#arc two.

[klaeus]

❛❛ the answer is rather simple: i am persistent when i want something. ❜❜ he doesn't wait for an invitation to be seated, simply helping himself and getting comfortable. ❛❛ i would suggest growing accustomed to this quirk of mine. it will make things easier for you. ❜❜ his tone heavily implies he cares not if she gets used to it, that it doesn't matter to him either way. but being the gentleman that he is, he refrains from saying as much out loud.

❪ @oncesacred ❫ . “ why do you keep showing up? ” / pearl.

[klaeus]

those hackles that injured him just as much as they inflicted wounds on others were fully raised before the elder finished his sentence ; that defensive tightness in his jaw whenever he was challenged rearing its ugly head. the glass in his hand was set down with a touch too much force, liquor sloshing wildly as the table beneath trembled under his frustration. ❛❛ what i want, brother, is for you to put this family first. ❜❜ his tone was biting, any hint of his typical put upon charm nowhere to be found. ❛❛ and after a millennia of always and forever, one would think that wouldn't be such a big ask. ❜❜ a petulant child, feeling as though he was on the verge of being abandoned. elijah was his north star, and he'd cut his own hands off before admitting it, but how could he be asked to share when it was always meant to be family first?

❪ @mikaels0n-elijah ❫ . ❛ you don’t want me to have anything in my life that’s not you. ❜

[idlegamble]

“ watch yourself. they don’t like strangers here. ”

cyberpunk 2077 starters, answered.

the younger generation definitely needed to learn how to put a little bit more faith in their elders— so much for being the upperclassman here, eh?! hakari’s hands find their way inside of his pockets, fiddling with the frayed stitching— brows furrowed, staring at the sky with an almost annoyed look on his face, slashing at the corners of his eyes, curling his lips downwards. “you ain’t gotta tell me that,” luck was on his side. “they don’t like me.” or kirara, for that matter, but that was something he was going to deal with when the right time came around. for now, he was going to do things his own way— first stop, find those two.

“what was that little creep’s name? oui-oui?” they might have not liked him, they sure as hell might’ve hated him, but that mattered less than the scum beneath his soles. “i’ve been feelin’ real passionate about teachin’ kids not to leave ladies behind on the battlefield…” while his expression read as calm, there was a subtle little throbbing— a vein that bulged and pulsed on his forehead that said otherwise. “gotta make sure some of you respect me as a senpai, that’s all.”

[elenva]

his words are feel as though they're part of a broken record with the amount of times similar ones have circled in her mind, have left her pen and filled her diaries. it's clear he deeply understands her struggles and the darkness she's struggled through, that he's gone through much of the same. while this makes her feel a sense of comradery, there's also an ache ⸻ because neither of them should've had to go through what they have at such young ages. she offers @kindofuneven a small smile of her own, one that's warm and sorrowful in equal measure. ❛ all we really can do is try; try, and hope we don't screw up. hope we can save as many people as we can. ❜ hope is one of the few things that keeps her going everyday, especially when it feels impossible to get out of bed. when all she wants to do is abandon everything and flee from her problems. but . . . it's such a fragile thing, so easily shattered and so hard to piece back together.

she wishes she were stronger, that she could save people the way scott can. but she's the one more often saved than the savior, much to her chagrin. he isn't sure he's done enough, she isn't sure she isn't just a burden on those around her. what a pair they are. still, her tone remains kind. genuine. ❛ and you're one of the best at doing the right thing i've ever seen, scott. there aren't many that would keep trying the way you have, and that's more than anyone could ask of you. ❜ her next words are a bit teasing, as if trying to lighten the mood a bit. ❛ i wouldn't be surprised if your heart was made of gold. ❜ she wonders briefly what her own looks like, as mangled by loss and the awful things she's had to do as it is. maybe she doesn't want to know. ❛ especially since you never should've been put in a position where you have to save people in the first place. ❜ just a kid, but the world had never cared about that, had it?

[tedtm]

@mischieflawed: “Don’t worry about it. I was already awake.”

hands drag across his face, groaning softly as he attempts to wipe away any evidence of just how exhausted he is. for days he's been dealing with weird visions of some goat creature, seeing that thing every time he closes his eyes, hearing its distorted laugh in a completely silent room. he's sure he's never seen that thing before, but he's also well aware that hallucinating a fuzzy creature is total childhood imaginary friend shit, and ted has plenty of childhood trauma just waiting to bubble to the surface.

but it never does. he gets exhausted, he gets drunk, he argues with his colleagues, he makes a move on anyone remotely attractive. he does whatever it takes to keep it from bubbling up, doing everything he can to hide the past. no one gives a shit about trauma these days, and especially not when it comes to someone like ted. he's not liked at the best of times, and he's definitely not liked when he's like this. exhaustion laces everything he does, the beast in his visions plaguing his every thought.

his desperate attempts to keep his shit hidden do very little when he has no control over if he expresses it, and waking up screaming is not a subtle gesture. it pretty much spells out that he's got unresolved issues. hand runs through his hair, brain torn between convincing himself that this is real and coming up with a lighthearted reason to be screaming himself awake. "well, y'shouldn't be. sleeps important, y'know." a convincing arguement coming from the one who won't even try to go back to sleep, who will let his nightmare haunt him, afraid to close his eyes again. how pathetic he feels, being a grown man afraid of something he dreamed up. but some part of him just knows, can just feel it: that creature is real. and one thing echoes in his head, over and over: tick-tock ted. it's coming for you.

[klaeus]

the perfect opposite of scott's restless energy, the hybrid appears completely unruffled from where he watches @kindofuneven, reclining on his makeshift throne. though doing so takes a rather herculean effort, given that he has to ignore questionable stains and the revolting events that likely took place to create them. his upper lip twitches, just barely avoiding curling upwards in disgust. as such, the sudden start to a potential conversation is a welcome distraction. ❛ i suppose if it brings you comfort, we can. terrible weather we're having, hm? ❜ he hums, his attempt at such a pedestrian response not all that believable when paired with the oppressive energy radiating off him that he can't quite suppress. ❛ no, ❜ is his simple response as he pettily examines his nails for a moment, as if he couldn't care less. ❛ when you find enemies around every corner for centuries, you become rather accustomed to doom and gloom lurking along the horizon. ❜ and if you are like him, you become part of that doom and gloom for everyone else.

of course, contrary to his relaxed façade, the original is on high alert. he is listening to every creak of the floorboards, the heartbeats of all those within their vicinity, nose in tune with any new scents or anything that smells . . . off. regardless of his confidence in his own abilities, he hasn't lived this long by underestimating his foes ⸻ he won't cower in fear of them of course, but until they've proven harmless, he won't make the foolish mistake of dismissing them entirely. so he'll play along with this allegiance for now, perhaps even allow scott to take the lead, all while remaining ready to handle the matter on his own ( using his much more bloody, brutal methods of course ) at any given moment. he stands, hands clasping behind his back as he strolls forward, stopping at scott's side. ❛ then it seems advantageous that we go to them, rather than waiting around. ❜ there's a pause before he speaks again. ❛ our enemy will not succeed; of that, you can be certain. ❜ spoken with ancient confidence, the words seem to be offering reassurance.

[klaeus]

the thud causes a notable eye twitch, his tongue clicking in annoyance. ❛ does chasing a thrill mean we must also live in squalor? ❜ he chastises, apparently ignoring the countless times he himself has painted this house in blood. gesturing to a member of the help hovering nearby, he steps around the mess as another cleans it up ⸻ a rather common sight around these parts. ❛ and i resent the implication that those descriptors no longer suit me, ❜ he continues, expression somewhere between bemused and suspicious. ❛ forgive me if i am reluctant to take your sudden return and interest in reliving the good old days at face value; given our history, it seems more likely this is to be some sort of distraction for a larger scheme. ❜ he matches @brokenbrxther's step closer, the predatory tilt of his head making the veiled threat in his next words obvious. ❛ should i expect your lot to show up at some point, following in your footsteps? fair warning, they will not receive nearly as warm a welcome. ❜

[klaeus-a]

appearing more as though he was standing before a guillotine rather than an innocuous amusement park, he lurked near the ticket counter with crossed arms and a crease between his brows. the workers nearby were occasionally shooting him uneasy glances, but he paid them little mind. instead, he turned to @theceruleanskye, very clearly not in his element. ❛ is this truly necessary? ❜ he inquired, not exactly appearing eager but not completely unwilling, either. he would do everything in his power to give his daughter what she wanted, but he just knew he was bound to look a fool frolicking around in a bloody amusement park.