down at his body to make sure none of them were on him.

“Okay, well… First of all, don’t call me something disgusting like ‘rat boy’, that makes it sound like I’m up to something skeevy. My name is Subaru. Anyways, it’s not like I asked you to come examine my body, you did that on your own, so don’t blame me for what you found!” Honestly, it felt like the bird was harassing him for dying or something. It wasn’t like he wanted to die, damn it. Much less like he had.

“Okay, to be honest, I really don’t remember much right now. But to answer the question of ‘how’ I’m alive, it’s just my ability. I don’t really know the details of how it works or anything, just that… when I die I come back. Anyways, like I said, I don’t remember much about before I died. Just that there were rats. And considering you two are here now, it seems kinda fishy to me. Am I supposed to just believe that you just happened to stumble upon me and are completely unrelated?“

V stood by as the recently resurrected victim of this bizarre death--Subaru, as he so indignantly introduced--snapped back at Griffon, mildly amused by the exchange. Griffon’s bluntness and lack of filter just meant that he deserved the backtalk, even though Griffon clearly didn’t hold the same opinion.

“Well, I don’t know you! Maybe you were doing somethin’ skeevy! You should be thanking me for finding you, anyway, brat! Mommy and daddy would’ve never known what happened to their little monster if I hadn’t!”

V nudged Griffon sharply with the end of his cane to indicate to Griffon that it was time to knock it off.

“Regardless of how it appears, we truly were just happening by. I’ve no reason to waste my time doing something so senseless as arranging a death by rodent consumption. If I wanted someone dead, I’d rather do it myself, away from the eyes of the public.”

“Which begs the question of who would do something like that...” V mused aloud.

“Yeah, for real. Who the hell did you piss off, kid?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

That’s Pretty Sus | V and Nyb

@bloodstainedshackles​

V must’ve read the yellowed pages of this particular Blake anthology about a hundred times. Still, it was his favorite collection of poems, and the familiarity of the words brought him a sort of comfort. It was a nice day to go outside for most, but that time could’ve been spent inside for just as pleasant of a time if you asked V.

Griffon was by no means a normal bird, but he fell into those habits regardless, preening his feathers near his master. But as he finished, rather than engage in some banter, the familiar was silent. V was glad for the reprieve from Griffon’s usual blabber, but he could feel that there was a deeper reason for his bird’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“Is something the matter?” he asked, not looking up from his book.

“Yeah... there’s been a guy hanging around outside for a while. He doesn’t seem to be doin’ anything, but uh... he’s just been there way longer than anyone should, considerin’ to anyone else, this is just a closed down bookstore,” Griffon explained.

“Hm... that’s odd, indeed. He may be lost.”

“Or he could be up to something.”

“I guess we’ll find out, then, won’t we?” With that, V shut his book and placed it on the table in front of him, grabbing his cane from nearby. “I’m going to go for a walk. If he’s still loitering about when I return, then it might be cause for suspicion.”

Griffon nodded once before dissolving into black shards which seemed to evaporate into mist shortly, the tattoos on V’s chest and arms reappearing as the mist cleared. V stepped outside of the bookstore and locked the door behind him before turning to begin his stroll. But before he set off, it wouldn’t hurt to pose a question to the stranger.

“Is there something I can assist you with?” V asked the man. “Are you lost, perhaps?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Another Era | V and Tanjiro

calmingflow​:

Tanjiro couldn’t remember how he got here. Or where here was. Or when he was. Looking around, everyone on the street was dressed in old style clothes, and when he looked down at himself, he saw that his own clothes had been replaced with those from centuries ago. The town itself seemed medieval and looking further Tanjiro could make out an enormous wall of tree trunks on the outskirts of the town. The villagers themselves seemed to be in a rush, almost as if they were preparing for something. None of them seemed to notice he was out of place, until one individual with black hair called out to him.

The man smelled different from everyone else. It was clear that he also didn’t belong wherever or whenever they were. 

“No, I’m not. Do you know where we are?”

Just as he had uttered his question, the sun dipped below the horizon.

“Ah, so this kid didn’t know anything, huh?” Griffon asked from within.

“I suppose not,” V answered. “But at least I know I’m not alone.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t the slightest idea. I don’t recall seeing this village in my life, even if my clothes seem to indicate otherwise.”

As the sun disappeared and the sky was bled of its colors, the villagers around them flocked to the perimeters of the fence, weapons readied. V noticed that even he was equipped with a makeshift spear, a sharpened rock fastened to a long pole. And he soon found out why as the sound of inhuman snarling grew closer.

He readied his spear as well, standing near the other outsider. V himself wasn’t much for combat on his own on account of his frailty, but summoning his familiars wasn’t exactly on the table right now.

“Something is about to happen. Can you fight?” 

[nazo-no-otoko]

The Absence of Color // Emilia & V

icebloom​:

Emilia had read about fires somewhere once before. The main cause of death concerning fire’s wasn’t because of the burns.. It was because of the smoke. The feeling of despair that swelled within her heart at the realization of this fact was bearing itself down upon the girl. The fire had yet to reach her and she was already this weak. Even now her eyelids fluttered closed despite her will to keep them open. The longer she lay there, the more time it took for her to force them open. When the large bird creature had descended down in front of Emilia, her eyes had been closed. Her strength had weakened so immensely that she couldn’t even bring herself to cough anymore despite the incessant itching and tingling in the back of her throat. Very slowly but surely, her eyelids raised, parted just wide enough to drink in the sight of the bird that spoke to her. Huh..? A bird..? Would this be the creature that would herald her into the afterlife?

“Hey, I’m gonna get you outta here, alright? Hold on, little lady!”

Eh..?

She couldn’t muster even a fraction of the confusion that played in her mind in that moment that even in her weakened state she could feel something latching onto her. As she blinked slowly the scene progressed rapidly. One moment the bird was there and then it was gone, yet she heard the flapping of it’s wings the entire time. The next moment she could see her legs dangling down limply, the floor pulled out from under her. Then there was the wall of fire, and then the night sky, dyed gray from the smoke that rose in the air to fill it.

Ah, clean air.

That was Emilia’s first thought as she was gingerly set down outside of the alley, the rush of pure, unadulterated oxygen filled her poisoned lungs and she inhaled eagerly which only caused her to spiral into a terrible coughing fit. She placed her hands to her throat, grasping at it as though to massage her throat through her flesh, something that she could not do and did not help. It did help to steady her body as she was wracked with fits. She forced herself to calm down so she could peer into the alley, but it was hard to see with the flames everywhere. She could just make out the silhouette of a person standing there and other forms that she couldn’t quite make out. The fire that licked the air caused it to distort the area around it, much like a mirage in a desert.

Once Emilia’s coughing fit had subsided, she placed her hands in front of her as she sat there, body leaning forward as she squinted into the alley. Someone or something had clearly gone to her rescue.. She’d feel horrible if something happened to them because of her. As the girl steeled her resolve and willed her weak legs to move, the fire dissolved before she could bring herself to her feet. Amethyst eyes blinked in surprise as she locked her gaze on the person standing there. She tried to make out the smallest of details about him from his back alone but then he turned, walked over to her, then knelt before her.

“I’m fine!” She replied instantly to assuage him of any worry. “More importantly..” It was hard to view him in the position he was in but she carefully looked him up and down, craning her weak and wobbly body from side to side to make sure not a single detail was overlooked. “Are you Ok? You’re not hurt, are you?” There wasn’t a single scratch on his body, not a single singe to his clothing, the only thing of note was the sweat that had formed at his brow. Just to be absolutely sure she looked him over once again and then sighed in relief. She couldn’t help where her curious gaze led her to next which was back into the alley but before her eyes strayed too far, they landed on the creatures that hovered near the man. If she could describe them simply, one was a rather large cat and the other a rather large bird. Realization laced her features as she took in the sight of the latter. “Um.. You’re the one that helped me right?” She was sure it had spoken to her back then and she regarded it with wonder and awe. “Thank you.” She finally smiled, trying to muster the intensity of the grattitude she felt towards the creatures before her as well as the man. She couldn’t be sure of the man but he had asked if she was alright, and that thoughtfulness to her well being warmed her heart. “That man.. Did he…?” Her brows furrowed as she struggled with the words that she hoped the man before her would fill in. There wasn’t a body so he surely must have survived, but if he had gotten away what of the pregnant woman’s belongings?

So this girl was concerned about others before her own safety. V couldn’t exactly say he understood forsaking his own (admittedly already poor) health for others, but he resonated with wanting to help those in need. Being weak was beyond frustrating, and V was beyond tired of being seen as helpless and powerless. Helping those in need helped alleviate those feelings, proved that he was stronger.

“Yes, I’m quite fine. Your concern is appreciated,” V responded. When the silver-haired girl addressed Griffon, the bird puffed up his feathers proudly and stuck his chest out.

“Yep! That’s me, your savior! You can worship me if you want, I won’t mind.” V nudged Griffon hard with his cane as a sort of scolding before V continued.

“You can call me V. That loud one is Griffon, and this one is Shadow.” V motioned towards his animals in turn with his cane as he introduced them. Shadow gave a mix of a purr and growl by way of greeting before seemingly dissipating into a puff of smoke as some of the tattoos reformed on V’s chest and arms.

“Kitty doesn’t usually stay out so long, so you’re lucky you got to meet it, girly. His highness doesn’t often just show us off like that. As for that fire guy, he’s long gone.”

V looked into the alley to confirm as much, and that’s when the purse caught his attention. “Ah. Just a lowly thug, as expected.” V walked over to where the purse lay on the ground, picking it up. 

“Is this yours?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Bookstore Blues | V and Touko

lovelined​:

She could no longer bring herself to step inside the bookstore closest to her home thanks to a certain encounter. She’d tried a few times but could not handle the looks of disdain the workers gave her each time her hands hovered over the door handles. Touko couldn’t be without a bookstore or a library at her disposal. The number one tool for a writer was research, and while the internet was an indispensable tool, not only did she not trust the fools on that wikipedia website of which anyone and everyone had access to editing, the internet was just plain awful. There were times where it just wouldn’t work at all and she was quite fed up with it. Thankfully, books were a sourced wealth of information that could not be simply edited. 

The particular bookstore which she found herself standing in front of was dark and hardly welcoming, but that suited Touko just fine. If it looked this uninviting then no one else would want to enter and the less people she surrounded herself with the better. She tried the door but it would not budge. And then she tried again… and again… then one final time with both hands gripping the handles and pulling back as hard as she could with the most strained noises. 

“What the heck!?” she shouted with half a mind of giving it a good kick when a voice from behind startled her, causing the skittish female to jump and screech ungracefully. She spun around her abruptly, her long plaits whipping around her body, the twirl of her long pleated skirt keeping her legs modestly covered. “W-What do you want!?” 

It took a moment for her to properly register what he’d said to her as she was gripped by surprise and fear, she was unable to focus due largely in part to the loud hammering of her heart against her ribcage, and then when it sunk in her fear was noticeably replaced with despair. “Out of business!? How do you know!?” Like she’d trust some weirdo who snuck up on poor, unsuspecting girls like that! Was this some setup to kidnap her? For him to offer his guidance only for her to end up in a dark alley somewhere and throw eggs at her? The endless scenario’s of bullying she envisioned grew in intensity and caused her to tense and recoil away from the stranger in defense. 

V was taken aback by the girl’s harsh attitude. He’d thought he’d been rather polite in telling her it was closed, but it seemed as though he had ended up casting suspicion onto himself. “Hey, what’s this girl’s deal?” Griffon asked. While Griffon wasn’t physically manifested, V could still hear the bird within his mind as the two had something of a telepathic link with each other.

The longer he stood there, the weirder V would appear, and having this misunderstanding continue wasn’t beneficial to V nor would it help this clearly anxious and paranoid girl.

“There’s no need to be so defensive,” V answered calmly. “I simply live here and I was returning home from a walk. I’ve no intention to cause you any sort of harm or even inconvenience.” Just taking his word for it seemed like something this strange girl wouldn’t be inclined to do, so he thought of something to try and ease her paranoia about him. It was troublesome for him if she was trying to cause an altercation right in front of his place of residence, after all.

“The previous owners of the bookstore left their collection in tact. I’m not entirely sure why they simply left the place. If you’d like to come inside and peruse the books yourself, I wouldn’t stop you so long as you didn’t cause me any trouble.”

[nazo-no-otoko]

soulphrxse​:

“Thank you…Koromaru is grateful too.” The dog had a peculiar look in his eyes that Minato could only chalk up to thankfulness towards their eccentric host. The couch looked comfortable enough to Minato even without the blankets and pillow, but that was only because he found it easy to fall asleep just about anywhere. He wouldn’t fuss about it, so long as he had somewhere to rest his head. “Goodnight,” he called out softly to his host, who was retreating to his room upstairs. 

Once V was upstairs, Minato looked to Koromaru, who seemed to be making himself comfortable on the blankets that had been kindly set out for him. “…Well, we should get to bed too then.” Without wasting another second, Minato made himself comfortable on the couch (which took little time) and covered himself with his blanket, falling asleep about thirty seconds after his head hit the pillow. Like this, he’d sleep through the night.

The problem was, he had not slept through the night. Tonight, it was that dream again.

Their car had flipped over because their car always flipped over. And naturally, the strains whose reckless behavior had caused the explosion and subsequent crash would flee, because that was what they always did. It was less of a dream, and more of a memory replaying itself, except for the fact that Minato knew how the event would unfold and was powerless to stop it. He had of course, only been six years of age at that time. He would have been powerless no matter what.

Maybe it was worse because he was aware that it was a dream. Aware that his mind was playing tricks on him when he once again felt the glass from the windshield pierce his skin, or when he swore his skin would soon begin to burn from the intense blaze, or when he felt his lungs filling up with a thick, black smoke that made it impossible to breathe, only given a bit of relief when he was ejected from the vehicle.

Maybe it was worse because his mind always managed to recall the way his mother had smiled at him before she died.

The flames danced around his parents, or the lifeless figures of his parents, and he was left with the terrible feeling of having seen their demise once more. This recollection was interrupted by something that sounded like whining…?

When Minato awoke, he was coughing violently, a single hand brought up to his mouth as if trying to cover it. Beside him, Koromaru was whining, in an attempt to redirect his attention. 

Once his coughing fit died down, he was able to properly understand the situation. Koromaru was trying to rescue him from his nightmare without making too much noise, he figured. This kind of thing happened rather often, and it was moments like this that made him realize just how lucky he was to have such a companion. “…I’m fine, Koromaru,” he assured him, rewarding the animal with well deserved headpats. “Sorry to worry you.”

V wasn’t much of a heavy sleeper in the first place. Growing up, he had to be aware of his surroundings, since he had no one to look out for him. No parents, no siblings, nothing. So when he awoke to the terrible sound of uncontrollable coughing, he wasn’t upset or anything of the sort. Maybe Minato was ill in a similar manner that V was. Either way, it wasn’t his place to ask, nor did he particularly care to.

“Ugh, you got a noisy guest, V,” Griffon grumbled, manifesting himself within the room as he spoke. “At least you got enough energy for me to come out again. Think the kid is alright?”

Just as Griffon asked, the coughing began to die down and V heard small whimpers that ceased just a few moments after. He’d nearly forgotten about Minato’s animal companion.

“He has his dog with him. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Griffon shook his feathers out a bit before he lifted himself into the air. “I’m gonna go check on him anyway.”

With that, Griffon swooped down the stairs and flew to one of the chairs near the couch, perching on the back of it. 

“Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Havin’ a bit of trouble down here?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

questionablehero​:

The scrambling of many tiny feet, crawling over his body, their minuscule nails poking through his clothing into his skin, abruptly woke Subaru. Though his eyes flew open, no light seemed able to penetrate the utter, absolute darkness enshrouding his vision. He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel the displacement of his skin as those paws shuffled around, a tickling as a small, wet nose pushed curiously against the bare skin of his face…

Keep reading

V watched on in disbelief as the body began to... reform itself, almost. What was barely left, or not even there at all, of the corpse--he hoped it was a corpse by the time he had stumbled upon it--appeared again in full.

“How odd...” he muttered. His mind was having trouble wrapping around it, but as the young man jolted up into a sitting position, V was pulled from his thoughts.

“What the fuck?!” Griffon crowed, landing on the ground next to the man, tilting his head to the side and trying to look at this... victim? Could he be called a victim if he was still alive and just fine now? The question posed to the duo prompted Griffon to laugh. “Who are we? Well, who are you, rat boy? We were just walking through and we found you being eaten up by the rats! Uh... how are you even alive right now? Without even a mark? Your insides were your outsides for a bit there.”

V certainly had the same questions on his mind, but at least the king had more tact about it.

“You can call me V. That creature is Griffon. I suppose asking if you’re okay is a pointless inquiry, so I’ll ask something else: how did you end up here?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

soulphrxse​:

Minato only gave a small nod as they arrived at V’s place of residence, finding it a bit odd that it seemed to be a bookstore…though he had no right to judge anyone. The walk there had been quiet and peaceful just the way he liked things, although he had kept an eye on V from the corner of his eye. He was a grown man, but seemed a bit unsteady as he made his way through the city. He must’ve had a weak body, or something of the sort.

The youth stood a bit further back with his dog as V unlocked the door, only planning to ensure that he was inside safely before beginning the trek back to his dorm. The offer to spend the night caught him off guard, as for a moment, it sounded like some kind of kidnapping plot. Someone being lured to another’s home in such a manner wasn’t entirely unheard of. Although he had small doubts, in the end, it wasn’t as if it mattered. He was exhausted. If things were safe, then great. If not? Well, Koromaru could easily run off and get out before things got ugly. As for himself, Minato couldn’t have cared less about what his fate would be. “Pass the night…?” He glanced down at Koromaru, who seemed to be looking at him with pleading eyes.

Yeah, Koromaru was tired too. He had to start taking his walks a little earlier. 

“…If it’s fine with you, then I will.” Minato accepted the offer only after seeing the look in the dog’s eyes, knowing that walking himself home at this time would be more trouble than it was worth. 

V might’ve been the one who offered for Minato to stay the night, but he didn’t actually expect Minato to agree. A lot of people were more wary of strangers inviting them into their home, but it dawned on him that he didn’t exactly appear threatening, since Minato’s first introduction to V was finding the king collapsed in the street.

“Of course. I’ll prepare one of the couches for you.” V really lucked out that the bookstore he took residence in used to have a reading area for visitors with a couple of couches and armchairs around a table. He tried to keep the interior presentable, even though he didn’t have many (or any) visitors. He carefully made his way up the stairs into a smaller area that he repurposed to serve as his bedroom to grab some blankets and a pillow for his guest.

He returned to the bottom of the stairs to place one of the blankets and a pillow on the largest couch that was available, as well as placing the other blankets on the ground for Koromaru to sleep on.

“You’ll be safe here. No one bothers with this place, besides me, of course. I’ll be retiring upstairs. Should you need me, don’t hesitate to call upon me.”

“Rest well. I can see you off in the morning.”

[icebloom]

The Absence of Color // Emilia & V

Emilia stood outside a building. It was dark inside, save for the gentle light that poured in thanks to the daylight. Amethyst eyes gazed up at the sign that told anyone that could read that this was a bookstore, however another notice placed right on the door revealed that this particular bookstore was no longer in operation. Emilia allowed herself a small smile as she tried the door, finding that it relented as she turned it, she stepped gracefully inside. Dust particles floated in the air where the light streamed in. It looked pretty and magical but it turned Emilia’s smile into a frown. When was the last time this place was cleaned? From time to time, Emilia would drop in like this. Naturally, since this is where her King dwelled. She wandered through the tall bookshelves and stopped in front of one of the windows, peering outside. “Penny for your thoughts, Lia?” Emilia blinked, tilting her head as she felt something soft tickle against her cheek and she drank in the sight of the small, gray cat that seemed to appear from out behind her hair. “Mm, just killing time.” Even though the bookstore was empty and quiet, she found it peaceful and nostalgic. “You’re checking on V, right?” Puck normally wore a smile, but right now it seemed to widen and curl into a smirk. Emilia stiffened at his expression as if he were peering right into her head, which he technically could. “Of course not! I just wanted a change of scenery. That’s all!”  Emilia turned her head away from Puck, eyes shut as she pouted, and Puck could only respond with a awkward smile and a sigh. Though now that she wasn’t busy and was accompanied only by Puck’s presence and her memories, her thoughts trailed off and entered the realm of the past. How long had it been now since she’d met her curious King and contracted with him? She could remember it quite vividly. She kept her eyes closed, her pout wearing off as the scene of the library melted around her and instead of daylight it was night. It wasn’t as though time had passed– no. It was the reverse as Emilia traversed the past within her mind. It had been several months ago late at night when Emilia found herself strolling through the streets of Shizume with only one particular destination in mind but in no hurry as she wanted to enjoy the journey. Once college had ended for the day, Emilia held herself back, shutting herself up in one of the empty classrooms to get a headstart on one of her homework assignments. It wasn’t as though she planned to stay there and complete everything, but this particular subject she struggled with and so wanted to pick her professors brain for a bit. Once she had been satisfied she could complete the subject successfully on her own at home, she headed off. The sunset sky was painted in purple and pink hues, and Emilia whose attention had been captured by the night sky hadn’t noticed the scene unfolding directly behind her until it quite literally had slammed into her. Emilia stumbled as something collided with her, eyes widening in surprise as she controlled her balance and focused on what had run into her. “Stop him! He took my purse!” It was such a cliche line that it took Emilia a moment to wonder if she’d somehow stepped inside a book or one of those drama’s on TV. Her eyes stopped on the woman who was yelling, desperate and panicked as she held her enlarged stomach. She was.. pregnant? There was no way she could give chase in that state and so her assessment of the situation complete in her mind, she took of running after the man. “Stop!” Emilia commanded as she tried to make her soft voice much louder than it normally was. Everyone else stopped except for the person it had been directed at. Bystanders stopped to look on the situation but made no moves to intervene, wanting not to get involved. Emilia couldn’t blame nor chastise them for that. Everyone had their reasons. Like right now.. What excuse could she possibly come up with for her wanting to step in and help? “I’m warning you! If you don’t stop–!” How was she supposed to word that she would be forced to attack in public? There really wasn’t a delicate way to put it, so seeing as the robber hadn’t conceded to her demands, she opted to use her trump card. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” She called out to him one last time as she stretched out her hand and willed the iridescent blue crystals to spring up from the ground, encasing the robbers feet in pure ice. That ought to stop him! It had momentarily. The robber was surprised briefly, throwing a glare over his shoulder back at Emilia then moved his hands over the ice, flames erupting forth that melted the ice instantaneously. Emilia paused, her determination melting like her ice into surprise and doubt. He was a strain with fire abilities. Didn’t that stack the odds against her a bit? There was no way ice could stand up to fire. “What should I do..?” She asked herself in a soft voice, more to herself than anyone in particular as she watched the robber, instead of running  like he had been, got up and turned to face Emilia. It seemed to have dawned on him that his element worked against hers and he had her exactly where he wanted her. In the dark of this alley with no one else around he set the entire perimeter ablaze so that anyone who would attempt to enter could be thwarted and as if to add insult to injury, wrapped a ring of fire around Emilia so close that the flames caused her to sweat. Emilia furrowed her brows at the rise in temperature, but she wasn’t the type to give up without a fight. Raising one slender arm into the air, sharp icicles materialized from nothing and then flew directly at the robber. The robber, though taken by surprise by this, reacted quickly enough to dispel them with his fire, the icicles melting into liquid and falling to the ground in front of him. In retaliation he closed the gap of the blazing ring around Emilia, drawing it closer and closer to her to the point not only did she fear moving but the increase in temperature seemed to zap her of all her strength.  Any closer and the fire would consume her. Emilia dropped to her knees, choking on the heat and grabbed at her face. It was so hot. The flames inched closer and closer, practically licking at the white haired girl’s clothes and skin. She tucked her body in as tightly as she could to avoid them from touching her and once more summoned more ice in the hopes it would stave off the fire but only dissolved into puddles of water. Wait… water? That might work to her advantage! She summoned as much of her energy and willed even more ice to form before the flames but Emilia froze before she could, her body wracked by heavy wheezing and coughing. Unbeknownst to her, the fire had lapped up other debris causing smoke to spread which she’d been inhaling this entire time. Because of her focus primarily being on the strain and the fires he’d whipped up, she failed to notice the gray tendrils invading her body.

Without proper air Emilia could only succumb to the smoke filling her lungs and fell to the concrete floor on her side, her vision darkening as her body continued to do everything in it’s power to reject the smoke. Her eyelids lowered as the image of the flames circled around her were reflected in her amethyst hues. She did her best to cling to consciousness as her eyes teared up, half from how foolish and useless she was and half because of the heat. At a time like this when she was sure death was eminent she wasn’t quite sure what to think or say. Would anyone even miss her if she was gone..? Emilia smiled bitterly at the thought, the smile disappearing as she continued to choke and cough weakly.

[nazo-no-otoko]

It had been a night like any other the day that V had met who was to be his first clansman. The king had been in the mood to read some poetry to himself in a park a little ways from the little defunct bookstore he called home. Nightfall was the best time, he found, to partake in his little indulgence since the lack of foot traffic after the sun dipped below the horizon meant he didn’t have to be bothered.

Plus, his companion Griffon enjoyed being able to fly around freely without worrying about people bothering his king. Shadow was content staying within V, but on some nights, he allowed the large cat to prowl around the park and stretch its legs. Maybe he would allow it to roam tonight.

He stopped walking as something strange caught his eye. In an alleyway a little ways down the street, smoke poured from its opening and into the main street. “How odd.”

“Oooh, V! V, let’s go look!” the excited voice within V’s mind implored. “Not every night something like this happens!”

“It might simply be a fire that’s gotten out of hand, Griffon. There’s no reason to investigate.”

“But what if there is? Besides, it’s not like you lose anything if nothing’s goin’ on.”

V conceded, and he began to approach the source of the smoke, and as he got close, he heard the coughing and wheezing from within the alley, and although he wasn’t sold on investigating before, his attention had definitely been grabbed now.

As he rounded the corner, he took in the sight before him. Walls of fire had been erected at either end of the alley, effectively barring him from entering, but he could see a girl with long silver hair collapsed in the smoke and fire, and a man who seemed just fine. So he was the one orchestrating this attack?

“Save her.”

“Got it!”

V held his arm out and some of the tattoos littering his skin erupted into black shards that dissolved in the air before reforming into a large black and blue bird, the form that Griffon took. He flew upwards and looked at the configuration at the fire, seeing an opening above the flames. He swooped down, careful to clear the top of the ring of flames. He landed in front of the young victim’s face, craning his neck down to look at her.

“Hey, I’m gonna get you outta here, alright? Hold on, little lady!” Griffon hopped on top of her, sinking his talons into her clothing, careful not to actually grab her skin and hurt her. With ease, he lifted her up and began to carry her out of the way of the flames.

Perhaps Shadow could get some use after all, V determined, as he summoned the large cat with a similar flare to Griffon’s summon, and the panther growled as it sunk into the concrete, melting into a puddle around V’s feet. Quickly, Shadow dashed forward, carrying V with it through the flames, Shadow’s liquid form guarding him from burns. Griffon carefully placed the girl outside of the alley before joining up with V within the flaming alleyway.

“So, you’re the one behind this? That’s a useful skill ya got there! Maybe we can use him, V!” Griffon crowed sarcastically. The robber balked as Griffon stared him down, and Shadow seeped out from beneath V’s feet to reform its feline shape, snarling at the fire user.

“Use him? Is this another one of your jokes? Look at him.” V gestured at the robber with cane. “He’s shaking. Scared. Anyone who chooses to target those weaker than them and pales when faced with the consequences of his actions isn’t even worth a second glance.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, go on, Guy Fawkes. Scram before the hungry kitty here decides to eat ya.” The threat from Griffon was enough to send the robber scrambling to leave the alley, the fire extinguishing as he did, leaving nothing but smoldering rubble behind.

V sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Thank goodness. I don’t enjoy being entrapped by fire. The heat is incredibly unpleasant.” He turned to face the girl that Griffon had pulled from the flames, and he walked over and knelt before her. “Are you alright?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Bookstore Blues | V and Touko

@lovelined​

Staying cooped up inside all day wasn’t necessarily something the colorless king frowned upon; in fact, it was quite the contrary. Regardless, he couldn’t ignore that his new kingship meant he had to work on his sociability, but rather than go out and strike up conversations with random people, he would simply stroll about the city if he didn’t have any business elsewhere.

When he went out during the day, he found himself returning home only about an hour or so after leaving, his energy drained by the sheer amount of people out and about during the day. This afternoon, however, he had found a girl with long braids standing in front of the door to the abandoned bookstore he called home. He didn’t see people stop by the bookstore looking for the business all that often, or they stopped by when he wasn’t home, so it was something of a surprise. Either way, she didn’t seem too happy.

“Ah, my apologies. Are you looking to enter the bookstore?” he asked as he approached. “It’s currently out of business.”

[nazo-no-otoko]

Rodent Problem | V and Subaru

@questionablehero​ 

V tended to get some strange looks whenever he went out and about with Griffon, but he was glad that most of the time, people in Shizume were too wrapped up in their own business to really ask him about it or go out of their way to make a scene of V’s odd “pet.” When the two spoke, they spoke quietly, since seeing such a strange bird speak so fluently would definitely attract attention.

“So are we going back home now?” Griffon asked. “The sun’s startin’ to set, and I don’t want you out past your bedtime, your highness.” V knew the title was said in sarcasm, but he’d long since gotten used to Griffon’s condescension.

“I suppose we could. I don’t have any other business out here besides taking you for a walk, and the walk home should be sufficient.”

“What am I, a dog?”

“Does the implication ruffle your feathers?”

“Oh, ha ha, V. Nice joke. You’re getting better at that.”

The back and forth was interrupted by a rat skittering across V’s feet, causing the king to raise an eyebrow. Rats in the city were an incredibly rare sight indeed, and what was even more odd was that it seemed to have... blood on its feet and muzzle.

“Ugh, disgusting!” Griffon exclaimed before remembering it was wiser to be a little quieter than that, lowering his voice again. “Wanna check it out, V?”

“I guess so, although I didn’t think one rat is cause for alarm.”

V didn’t have to wonder exactly where the rat came from as two more quickly followed it, rushing out into the street, looking similarly dyed in deep red in the same areas on their bodies. And another. And another. “Although I guess while one rat is strange, five is a little closer to anomalous.”

“Ya don’t say.”

As the king followed the trail of the rats, he heard squeaking and assumed he had found the source of the rats in the alleyway just up ahead. His suspicions were confirmed as he peeked around the corner and saw an incredibly large swarm of rats of varying size and color all piled on... something, but the sheer amount of rodents obscured the object they had gathered on.

“Shoo! Shoo! Get out of here!” Griffon swooped down from his spot on V’s shoulders, flapping his wings harshly in an attempt to disperse the rodents. He squawked in surprise as he jumped back as much as a flying bird could. “Fuck! V, I think it’s a person!”

Without thinking, V summoned Shadow. “Clear them,” he commanded. The panther did just that, swiping at the rats until the small animals cleared out, startled by the appearance of the large cat. And sure enough...

V felt his stomach turning and bile rising in his throat as he covered his mouth and fought the urge to vomit. Before him, there was the body of a young man, eaten by the rats. They really made short work of the poor man. His legs were gnawed thoroughly, the bone exposed in certain places. Looking further, the rodents had chewed right through his stomach. They were beginning to make progress on the man’s intestines, which were spilled (or more accurately, tugged and pulled) out of his torso to lay in a small pile on the ground, frayed in places.

His face wasn’t much better. His nose was nearly gone, and V could see right through to his cheekbones, teeth, and the edges of his eye sockets. The incredible nausea that washed over the king was only exacerbated by the sight of one of the man’s fingers twitching.

“Holy shit!” Griffon shouted, quickly dashing behind V. “Holy shit, I think he’s still alive!”

Not necessarily, V thought. At worst, he was alive, but it could’ve been a death twitch.

[nazo-no-otoko]

soulphrxse​:

Ah, this had quickly become troublesome. Honestly speaking, Minato was ready to fall into his bed and pass out. The only reason he hadn’t yet was for the sake of Koromaru’s walk, which had been delayed as he got home from a part-time shift at a cafe rather late. Now he was put in such an unfortunate situation. The dog he had taken in had a good heart, that much was sure. A good heart, and far too much energy…

“…Okay.” Shoving his hands into his pants pockets, Minato decided he had no choice but to accompany him. Really, he had no reason not to. His dorm was a ways away and would take him some time to return to anyway, and Koromaru wouldn’t mind the fresh air very much at all. He waited for the stranger, no for V, to start moving before he walked beside him, his loyal dog following closely behind. 

He had to introduce himself too, didn’t he? “I’m Minato Arisato…”

“Woof!”

“…and this is Koromaru. Nice to meet you.” His eyes darted back to the Shiba Inu to his side, taking note of the way his tail wagged so wildly. “He’s excited, I think.” He wasn’t some kind of expert on dogs or anything of the sort, but he usually had a basic idea of how Koromaru was feeling or what he wanted to do. The dog was much smarter than he ever would have expected, and even now he was still learning more about him. 

V was honestly relieved that the young man agreed to walk him back to his home. He didn’t want to collapse again, since he knew people tended to ignore or try to benefit from someone in such a vulnerable state. “Thank you for your kindness, Minato. I greatly appreciate it. I only wish I could’ve met you and Koromaru under better circumstances. Luckily, my residence is just a few blocks away.”

V took a rather shaky step forward, but he was able to support his weight between his own leg and his cane. That was a good sign. He continued to walk forward unsteadily and slowly, and he had noticed the way Koromaru’s tail wagged fiercely, and he agreed with Minato’s comment. “It seems so,” he answered. He knew animals were incredibly perceptive. Perhaps the dog could sense V’s own creatures within him.

It took longer than it should have to go those few blocks due to V’s weakness, but sure enough, they came to a stop in front of the abandoned bookstore that V called home. “This is the place,” he said, reaching into the inner pocket of his coat and pulling out his key, unlocking the door and letting it swing open. “Although...”

“It’s rather late, is it not? You must be tired, and some unsavory characters can appear under the cover of darkness. I have a place that you can rest, if you’d like to pass the night here.” He needed to repay Minato for his help, after all, and V didn’t exactly have much by way of monetary or material repayment, so shelter would have to suffice.

[nazo-no-otoko]

Another Era | V and Tanjiro

@calmingflow​

V was... confused, to say the least. He couldn’t recall how he had ended up in this place, but it certainly wasn’t Shizume. Or if it was, it wasn’t the city in the current day. The clothing of the villagers bustling around him as the sun began to sink lower in the sky and the structures of the village itself told him as much. “This is curious...” he muttered to himself, eyes scanning his surroundings for any hint of his current location or even time.

“The work of a strain, maybe?” Griffon asked within V’s mind. “I’d come out, but all these people are armed to the teeth and I don’t think they’d like seeing me appear out of nowhere. Those swords and spears look awful sharp and I like having all my beautiful feathers.”

V ignored his familiar, but he had to admit that a strain with the power to control time, or transport through it, wasn’t too large of a stretch. He walked through the village, trying to get a read on the situation, but what grabbed his attention was a young man with dark hair and a large mark on his forehead looking just as confused as V felt.

“Pardon me,” he said, approaching the boy. “This may be an odd question, but are you from this village?”

[nazo-no-otoko]

[ This took long enough for me to get around to posting, but if you want a starter with our new colorless king V, feel free to like this post! No cap, so go ham ]