rat king

[ravasz]

marton czifra ⟶ intro . pin board . dr. tristan goodman ⟶ intro . pin board . dominique de sade ⟶ intro . pin board . adam summers ⟶ intro . pin board . sunny ray ⟶ intro . pin board . nate devin ⟶ intro . pin board . javier castillo ⟶ intro . pin board.

@ armageddonfm

[lolipopchainscw]

"Right, people are usually afraid of ghosts. I knew that," she said, mostly to herself. Summer's spectral form swooped across the room, so she could stand face-to-face with the councilman. "But I'm not a real ghost," she said. "I'm not in your head, either. So really, there's no reason to freak out! You've have to believe me!"

[ravasz]

he rubs at his eyes with a sigh. when he opens his eyes again, he sees so much more than just a girl floating around in his room. funnily enough, she is still the only one that looks... tangible. you have to believe me! now, that only makes him laugh. "yeah... yeah, sure, I'll believe you. what next? are ya gonna tell me that my lunch wants to eat me? that the windows are eyes? or, or, or, that my son's toys skip around in a circle while he's asleep trying to summon an infernal beast that will possess him and turn him into some mutated devil who'll bring the second armageddon all while holding his favorite blueberry flavored lollipop?! I call bullshit!"

[buriedwithit]

there are a lot of reasons that mars, indirectly, reminds him of himself. that drive to succeed is everything in the business—lifestyle, even—is one reason that he believes they can handle just about anything. but even natural talent can only get you so far without discipline and training. the perfect opportunity for both of them. marton gets to be a brat and hunter gets to dominate him! but that doesn't mean there isn't a part of him that wants to give them everything they want and then some. armor is a better start than weaponry, as far as learning the ropes goes. besides, hunter knows that they'll be pleased to see what he's got in store for them. those without his decades of experience aren't wont to know that defense is actually more important than offense... and that the line between them is razor thin. "alright," he chuckles, hands sliding up their spine to rest between their shoulder blades; "you can have pancakes for dinner. happy? now flex for me." once they do, two small mounted guns roll up out of their shoulder plates. they're set to be stunners but he does intend, at some point, to change that out... but training wheels come first.

[ravasz]

"...yeah." they mutter, because however embarrassing it is, they are happy to have pancakes for dinner. and they're happy that they can share it with hunter. and they're happy that hunter wants this, them as much as they do. is this really what it's like? letting yourself be vulnerable and embarrassingly happy? the thought sends shivers down his spine.

but he chooses to focus on the happy part instead. marton flexes, and his head quickly turns left and then right to see what just popped out of the shoulder plates, eyes widening in shock. "hunter!" he's spoiled. he's being spoiled. and for once, he knows for a fact that this gift isn't something hunter would ever take away from him if he made a mistake. he fucking loves it.

"this is so cool...! where's the trigger? will the helmet help me aim? no, no, I'll just have to practice. can we practice? I mean later. I--" they are overwhelmed with a sudden need to smother hunter in affection. much more than usual. "make them go away so I can climb you!"

[ravasz]

closed . @lolipopchainscw

no, no, no, this can't be happening. wake up. wake up! tristan jolts awake with a gasp, the sudden pain in his head making it hard to see, or even hear properly at first. his vision slowly clears out, but even then all he sees is darkness. and it's cold. and he's... restrained?

he tugs against the ropes around his wrist, squirming, but with no avail. "what the...?" what happened? he can barely remember where he was, or what he was doing. he was at home, wasn't he? did he lock the door? he was waiting for rook to come home, and... "hello...? is there anyone out there?"

[ravasz]

closed . @lolipopchainscw

every time there is a call concerning rook, there is a very high chance that it would be about something that would make his heart race in all the wrong ways. if it isn't about him landing in the ER again, it's about him doing something so reckless that would get him arrested, and tristan can't have him be taken away again. not again.

with all this new flora around, tristan's system has worked rapidly to make up new allergies, which is the reason why he's sniffling and sneezing and getting rash all over his body as he's cutting through the bushes to get to his boyfriend.

when he finally finds him, his heart all but breaks at the sight. "oh no," if there's anything worse than having rook taken away, it would be seeing him this dejected. "rookie, what happened?"

[lolipopchainscw]

"You can see me?" she said. The ghost soars into the air, hands clutched to her chest as she flips like a fish in a tank. "You don't understand -- it's been five freaking years!" she squealed. "I had to take up talking to myself, since nobody was ever listening. I mean, do you have any idea how lonely that is? I had to start haunting and possessing to get some human interaction, or else I'd go crazy. Are you a thousand percent sure you see me right now?"

[ravasz]

"years? what the fuck are you talking about, it's been, like... 12 hours since I last saw you!" yes, she's more defined than most of the things he sees and yes, she hasn't been making him paranoid either. she's actually pretty chill. he doesn't mind her. "oh my god, woman, calm the fuck down! you are in my head! I'm the one that's supposed to be freaking out!"

[ravasz]

closed . @buriedwithit

"long day?" that would be an understatement. in the past days they barely got to see each other, with all the changes in the city, having to be on call to eliminate threats, the whole business with the club. he'll just have to make sure to sign up the two of them to be on call together next time. "I think I've got something to help you relax a little." he hops into hunter's lap, adjusting a little to pull his tail out from an uncomfortable position, then pulls the purple colored, fat little magic doobie out. "rolled with the utmost care."

[ravasz]

closed . @all-cf-me

"still on duty, ser?" their workload has doubled, if not tripled over the past few days, barely any time to relax. sunny could swear they saw deacon drinking at the bar an hour ago, and now he is again, in his knightly garbs. not that they're complaining, of course.

[ravasz]

closed . @all-cf-me

nate stands in his way. and if he steps to the side, so does he. he's not letting him walk past, not when he's aching to annoy him a little (a lot). "anything important in there, asshole?" he points at the documents on his desk, the screens slowly starting to be covered in ink, as the whites of his eyes turn just as black as his irises.

[buriedwithit]

starter for @ravasz !! ( nate )

"oi!" leaping off of where he'd been hanging, ezra lands with a heavy thud in front of his fellow goo in arms. "daddy's home. time for you and me to get up to some trouble, eh?"

[ravasz]

"you're back!" he hops up to ezra with a big grin, nearly void-like eyes looking up at him with admiration. "missed ya! I got up to a lot wheile you were gone. but it's never the same without you... what do ya wanna do?! can we terrorize the pigs patrolling for curfew? pleeeeease?"

[ravasz]

closed . @all-cf-me

"yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" the exasperated grunt is followed by some more grumbling, likely 80% swear words as he hurriedly tucks his holo-books and other documents into his bag. he would have to keep working from home instead of the university. "this curfew is bullshit..." as if he didn't vote for it. "ready?" as if dodge hasn't been waiting on him this whole time.

[lolipopchainscw]

Summer & Javi || @ravasz

It'd become a hobby of sorts -- watching other people's televisions. Summer floated in the living room, more engrossed in the commercial break than the documentary. "Crap, there's finally a decent outlet sale," she said. "And I'm still stuck in bunny slippers."

[ravasz]

see, he wouldn't mind the occassional hallucination in the corner of his eye. it's fine, he's used to it. they sit on the couch without much of a fuss, and maybe he even likes it. he's not alone, at least. well... not in his mind, in a sense. when the hallucination starts talking, however... now that's a completely different kind of crazy. "ay coñ--" the bowl of nuts he's been snacking on goes flying as he does some weird maneuver and jumps up and away from her. he should know, though. they are everywhere. they follow. "not now, please... fuck me, I got a big day tomorrow, I can't have another episode! where's my m-- have you seen them? no, shut up, stop talking. where are they....?"

[buriedwithit]

everything seems to go to plan... but before there can be any celebration, the smoke and heat clears and hunter gets a better picture of the truth. just shy. one out of three is hardly his idea of success, but two against two is something he thinks makes the bugs sorely outmatched. and it's a good way for mars to practice everything he's been teaching him. there's nothing easy about flinging someone into the heat of battle, well-trained or otherwise, but much like a mother bird he acknowledges the truth of nature—flung out he must be. there's only moments that span the distance between monster and fighter, scarcely enough for quick instruction. "hit between the plates. you'll never piece that armor head on. there's weak points!" there's more he would like to say, but the best lessons have always come by experience. he just has to trust that marton is capable enough that they won't get their head torn off—and if not, that he's capable enough to fend off both creatures without getting them killed! buzzing drowns out everything else, wingbeats loud enough to ring in his skull. the insect is more startled than it is angry, giving a warning before the attack—hunter is not so inclined. the moment the twin blades are out of the sockets against his wrists, he launches himself at the larger of the pair with a mighty roar. even that doesn't carry far in the thunder of their wings, but it makes him feel better.

[ravasz]

plates. armor. weak points. alright... he can do this. it's just like any other person marton would bump into in the middle of the night. only with a much more significant mutation. and he has to kill it. because they're going to eat it. oh, fuck... trying to make an analogy about it being a person just made everything worse. and marton makes a face as he reluctantly takes the knife (or rather sword) out of its scabbard from his back, gripping it tightly. hunter seems to be in his element, the way he rushes off into combat with that otherworldly sounding roar. marton tries to channel the way it rumbles across his body, to transform that flight instinct into fight instead.

he doesn't know how or why, but all that noise in his head, all those worries, paranoia, all that sadness and isolation that comes with it, they all die out as if there was a switch flipped in him. and all he can feel all of a sudden, is a euphoric silence, accompanied with the steady buzz of anticipation.

he starts running towards the slower beast, successfully dodging its attack before he teleports a couple of feet above it, trying to give himself time to assess its armor. find a weak spot. as he falls, he collects momentum, and just before colliding with the beast, marton teleports again, to the side, where he rolls into the dirt with a groan. "it's got armor everywhere! I can't--" he has to jump out of the way again, teleporting behind it to quickly wrap his tail around one of its legs (hoping that it's the one that's already weakened) and yank as hard as he can to make it fall. its pincers keep trying to reach him, but with its back on the ground, it's just trashing around, trying to get back on its feet again.

marton stands by it's side, kicking it every time it gets too close to him. "where the fuck am I supposed t-- stop moving! ugh!" he gives up after a while and simply starts bashing its head with the handle of the sword.

[buriedwithit]

nothing of note changes in his expression—mostly because there isn't much to change—but that praise seems to go straight through him. his gills puff out, fins suddenly feeling a little flustered. thankfully he's so devoted to getting a good picture that he manages to smooth them down before the flash goes off. it's also a good thing that he doesn't have lids... because that dazes him for a few seconds, his vision going white and blank. but it's happened before and he knows that it will pass, so he doesn't panic. sure enough, the void clears. "thank you," he says, so full of gratitude he might explode. "i'll always remember this."

[ravasz]

"you're welcome, darling." they hand the communicator back to fins, helping him by taking his big hand and pressing it into his palm, even in his daze. "don't forget to send the pictures to me, yeah? you've got my number!" sunny gives him one last wink, before he takes a couple of steps back, making sure he's not going to burn anyone in the vicinity before he bursts into flames. "I'll see you around, fins!" and with that, all he leaves after him is a trail of fire and steam, as he soars into the sky.

[buriedwithit]

"you're just preaching to the choir. i already know we're similar." at least in the ways that count. as much as sunny pretends otherwise, they know he cares. it's obvious, because otherwise he would have no interest in sitting here talking to them about trying to patch things up. nobody else has been willing to do as much... at least, not with him. he can think of more than one that might be willing to give it the right spirit, though. deacon, for one. but that might end up making things awkward... it's so hard to be sure. just as joey has that thought, he smashes that worry. "that could be cool. like an escape room, but without having to actually build it. maybe we should talk to him first, make sure he's open to the idea. and by we... i mean you."

[ravasz]

sunny finally finishes his bowl of noodles with a pleased hum, leaning back in his seat, and waiting patiently for their abundant order of mochi for dessert. his happy little smile slowly fades as joey keeps talking. and yes, sunny knows he was the one that suggested talking to deacon. it was a stupid suggestion. it was just... something he got used to doing over time, and forgot that things aren't as easy now as they were before... well, before he decided to turn their whole lives upside down. "me? I don't know..." it's almost out of character, how insecure he suddenly sounds. "why's it got to be me? we could do it together!"

[buriedwithit]

"i'll be looking forward to it." although hunter has the foresight to imagine that what mars proclaims to be serious will be... of a different kind. he's not about to complain about that. it's only his lifetime focus on discipline that keeps him from jumping their bones right fucking now. inconvenience, too. for starters... he just got them into this fresh, new armor that he made. there's more testing to be done than just the fittings! "if you can handle it." a deep chuckle rumbles through him. "if you can believe it, i take more pleasure in telling you yes." but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy the denial, either. especially when they're so devoted to winning approval. how can he deny them that? it's true what hunter says about valuing his safety—the fact that he hasn't been there once already eats at him more than they will ever know. he won't let it happen again. stepping back, he crosses his arms over his chest. "turn around for me. i want to show you something that you'll like."

[ravasz]

"I can handle it!" their tone is that of feigned offense, as they're perplexed to hear that hunter thinks there's anything in the world they can't handle. of course there are many things out there they would have a hard time handling. not hunter, though. all it takes is a little time for adjustment. and stubbornness.

"if that was true, you'd let me choose a gun." he scoffs, doing anything to go against whatever hunter is saying now. it's the best game he's ever invented! "yes, mars. of course, mars. you can have any of my guns, mars! yes, mars, we can have pancakes for dinner! yes, mars, I'll teach you how to make a bomb! brilliant idea, mars!" he deepens his voice, trying to make it sound as gruff as hunter's is, but it doesn't really work. not when he bursts out laughing in the middle of trying to mock him. and then... then he turns around like a good boy, but only because he wanted to! "I'm already seeing something that I like."

[ofruinations]

"Oh, of course, Mister Solguard, sir. One ice bath coming right up." She says it in mock reverence, an impish smile on her face. Her hand waves, and a soft pile of snow simply appears fifteen feet above Sunny, landing on him in a satisfying fump as January smiled at the currently steaming pile. Her mutation did delight her so—not just the random headaches or the pains, but the joy she could muster up for herself was second to none. January leans over happily enjoying the bit. "Do you need help standing, Sunny? Should I portal you to the infirmary, or will you float all the way there? Oh, and do you need more snow to cool down?"

[ravasz]

well... getting a pile of snow practically thrown at their weakened body isn't exactly the sophisticated ice bath they imagined. not that it matters. all they can do is grunt, and listen to the snow rapidly sizzling away into steam as soon as it touches their skin.

he knows that he should be concentrating on his breathing. grounding himself, so that his temperature wouldn't suddenly catch on fire again, but fuck was he too exhausted to even breathe properly. "no. no. no. yes!" no, he doesn't need help standing, because he doesn't want to stand yet. no, he doesn't want to go to the infirmary. no, he will not be floating anywhere. this is the perfect spot him. if not among silk sheets and feathered pillows. yes, please, more snow. "'m not going to the infirmary, I just need a sunbed. and a pool. and a drink. and people wearing little to no clothes. 's that so much to ask for?"