#gramal

[tsuncoon]

MalGra

[zedamalgam]

Doll Makers, man. EDIT: Oxalis is the winner, this is exactly him. Nabrok is very close to right, but that scar- so dark!

[zedamalgam]

Gramal is a super secret cuddlier and loves cuddling with people he trusts.

THIS IS NO SECRET THIS IS 1000% FACT. He likes to wrap up smaller things in his arms and protect them, yesyes.

[zedamalgam]

Gramal and Ophion - Food Poisoning

[11/20/2013 12:27:01 AM] Zeda: Although most trolls would have required more than one trip back-and-forth if they intended to move all of their belongings to a new hive, Gramal only needed to make that second trip back into the city so that he could return his electronic key to his previous landlord. His belongings were sparse, and had Ophion been awake and terribly interested in seeing what his new employee was quietly un-capchaloguing and arranging within his guest block, he might have recognized that a fair enough portion of what he owned didn't even appear to be his. Within only a matter of days the jadeblood had quietly settled himself into a corner of Ophion's life in his new hive, and in no time they began the process of adjusting to one-another's schedules. Or really, Gramal began the process of adjusting to Ophion's, since the seadweller spent so much time asleep. He quickly found that he needed to be very conscious of when the seadweller would be awake and in need of actual attendance, so that he'd be able to sneak in a quick nap or a regular day's sleep here-or-there. It took a little over a week for him to adjust, but all in all Gramal was a highly adaptable troll and he managed just fine.

  They had been living together for about two weeks now, and the hive had been restored to dust-free order. Gramal wasn't much of a clean freak by any stretch, but he certainly seemed ready to take his duties to Ophion very seriously, and as long as that included maintaining the seadweller's hive then he performed the task diligently. At the moment Ophion was curled-up on the couch, bundled into a freshly washed blanket and slumbering silently as Gramal made some food for himself in the nutriblock, his eyes focused on the grubjelly as he smeared it over his toast. The fact that his employer slept so very, very much of the night and day away was beginning to worry him, especially now that he was starting to think that Ophion really wasn't sick at all, but he had no idea how to approach the subject or if he had any right to object in the first place.

  Ophion's back was to Gramal now, one pale sliver of shoulder peaking out from under the blanket he was half-curled under.  Nothing seemed at all out of the ordinary until he made a sound.  It was a soft noise, quiet enough that the jadeblood might've imagined it, until the seadweller did it again.  He curled in on himself a little more, whimpering faintly.  It was apparent that something was wrong; he was normally such a quiet sleeper, as far as Gramal had experienced.

 [11/20/2013 1:10:01 AM] Zeda: At first, Gramal could have sworn that he was hearing the distant, distressed squeak of a grub like he had heard so often before in the caverns, but as he lifted his head to listen he honestly didn't think that it could have been anything more than a misunderstanding on his part. Obviously something must have shifted slightly under the gentle pressure of the air conditioning, maybe, some innocuous thing like that... but as he stood there in silence he heard that sound again, and this time he turned his head towards the couch with dawning clarity. Ophion? Was it actually Ophion making that noise? Gramal abandoned his meal at the nutriblock counter and made his way towards the livingblock cautiously, trying to step as lightly as possible so as not to disturb the seadweller's rest if he was actually only hearing things just then...

  As he neared the couch, it became clear that he had misheard nothing. Ophion's small body was winding ever tighter into his blankets, and from this angle he thought that he could see the younger troll's brow knitted in distress before he turned his face towards his pillow.

 [11/20/2013 1:23:24 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion was, quite plainly, in the throes of a nightmare.  It was almost surprising that it hadn't happened sooner, considering the way he scorned the use of his recuperacoon.  Gramal didn't know, of course, but Ophion did have nightmares quite a bit, ever since circumstances had freed him from his kismesis with Jeriko.  It wasn't exactly easy to move on from something like that, no matter the blank facade the seadweller put on for other trolls to see.  Not that many other trolls saw him at all.  He'd gotten away from Jeriko in real life, but it was a lot more difficult to do that when his subconcious frequently dredged up unpleasant experiences from their time together, or else dreamed up new ways for Ophion to try and escape, but never be quite able to make it.  It was one of the reasons he slept constantly, but always seemed to need more rest.

  He whimpered again, unaware of Gramal's presence hovering over him.  The seadweller's fists were clenched tightly in his blankets, his body's unconcious attempt to fend off whatever was tormenting him.  He looked scared; that brief glimpse of his face more revealing than any waking expression he had made in the jadeblood's presence.

[11/20/2013 1:48:22 AM] Zeda: Gramal hadn't been certain what he should do when he first approached the sleeping seadweller, but as he made his way around the armrest and into the space between the foot of the couch and the cocktail table he finally saw enough of Ophion's face to understand how bad it was. Ophion's eyes were screwed tightly shut, his knuckles gone pale from how tightly he was gripping the blanket in his clenched fists as he burrowed in against them, thin lips pulled tightly against his teeth as he grimaced in his sleep. The worst of it was that, with the set of his furrowed brow, it was clear that he wasn't angry but absolutely PAINED by whatever he was dreaming, trembling as he gave only those occasional, soft whimpers. Watching him, it was as though a vice had suddenly snapped shut on his blood pusher.

  "Hey-" Gramal knelt down in front of the couch and reached for Ophion's shoulder, and for a moment his hand hung in the air near the seaweller's quaking shoulder as he tried desperately to decide if he should actually TOUCH him now. Would that help? Or, no, would that only make it worse? He didn't know for sure, but ge went ahead and grabbed him as gently as he could manage while still being firm, pursing his lips tightly as he leaned forward just a little. "Ophion- Wake up!"

 [11/20/2013 1:59:48 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: It only took a few shakes before the seadweller opened his eye. He flinched away from Gramal's hand for a moment, rather predictably, and slowly covered his head in his hands, curling up into a trembling ball as if in an attempt to make himself a smaller target.  A few moments passed in tense silence broken only by his ragged breathing, but when no blow was forthcoming he finally seemed to realize he was awake.  Or, at least that he was safe.  Slowly, Ophion uncurled, and looked up at Gramal in askance, a tear glistening in his good eye for a moment before he pricked it with a blink and it traced down his cheek.

  "I...I'm..." he stammered, voice hoarser from stress as he fumbled with what to say.  Ophion pushed himself up into a kneeling position, looking almost a little nauseous, shivering as the blankets fell away.  It sounded for a moment like he was on the verge of appologizing, but finally he managed to whisper a somewhat more appropriate, "Thanks..."

 [11/20/2013 2:48:27 AM | Edited 2:48:54 AM] Zeda: Touching was, Gramal knew, strictly off limits with his employer. Ever since that first night, when Ophion had nearly pitched down the stairs and ended-up stiff with discomfort in the crook of his arm, Gramal had done his best not to have any physical contact with him if he could possibly help it. Something had happened to his employer to make him this way, and while he could suspect all he wanted that the brand burned into his back had something to do with it, the jadeblood thought that he might never really know what happened. But as soon as he saw that tear slipping down the seadweller's cheek as he stammered and quaked, Gramal's hands shook with the force of just how hard he had to fight himself not to immediately embrace him. It was one of those things that the others had always referred to under the blanket of 'jadeblooded instinct,' an innate compulsion that all members of their caste had been hatched with... something rooted deep down in the gut, something visceral that made them want to care for the small and the helpless. That made GRAMAL want to care for the small and the helpless, and especially for Ophion in what he felt must be a moment of need.

  But- he couldn't. Touching was strictly off-limits. So, with his expression darkening into a rather intense frown, Gramal reached down and closed his fingers in the material of Ophion's blanket instead, rising to his feet so that he could lift it up and drape it around the seadweller's shoulders. All with the utmost care, and still with a nervous tinge to his expression as he wondered just how far out-of-bounds he was stepping.

  "...M'sorry." Probably a weird response, given especially that Ophion seemed about to apologize HIMSELF just a second ago, but Gramal couldn't think of anything else to say.

 [11/20/2013 3:03:36 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion didn't flinch this time when Gramal dipped forward to reposition the blanket, but for a bare moment the jadeblood was hovering just close enough to feel the tremors going through the seadweller's delicate frame.  He clutched the blanket around himself when Gramal lifted it to cover his shoulders, and it at least didn't seem like he had minded that.  Maybe it was because Gramal had done it so carefully.

  The seadweller rubbed the tear off his cheek with the back of a hand, finally managing to compose himself before he said, "I haven't...had any nightmares for a while.  Um..."

  He hesitated, as if he wanted to say more, but after the silence stretched on between them it seemed like he'd decided against it.  Talking about it might help with the nightmares, but Ophion was only ever used to talking to Novall, and sometimes Anceri.  It didn't feel like he knew Gramal well enough yet, and the wounds were still a little too fresh to give voice to.

 [11/20/2013 3:54:21 AM] Zeda: Gramal didn't expect the silence that passed between them to be broken by any sort of explanation of what had happened in his dream, but that hadn't stopped him from silently hoping for one. There was the possibility that maybe if he could just find out what was plaguing Ophion's thoughts, he could begin to understand how to work with him. Maybe not as his counsellor, because that was an uncomfortably pale possibility to consider, but... maybe just as good employee. Maybe even as a concerned hivemate.

  "F'you ever wanna' talk about it I'll listen. 'M not your pale but..." How could he even begin to distill exactly WHY he was willing to listen? They'd only known one-another for a little more than two weeks, after all, and telling him that he felt so much compassion for him because he seemed small, cute and helpless was nothing but insulting. The jadeblood's frown tightened slowly, intensifying as he narrowed his eyes at nothing. "...Well. I'll listen."

 [11/20/2013 4:28:50 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "Well I don't...have a pale anymore so...it's not like that would matter..." Ophion mumbled, then swallowed thickly, wondering why he'd said that.  The conversation with that hacker maybe, had set him off so much.  He shouldn't have to justify anything.  And he didn't want to talk about it.  The seadweller changed the way he was sitting, leaning against the back of the couch and crossing his legs under the blanket, pursing his thin lips as he looked down toward his now very clean coffee table.

  "You're not as scary as you look..." he muttered a moment later, an almost wry expression flitting across his features for the barest of seconds as he glanced up at Gramal.  "I'm not...good...at talking..."

 [11/20/2013 5:12:18 AM] Zeda: Not as scary as he looked? Gramal didn't quite smile, but he certainly frowned a lot less at that, shrugging mildly as he glanced back towards the nutriblock for a moment. His jellied toast was halfway prepared already, but maybe he could bring that over and give it to Ophion now that he was awake? That and maybe some cocoa, warm things that would help to distract anyone from the cold clamminess of a nightmare.

  "Me neither. But'm sure y'noticed." The jadeblood made his way out of the narrow floorspace in front of Ophion and started walking towards the nutriblock well before he thought to actually say out-loud what he was intending to do. What a bad impression that would be, responding so shortly and then walking away! He backpedaled a few feet so that he was back within Ophion's immediate line of sight again, thumbing his hand in the vague direction of the nutriblock in an attempt to further underscore the point of what he was up to here. "-M'gonna' give you some grubjelly toast n' maybe make you some cocoa'f you want?"

[11/20/2013 5:24:07 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: They had cocoa?  Ophion didn't recall every buying any.  Gramal must have done the last time the jadeblood when to get groceries.  The seadweller wet his lips slightly, trying to recall the last time he'd had cocoa.  It had been perigees at least, possibly a sweep.  It sounded really good, too.  He wondered what had prompted the other troll to purchase it, but maybe cocoa was a customary staple in other troll's nutriblocks? 

  "Cocoa sounds...good," he said after moment, realizing that he needed to give voice to at least one of the thoughts spinning around through his head.  Cocoa might keep him awake and away from those nightmares too.  He hunched forward a little, watching Gramal as the other troll did his work.  Ophion hadn't eaten as well as he had these past two weeks with the jadeblood since...well, since before.

 [11/20/2013 5:44:20 AM] Zeda: Cocoa had, actually, been a staple in Gramal's pantry for quite a number of sweeps now. He wasn't much of a fan himself, though he would find himself craving a cup every now and again, but it was just... it was something that had always been able to soothe her bad moods, and he had grown used to thinking of it as a comfort drink of unparalleled effectiveness. It had been ages since he memorized the craft of a good, creamy, chocolatey cup of the stuff, and in what felt like no time at all he was returning to the couch with a steaming mug and a plate of jellied toast for Ophion, which he set down on the low table in front of him. His eyes lingered, briefly, in the stretch of couch beside the seadweller... but then he clearly determined that taking a seat at such close poximity would be unwelcome, and he moved off towards one of the chairs set-up accross from his employer instead, settling himself down and lifting his eyes to regard the seadweller draped in his warm, heavy blanket.

  "...Why can't'ch sleep in a recouperacoon?" He said it as gently as he could, brows knitted intensely as he leaned forward and propped his elbows up on his knees, lacing his fingers loosely together and looking supremely concerned that he might be asking something offensive. "I noticed y'r neck was scarred but. I didn't know if that was why."

[11/20/2013 5:56:09 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion picked up the mug of cocoa when Gramal set it down, holding it gingerly as he blew on the steaming liquid to try and cool it a little.  It smelled REALLY good, and after a moment he couldn't resist taking a sip, almost slurping a little in an attempt to keep from burning his tongue too badly.  He could feel the heat from it travel all the way down his throat and through his chest, and he let out a soft hum before he'd realized it.  He set the mug down and was halfway to reaching for his toast when Gramal asked the question.  Ophion's hand faltered, and he retracted it, instead using it to tug self-conciously at the high collar of his wetsuit.

  He looked down and to the side, then cleared his throat and murmured, "Um...my gills.  They're too damaged to...seal out the sopor slime, and it's too thick to breathe.  I uh...feel like I'm drowning..."

  It hurt, too, but that was almost an aside.  Some part of him always seemed to hurt right now, but he was used to the casual throb in the left side of his neck.  It was when he actively tried to breathe any liquid that it became painful enough to avoid whenever possible.  The water he could sort of handle in small doses, as it wasn't too thick to pass, but the slime...he picked up his cocoa and took another sip.

 [11/20/2013 6:23:43 AM] Zeda: The seadweller's answer brought a tense frown to Gramal's lips, and he immediately regretted asking something so personal of the seadweller. He could have guessed it, or at least guessed something similar if given enough time to puzzle it out, but to hear that the sensation was not unlike drowning for him was really, deeply unpleasant. His dark jade eyes drifted down towards his own losely interlocked fingers, and as he brushed one thumb slowly over the nail of the other he thought that over quietly. "N'you can't prop yoursef up against anything t'sleep..." He would have ttried it by now if it was a possibility, Gramal was sure. They didn't really make head cushions big or sturdy enough for that, he didn't think, and there was always the risk that he would slip beneath the surface of the sopor as he slept and wake himself up drowning if he couldn't be held in the right position by some kind of support. So, lying on the couch and dealing with the nightmares it was, then. What an awful situation to be in...

  "...At least y'said th'nightmares don't happen too often. M'glad I was here t'wake you."

[11/20/2013 6:31:40 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: That hadn't exactly been what Ophion had said, but he didn't know how to correct the other troll, so he just picked up the toast and took a few nibbles from it while he collected himself again.  The nightmares did happen quite often, or they had before the jadeblood had moved in.  That two week stretch of mostly dreamless sleep had been such a relief, Ophion had been hoping that was it but, well, his subconicious couldn't resist tormenting him with the things he was still too scared to face in the waking world.  He suspected that unpleasant conversation with the hacker had possibly exacerbated the issue.  Already he was regretting confronting whoever it was.  If he had just kept his thoughts to himself like always they probably would have eventually moved on.

  "I'm...glad too," he finally said awkwardly, brushing a few crumbs from his mouth as he set the piece of toast back down into the plate and retrieved the cocoa.  "I...I like...the cocoa," he said.  "It's good."

 [11/20/2013 6:55:53 AM] Zeda: Although simply saying that he liked the cocoa wasn't the most planet-shattering compliment ever recoded, Gramal felt as though the compliment was far richer when it accompanied the simple statement that, yes, Ophion was glad as well that he was there to wake him. He was just his employer, and above and beyond that he was a seadweller who would be expected to look down his nose at all midbloods, even mid-blooded rarities such as jadebloods, but despite this being what should by all means be a relationship built on forced civility, Gramal found that he liked him. He was small and quiet, and that someone so richly-blooded could be so soft-spoken and so easily overlooked was... fascinating to him. Fascinating and very cute, in a way that he would never say out-loud.

  And he liked the cocoa. Maybe he should say something to indicate his acceptance of those gracious words, huh? Gramal's lips twisted slightly, showing off just how unsure he was of the protocol in accepting a compliment from someone like Ophion, and after a moment he seemed to settle on simply nodding, and this time maybe even smiling just a very, very little. It looked strange with his scarred mouth, split through to teeth and uncomfortably sinister when all he wanted to emote was kindness. The smile slipped away pretty quickly.

  "Any time y'want cocoa I c'n make some for you. I've got'a special way I make it so it comes out extra creamy. Good f'r th' throat'f you're feelin' sick."

 [11/20/2013 5:29:03 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: The fact that the jadeblood had a 'special way' to make the cocoa 'extra creamy' was almost sort of cute on its own.  'Extra creamy' wasn't really a phrase one would generally expect to come out of a mouth like that, after all.  And, well, Ophion HAD said Gramal wasn't as scary as he looked, which was true, but to be honest there was nothing about the way his cheek split that had ever really put the seadweller off.  Maybe he had just been living with his own scars long enough that other people's seemed...well, not minor by comparison, but less...noticeable, maybe.  It didn't make him any less curious about how Gramal had come by it, but Ophion wasn't about to ask when he himself wasn't comfortable talking about his own wounds yet.

  He took a few more bites of the toast, then nodded slowly and said, "Sounds good..."

  He felt sort of icky now.  Maybe a little sweaty from the nightmare.  Sweat wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, at least not in the capacity that dust was.  But that didn't make sweating under a wetsuit any less uncomfortable.  He finished off the toast, and gulped down the rest of the cocoa, then stood up slowly and said, "I'm...going to go shower..."

[11/20/2013 5:50:23 PM] Zeda: As Ophion sipped at his cocoa and took intermittent bites of his jellies toast, his thin lips working slowly around each small bite, Gramal could only sit there and hope that it wasn't too creepy that he was watching him. There were other words to describe what he felt, but over all simply 'fascinated' was the best one that he could find, because no matter how mundane the task Ophion seemed to go about it at such a quiet, plodding pace that he was just. Kind of captivating, honestly.

  When his employer finally stood to leave Gramal made a concentrated effort to look away, focusing on the task of collecting Ophion's now empty plate and cup before rising to his feet as well. He was used to dwarfing others in size, or at the very least being of a height and bulk more typical of ceruleans than mere midbloods such as himself, but it was still just a bit amazing to him that he could stand so much taller than someone of Ophion's calibre. Would he grow taller as he continued to age...? Gramal assumed as much - after all, he pegged Ophion at somewhere between 7 and 8 sweeps, and his schoolfeeding mentioned that seadwellers could continue to grow sometimes as late as their teens before reaching their plateau. Ophion would probably get bigger and stronger, and the process would probably go more smoothely now that he was eating regularly.

  "I'll set out some fresh clothes f'r you then. If'y need anything else y'can call on me okay?"

 [11/20/2013 6:20:54 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion paused at the foot of the stairs, and then nodded.  "Okay."

  The next few nights passed uneventfully enough, though Ophion was initially a bit more wary of letting himself nod off, eventually it became a siren's song he couldn't avoid.  Thankfully no more nightmares came to plague him, at least not yet, so the next handful of days were a little more restful.  He was in the shower when Gramal went to buy groceries, and came out of it shivering. 

  The seadweller picked his way down the steps, clutching his towel around himself as he went into the laundry room and opened up the still-spinning load of towels and blankets in the dryer, intent on finding another, somewhat warmer towel.  He pulled a few things out of the dryer as he went through them.  Most of the stuff was finished, though a few of the larger blankets were a touch damp in the folds, so he shoved them out of the way as he dug.  Ophion pulled out a warm, dry towel and started to scrub the water out of his hair with it when he noticed the sweater.  It wasn't his, and though he didn't pay much attention to what Gramal wore, he could only assume it was the jadeblood's just based on the garment's size.  It looked really warm and soft, though, and he couldn't resist pulling it on once he'd dried off.  The warm fabric pulled a soft purr out of him as he got settled inside the sweater, the sound surprising himself just as much as it would have surprised anyone else had he had an audience.  It fit him more like a dress than anything else, the hem coming down to mid-thigh on his small frame, the sleeves hanging over his hands.  But it was very comfortable.  He wasn't used to the feeling of plain fabric on his bare skin without the barrier of neoprene, but maybe he should have tried wearing clothes this way sooner?  There was something to be said about fabric that breathed...

  He paused to shove all of the things back into the dryer that he'd pulled out, and pushed the button to resume the cycle.  Gramal hadn't been gone TOO long, maybe he could put the sweater back one he warmed up, before the jadeblood got home.  It seemed like an acceptable plan, so Ophion pulled up the hood and wandered over to the couch to sit down.  And then, quite predictably, fell asleep.

 [11/20/2013 7:00:53 PM] Zeda: It was only by virtue of the fact that he had recently emptied his sylladex that Gramal was able to enter Ophion's... or, he supposed, THEIR hive with both hands free. When he mentioned that they were running low on milk and eggs and that another trip to the store might be in order, it had been impossible to miss the brief flicker of surprise that crossed the seadweller's face, and although he could have credited his shock to the fact that he was disused to going through food at a pace appropriate for two trolls, the fact of the matter was that Gramal thought Ophion might be disused to going through food at ANY pace. In any case, just to be safe he had decided to stock up on as much as he possibly could so as to save them successive trips into town, and while Ophion had granted him access to an account with more money than he could possibly fathom Gramal had still bought cheap, and in bulk.

  Now, there were only so many places where Ophion would be at any given time, and the foremost among Gramal's guesses was, of course, the couch. He had no intention of disturbing his employer, just turning his head as he passed by the livingblock on his way to the nutriblock, but he paused when he noticed the odd shape and colour of the little lump on the couch. None of his blankets were that shade of faded, raggedy black, were they...? Gramal frowned to himself, took a few sidesteps towards the couch in order to give him a peek, and-

  He immediately jumped his eyes away from Ophion's thin, bare legs, and as soon as he was focused on a somewhat more respectful area of his body Gramal quickly realized that his boss was sleeping in one of his sweaters. With the dark, worn hood clouded around his face and even his fingertips concealed by the heavy, loose wrists of his sleeves, he looked even smaller than was typical. Small and... just for a moment, Gramal thought of someone else and went perfectly still, watching the even breaths slip past Ophion's slightly parted lips as he slept. He stood there like that for a long, long moment, unsure of what to do or how to feel, whether or not he should SAY anything or if he should just go to the kitchen and wait for Ophion to wake up on his own. But... his eyes strayed without him meaning to, and he told himself that it was for the sake of confirming that those WERE little goosebumps rising beneath Ophion's soft grey skin. Best to wake him up.

  "Ophion...?"

[11/20/2013 7:16:49 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: There were scars on Ophion's ankles too, fainter than some others on the seadweller's body, but noticeable now that his bare legs were the brief yet primary focus of Gramal's gaze.  They looked like the kind of scars someone might get from being restrained too tightly, or for too long, and when the seadweller shifted at the sound of the jadeblood's voice, Gramal got a momentary glimpse of a practical latticework of scarring on soles of the seadweller's feet, as if he'd walked over something that had torn him up.

  Ophion sat up slowly, the hood falling down from his mussed hair as he shook a hand free from on of the sweater's over-sized sleeves to rub his eye.  He looked up at Gramal, then glanced down at himself as he seemed to remember what he was wearing.

  "Oh..." the seadweller mumbled.  "Sorry.  I was cold...I was going to put it back, but..."  But, he'd fallen asleep.  He slept almost all days and night, but he'd still be unable to keep himself awake long enough to put back the sweater he'd stolen.  He peaked up at Gramal through his fringe.  Was the jadeblood upset that he'd taken it without asking?

 [11/20/2013 7:47:43 PM] Zeda: The scars on Ophion's ankles and feet didn't escape his notice, and although he thought that Ophion may have caught his expression of displeasure when he lifted his head and peered out from beneath his dark, impossibly messy hair. He must have showered and only toweled it dry before falling asleep here again, because despite clinging to itself and sticking out on odd sides it still managed to look incredibly soft and clean. As he watched Ophion's thin fingers slip through his hair, Gramal thought that... wait, Ophion said something to him a moment ago, didn't he? The jadeblood blinked, hoisted himself back into the reality of the moment at-hand, and focused his dark eyes on Ophion's single, richly magenta one. He was going to put it back, he said, but the look he was giving him seemed so sheepish. Almost shy.

  "You c'n keep on wearing it if'y want. Especially if you're still cold." And he absolutely could, but... Gramal pursed his lips slightly and tried not to glance down at his boss' bare legs again, ultimately failing to resist a quick dart down and then up to the seadweller's face again. "-But y'probably want some pants right? Jus' a sweater an' underwear isn' enough't keep y'warm."

 [11/20/2013 7:57:32 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "Underwear...?" Ophion repeated slowly, as if he wasn't quite sure what Gramal was talking about.  He didn't own any underwear, why would the jadeblood think he was wearing any now?  Surely Gramal recalled never having washed any undergarments of Ophion's other than the occasional wetsuit.  He slid his legs off the edge of the couch before folding his hands a little self-conciously in his lap, knees pressed tightly together.  He WAS still a bit chilled, after all, though the sweater was beyond comfortable. 

  "I don't...have any of that..." the seadweller added a moment later.

  Gramal was definitely staring at him, in a way that made Ophion just a little uncomfortable.  There was something about it that reminded him of the way Jeriko would look at him whenever Ophion was under Novall's arm.  When he had still be untouchable.  But, there wasn't anything cruel about the way the jadeblood's gaze flickered over his legs, so perhaps it wasn't the same.  Gramal was nothing like Jeriko.  He was safe.  There was no reason for Ophion to feel like he needed to make himself small in the other troll's presence.

[11/20/2013 8:37:49 PM] Zeda: It was the first time since his return home that Gramal's eyebrows had departed from their usual furrowed formation, and where they would typically crowded low against the bridge of his nose they were now rising nearer to his hairline than the seadweller had likely ever seen them before. He was speechless, utterly unable to get his parted lips to produce any sort of commentary or coherent acknowledgement. All he managed was a vaguely confused grunt before he closed his mouth again, and then he just sort of- looked away, reaching up to scratch at the shaggy hair at the back of his head that was actually NOT participating in the thin ponytail that he wore.

  "-Oh. I- guess that makes sense." He should have known. He'd wondered about the lack of underwear in the wash, but then again he also knew that there had been a time when she was no longer a pupa and not yet gone wrong, when she had hoarded and hand-washed her own because she didn't like the idea of Gramal handling it. Without even thinking he'd just tacitly assumed that his employer was doing the same, and when he was confronted with the truth like this he suddenly felt foolish. How could he even follow up after something like this? He glanced at Ophion, peering over his own forearm as he continued to rub at the base of his skull in a pointless, nervous kind of way, and then after a moment he let his hands drop back towards his sides, figuring that he should move past it if he had any hope of alleviating the awkwardness between them. Clearly Ophion was uncomfortable with his discomfort, after all.

  "Well... you prob'ly still need sleep pants or something right? Though I guess I've never washed any pajama bottoms f'r you either..."

 [11/20/2013 8:50:12 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "Yeah I...only have slacks," Ophion confirmed, untensing slightly when Gramal moved onward with the conversation.  He had slacks, and wetsuits, and a coat.  He'd never really needed much in the way of dry clothing because everything stayed wearable for a fair ammount of time with a barrier of neoprene between the cloth and his skin.  This sweater was so comfortable, though, he found himself sort of wishing he had some sleep pants.  Or a few sweaters of his own.  He'd always kept the wetsuits because that was just they way he'd learned to dress, but he didn't spend any time actually in the river or in the ocean anymore, unless he went for a trip there.  There was no reason to wear them as part of his everyday dress when he had more comfortable, cozy options.

  "I could order some...I guess..." he suggested a second later, pulling his husktop out of his sylladex.  The idea of going into the city to buy clothes seemed a little unecessary to him when he could just order some to be delivered.  It wasn't as if he couldn't have whatever he wanted here by tomorrow.  And all those people...no, ordering clothes would be best.  Definitely.  Except, he couldn't remember the last time he'd bought anything other than a wetsuit offline.  Where did you go for dry clothes?  He hesitated, hands hovering over the keyboard.  "Um..."

[11/20/2013 9:03:56 PM] Zeda: Gramal didn't really know if it would be overstepping his bounds for him to offer as much, but when Ophion opened up his husktop and sat there with his hands hovering uncertainly near the keys, it became fairly obvious to him that the seaweller probably needed some assistance. Gramal had plenty of experience with ordering things he needed off of the internet, since in the sweeps of his early childhood he had been bound to the caverns like any other jadeblood, but clearly even if he knew all about ordering things off of the digital network Ophion wouldn't know where to start when it came to landweller goods. Even Trollbay was in some ways segregated into land- and sea-dwelling markets, given the incredibly different demands placed on home goods or clothing for the different subspecies. Everything from electronics like husktops and transportalizers, to clothes and shoes, to things like perfume and soda- all of it was made differently based on whether or not the recipient lived above or below the water. The jadeblood wasn't certain that his increased proximity would be welcome, however... he made his way around to the front of the couch, and settled himself carefully beside Ophion. He very staunchly didn't let himself think about the fact that the seadweller was entirely nude beneath the oversized mass of one of his own sweaters. "...You c'n just go t'Trollbay an' click on the 'landweller' tab. Or go t'th'landweller part of Trollamazon maybe."

 [11/20/2013 9:13:58 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion nodded slowly, tracing his finger over the touch-pad before typing the site into the adress bar and doing as Gramal suggested.  He could feel the other troll's slightly warmer body temperature from where the jadeblood was sitting, but he'd made sure not to encroach too far into Ophion's person space, so the seadweller found that he didn't mind too much.

  "Is sizing any different...?" he asked as he scrolled through the landweller section on Trollbay, looking for a category that seemed to provide what he was looking for.  It was all a bit much, and after a moment of hesitation he finally just typed 'sleep pants' into the search bar.  The immediate results looked moderately promising, at least, though he wasn't entirely sure what all he was looking for.  After a moment he slid the husktop toward Gramal murmured, "Maybe you should...?"

[11/20/2013 9:20:56 PM] Zeda: Ophion had been doing just fine on his own, or at least Gramal thought so as he watched him click through the options in search of what he was looking for. However, he couldn't really object when the seadweller slid the husktop his way, and although the machine felt expensive and delicate in his broad hands Gramal managed to balance it in the center of his lap and brush his fingers over the screen options without doing it any sort of harm. Apparently he had a very delicate touch, despite his rough and brutish appearance.

  "The sizing's a lil' different but you don't have't worry about it. You're small enough't..." Oh, that was kind of insulting for him to point out. Gramal's voice trailed off, humming into an awkward silent note as he glanced over at Ophion, brows furrowing. "...Sorry f'r mentioning that'f you're sensitive about it. Th'point is that you c'n probably wear landtroll sizes jus' fine. May be hard t'find it in'yr colour unless you pay f'r custom dying."

 [11/20/2013 9:33:22 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion tilted his head to the side slightly when Gramal appologized for the comment on his size, but the seadweller didn't look or seem upset.  He was, of course, aware of how small he was, as it had taken him all nine sweeps of his life to get to his current stature, but it was a silly thing to be sensitive about he thought.  Especially when he had so many other flaws.  Ophion leaned in a little to see what Gramal was pulling up on the screen better, and for a brief second their shoulder accidentally brushed.  He retreated fairly quickly from that contact, though.

  "I can pay for custome dying," he said.  All of the wetsuits he owned were custom designed, paying for just a color wouldn't be much of a hardship.  "What do you think I need to buy...? I don't really have many clothes..."

  Of course Gramal of all people would certainly be aware of that, considering the fact that he did all of Ophion's laundry.  Ophion pulled his bare legs up to his chest as he watched the screen, wrapping his arms around his shins and resting his chin on one knee.

 [11/20/2013 10:03:31 PM] Zeda: Gramal swallowed softly when Ophion briefly brushed shoulders with him, and then when he pulled up his legs he made sure to fully engross himself in the contents of his screen, ignoring absolutely every pale grey detail that his peripheral vision wanted to plague him with. There was a whole world of options for Ophion to choose from when it came to sleep pants, and as the jadeblood skimmed through the pages he thought that it would serve well for him to keep the smaller troll's far more expansive assets in-mind. Getting groceries on the cheap was a habit he couldn't break, but in matters of clothing, well... Gramal sort of liked the idea of dressing someone up. If he had the means and the opportunity to do so, he would be remiss if he didn't seize his chance.

  "F'r pajama bottoms the best thing's something soft. Maybe..." He opened a few options in their own tabs, simply designed pajama bottoms and set pants that boasted of high-quality cotton and breathable fabrics. He didn't think that Ophion would much like silk, if the point was to get something warm and cozy lke his sweater... he looked a few of those up as well, though it became perfectly clear from the options that he was selecting that he meant to get something a little more appropriately sized for the small seadweller. After that came puffy soft socks that you could wear in the darkest seasons, their soles lines with little gel pads to prevent deadly slipping, and then... well. He wasn't sure that he wanted to look for underwear for Ophion, so he just wrote 'underwear' in the search bar and then passed the husktop into the space between them on the couch. "Jus' pick out the colours and types y'want I guess. An' whatever y'think you might like f'r underwear maybe."

 [11/20/2013 10:19:06 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion blinked when Gramal set the husktop down, a little confused as to why the jadeblood was relinquishing control over the thing that the seadweller knew the least bit about.  He picked up the husktop and slid his legs back down to hang over the edge of the couch, letting the computer rest on his mostly bare thighs.  Ophion pursed his lips as he looked over the page slowly, trying to not appear at a complete loss, but he really didn't know what was right to buy.  Pretty much everything LOOKED good on the models, but that was sort of the point, and he didn't think looks mattered particularly when they were supposed to be 'under' wear. 

  Finally he clicked open a few tabs of some moderately appealing boxer-briefs, and then reviewed his cart.  Everything that Gramal had added looked good to him, though he might be just a little reluctant to part with the oversized, cozy sweater he had on right now.  It wasn't his, though, so he should give it back, even if Gramal didn't mind him borrowing it for today.  Finally, Ophion clicked the proceed to payment button and everything was set to arrive in a night's time.

  "Thanks," he said, setting the husktop back down onto the table.

 [11/20/2013 11:45:47 PM | Edited 11:58:52 PM] Zeda: It was two nights later that Gramal found himself standing in the nutriblock, a room which had by now become very familiar to him. As he worked on buttering the grubtoast and laying cheese between the slices for himself and his employer, he occasionally glanced up from the countertop, stealing glances at Ophion as he thumbed over another page. So-far his employer hadn't nodded off again, apparently engrossed enough in the book that he was reading to keep himself up and awake while he waited for his midnight meal. He'd gotten his new pajamas the first night after he made his online order, but not before Gramal had been given the opportunity to walk downstairs that morning and see more of the seadweller's bare skin than he'd ever meant to. Luckily Ophion hadn't woken up, and although he regarded Gramal's blush with suspicion when he woke up, puzzled, beneath a brand new blanket later, he had simply let it go and no awkward words needed to be exchanged.

  Gramal glanced back down at the sandwiches he was toasting up in the skillet, a meal which he would be serving with some of the plates he'd discovered just that evening while putting away some clean dishes. They were in their own quiet cabinet, and while Gramal had taken note of them on prior occasions he had only realized tonight that what was delicately painted into their fine china surface were not sea snakes, but sinuously winding dragons. Gramal had a soft spot for dragons, being his favourite animals by far, and so it had been impossible for him to resist using the plates despite the clear fact that they were probably meant for special occasions only. Once the grilled cheese seemed suitably golden-brown to him, he lifted them up with the spatula and placed them neatly on top of a ready cutting board, gave them each a neat diagonal cut, and then transferred them onto the dragon plates. The cheese oozed out into the valley between each half of the sandwich, beckoning for a bite and stirring a rumble from the depths of Gramal's belly. Although he knew that it was rude to take the first bite when he had set out to cook this for his boss, well... he couldn't quite resist collecting one gooey, cheesy half of his sandwich, collecting some of the escaped cheese with a quick swipe of one toasted corner, and taking a bite. Delicious.

  "Lunch's ready!" It didn't seem quite fair that his speech was about as clear when he spoke with his mouth full as it was at any other time. Gramal did his best to ignore that thought as he set down the rest of his sandwich, turned off the burner, and crossed the floor towards the living block with their plates in-hand, still chewing his first bite.

 [11/21/2013 12:13:21 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion marked his page and sat up a little as Gramal set their plates down onto the glass table.  He set the book aside and had halfway reached for half of his sandwich befer he saw the design peaking up from underneath the bread and oozing cheese.  The dragon plates were, most certainly, for special occasions.  But not quite the occasion Gramal had likely had in mind.  Ophion noted that the jadeblood had already taken a bite from his own plate, and a healthy one at that.  The seadweller didn't say anything, instead picking up his own plate and bringing it to his lap.  He picked up half of his own sandwich and took a small nibble from a corner, watching Gramal quite sharply for a change.  He probably should have told the jadeblood to stop eating.  The effects of the toxin in the plate's glaze would wear off faster the less of it he ingested, but Ophion couldn't quite figure out how to say it.  So he just...chewed quietly and waited to see what happened once it kicked in.

 [11/21/2013 12:41:17 AM] Zeda: The look that Ophion was giving him as he seated himself across from the small seadweller was just a little bit more focused and intent than he'd ever seen it before, and it caused Gramal enough discomfort that his chewing slowed. He couldn't tell what Ophion was looking at, exactly... was it his face? Something slipping out on the split side of his cheek, maybe? He reached up and touched the skin puckered on either side of the scar and felt nothing, no drool or errant sandwich pieces... so, still with a wary slowness, he collected the bitten piece of his sandwich from the plate once more and took another, chewing with greater care now.

  That was when he started feeling strange. There was a tingling in his tongue and the back of his throat, the sort of thing that he would have attributed to a food allergy if he hadn't been eating brands that he'd grown up with. He frowned as he looked down at the piece of sandwch, turning it over carefully in his hands... and then those began to tingle as well, starting in the tips of his fingers and working its way slowly inward. His grip was suddenly unreliable, and Gramal felt like he was watching an audiovisual file of someone else's hands at work when he lost his grip on the sandwich and sent it toppling down into the plate with a soft clatter.

  "Whuh.." Was that his voice? It was so much more slurred than usual, and the tingling was giving way to numbness and before he knew what was happening he was watching himself crumple and pitch out of his chair, his limbs gone slack and unresponsive.

 [11/21/2013 1:06:18 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion watched Gramal topple from his seat and onto the carpet without a shred of surprise, then after a moment let out a soft sigh and stood up.  He set his own plate back onto the table with a soft clink and padded over to the jadeblood's still form.  The seadweller stared down at him for a moment, then knelt next to him and with some effort rolled Gramal over onto his side.  It seemed maybe a tad ironic that this would be their first deliberate physical contact Ophion had initiated with him, and really their first firm contact at all since his near tumble down the stairs the first evening they met.  Carefully, the smaller troll made sure Gramal's mouth was clear and that his breathing wasn't obstructed in anyway, then he sat back on his heels and stared at the jadeblood thoughtfully for a moment.

  Finally, Ophion said, "Don't eat off the dragon plates.  They're for guests we don't like."

  He paused for a moment, then realized he should probably elabourate a little more in order to alleviate some of the concerns that were doubtlessly rushing through Gramal's mind.  "It's just a temporary paralytic in the glaze.  From my lusus...it'll wear off in an hour or so.  Probably less...since you're pretty...um...big.  Sorry, I didn't think about warning you about them...I mean...they're not...in the main cabinet so..."

  He managed a faintly apologetic look, and then went back to his spot on the couch, eating off of his own plate with no apparent ill-effects.

[11/21/2013 1:22:30 AM | Edited 1:25:40 AM] Zeda: The paralytic seemed to have made it impossible for Ophion to tell, even when he rolled his jadeblooded employee onto his back and leaned in to confirm that he was able to breathe, but as he lay there prone beneath Ophion's looming form Gramal was absolutely terrified. He didn't have control of his body, not even enough to tremble with fear when the small troll sat back and looked down at him with that dispassionate, distant expression, but he could certainly feel his heart hammering away inside of his all but lifeless body, fighting to escape and fully intending to leave the rest of him for dead. He had been made helpless like this before, and he knew better than anyone that even the smallest trolls could do nightmarish things to someone like him if they could just incapacitate him. His body lay limp as a ragdoll against Ophion's plush white rug, and there was Ophion watching him with complete dispassion... He'd never seen him like that before, and it felt to him like he had been fooled all over again. Lulled into a false sense of security, tricked into giving his pity and lowering his guard, and now another dangerous little highblood was going to break him, just like she would have said it.

  When Ophion stood up he didn't know what he should be expecting, but he definitely didn't expect the smaller troll to just walk away from him like that. Was he just going to bide his time and make his prey suffer? He had time to spare. After all, someone could do so much in an hour... Gramal couldn't wince, couldn't emote his distress, couldn't even really cry- he could only lay there and stare after Ophion as the seadweller took the time to eat his sandwich, calm and disinterested as he went. He was suddenly less small, less sweet and delicate and broken, and much more frightening to Gramal.

 [11/21/2013 1:40:55 AM | Edited 1:45:12 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion finished his sandwich and let out a faint hum, before he got up and carried his and Gramal's half-empty plates over to the kitchen.  It was a little strange to wash the dishes himself but he didn't want to risk the glaze cracking in the dish washer, so he took a moment to drop the tainted remainder of Gramal's meal into the trash before carefully scrubbing the plates clean and then drying them with a towel, completely oblivious to Gramal's thoughts.  It didn't seem like such a big deal to him.  An honest mistake, as long as he made sure the jadeblood was safe and comfortable until the toxin wore off.  He looked over at Gramal once he'd returned the dragon plates to their special cabinet, biting his lip thoughtfully.  Maybe he should give the other troll a pillow? 

  He padded back over to Gramal and leaned over him to grab one of the more cushy throw pillows off of a chair, then knelt back down next to the jadeblood.  Gingerly, like he was cradling a newborn grub, the seadweller lifted Gramal's head and placed the pillow under it.  He sat back on his heels to survery his work, then said a little awkwardly, "My...moirail...did the same thing.  When I first made the plates...I mean, one of my friends suggested them since...well that's not important.  Novall didn't--"

  He paused, swallowing a little after the name.  Did he really want to talk about this?  It was still painful but...he sort of felt like he needed to break the silence.  He had no idea what Gramal must think, at least it might make him feel better to know he wasn't the first troll to stumble upon the dragon plates.

  Ophion cleared his throat, voice a little huskier than normal and continued awkwardly, feeling like he was loosing steam, "Novall didn't know what they were, and...I hadn't put them in a box yet.  He liked my ceramics, so he thought they were for him.  It was...sort of funny after the paralytic wore off...I mean...embarrassing, right?"

  He looked down at Gramal, face dully hopeful, but there was no way to tell what affect his words were having on the jadeblood.

 [11/21/2013 2:25:47 AM] Zeda: He couldn't actually cower when Ophion leaned over him and retrieved the pillow from the chair, nor could he flinch or recoil when the seadweller's thin, cool fingers curled themselves around his skull and lifted his head gently, and although he knew that the pillow had been set there for him that didn't stp GRamal from thinking for one painful, heart-stopping moment that the seadweller could very easily just... twist. He could take his head, the full weight of which was settled in his small hands, and break his neck with no effort whatsoever. By the time his head was settled down against the pillow's puffy support he felt like he could very easily vomit from the stress, though there was no way for him to manage anything of the sort. His heart was pounding violently, sure, but his breathing was only faintly quickened, and he didn't know what that MEANT but he took it as a sign that the paralytic didn't extend its influences to his internal organs, or at least it couldn't do so completely. Otherwise he could have simply suffocated here, or felt it when his own heart betrayed him and stopped beating in his chest.

  He sort of realized, almost in a distant way at first, that Ophion was telling him something. Something in a halting, vulnerable tone that didn't ease his suffering in the slightest, but that still managed to capture his attention none the less. What was he saying? His moirail...? And they thought it was funny when it was all said and done, nothing more than embarrassing... the concept struck him as absolutely insane, since this was in the same vein as the worst kind of hell that he had ever experienced, but. Maybe, at least, this meant that Ophion wouldn't hurt him. He couldn't really see the seadweller so well from his current angle, his eyes having rolled in his direction only to the best of their failing ability, but maybe he wasn't going to be hurt now. He was reluctant to think so, but... the pillow at least, especially when coupled with mention of his moirail, sort of gave him the impression that this situation probably wouldn't escalate any further.

  It wasn't like he was actually calming down at this point, but Gramal was starting to be just a little less petrified.

[11/21/2013 2:39:36 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion rocked back on his heels a little, not totally sure what to say next.  He was never very good at conversing, but he didn't know if he should just leave Gramal to his own devices.  He shouldn't go to sleep until the jadeblood was under his own power again, just in case.  The seadweller liked his new employee, and certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to him because of some silly mistake.  He hoped Gramal wouldn't be angry when he regained mobility.  He'd only ever been mild with Ophion since they'd met, but he had no idea what might upset the jadeblood.  Ophion stifled a yawn, then got to his feet, thinking he should stay up and about if he didn't want to nod off.  Maybe he should make Gramal a sandwich to make up for the one that he hadn't been able to finish.

  Maybe some cocoa too?  The jadeblood had brewed some for him when he'd had that awful nightmare before.  Ophion had no confidence in his own cocoa brewing skills but he didn't doubt that there would be some sort of recipe or instructions on the box he could follow.  If he judged right, Gramal would start feel pins and needles before much longer, so maybe he'd be in a talking state again by the time the cocoa was done.  Yes, that seemed like a good plan.  Ophion wandered into the kitchen and pulled the box of cocoa and various sandwich ingredients out.  He fumbled a little with the toast, and burned the cheese a little, but he hoped that would be ok.  He let the clumsy little sandwish rest on a safe plate and started trying to make the cocoa.  It smelled ok at least, though he wasn't sure if Gramal had microwaved it like this when he had made it.

  Once it was finished, he came back over and put the things down onto the table, hovering hesitantly over Gramal and looking to see if he was moving yet at all before he said, "Um...I tried to make you a new sandwich...it's probably...not very good.  Do you feel...better?  Yet?"

 [11/21/2013 3:23:58 AM | Edited 3:36:00 AM] Zeda: Gramal hadn't yet managed to regain the ability to speak in the time that it took Ophion to do his cooking, but his eyes had taken on a watery sheen and his fingers had begun to twitch and flex with just the faintest impulse of self control slowly returning to his body. Although he couldn't get his tongue to do anything more than lay useless and limp in the cradle of his jaw, he was able to at least frown and furrow his brow the faintest, twitchiest bit at his employer, and it seemed to him that if he had enough time he might be able to roll himself onto his side soon enough. It didn't really matter to him if the food was burned or mis-made, honestly, because at this point he felt so drained and weary from this experience that he wasn't sure if he would eat anything that was placed before him regardless of its state, or if he would rather crawl away somewhere safe and fall asleep for a while.

  "...Gnuh..." That wasn't a word at all. Gramal closed his mouth, having obtained at least that much mobility now... and after a few long, quiet moments he made that attempt to roll himself over, curling-up on his side against the plush carpet and shivering. He wasn't cold, really, but the unspent adrenaline was making him tremble now that he was coming back to himself. He coughed softly, his body jerking oddly against the floor, and then the jadeblood seemed to determine that another attempt at speech was in order.

  "...Dun... rilly f'll bettr... yed." Would the seadweller even be able to understand what he'd just said? Gramal didn't know, and frankly, he was too exhausted to try any harder just yet.

 [11/21/2013 3:32:15 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "Um...I would offer to prop you up but...I think you're probably too heavy for me to try to move..." Ophion said awkwardly, still hovering and unsure what to do now that Gramal was shaking.  Novall hadn't shaken like that.  He'd called Ophion a mean name and then said something sarcastic and self-deprecating.  He didn't want to touch Gramal again, because he felt now that would probably make worse whatever was going on with the jadeblood.  The seadweller knew at least that HE wouldn't want Gramal to touch him if the situation had been reverse.

  So, he kept hovering for a moment longer before asking meekly, "Do you need me to do...anything...?"

 [11/21/2013 3:53:52 AM] Zeda: As he lay there quietly, slowly regaining the mobility of his fingers and tongue enough that he could move again, Gramal didn't really cry. He DID, however, happen to have tears in his eyes when he glanced up at Ophion, his expression otherwise settling back into its usual simple, baseline frown. It took some maneuvering on his part, but eventually he was able to get his arms beneath his torso and push himself up, slowly and shakily managing to do his OWN job of propping himself up against the foot of his chair. The jadeblood had only ended-up shedding one or two tears total, but he reached up and dully swiped the back of one fits across his eyes anyway, clearing the moisture and blinking tiredly at the seadweller.

  "...Nuh. 'Guess'm fine now." Now that he was actually able to turn his head and look at the food that Ophion brought for him, he found that he wasn't exactly hungry. However, he reached out and touched the mug of cocoa anyway, frowning a little at the quaking of his fingers against the warm ceramic.

[11/21/2013 4:04:25 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Hesitantly, Ophion knelt next to him, far enough away that he wasn't violating either of their personal space, but close enough that he might be able to catch the mug if Gramal happened to pick it up and drop it.  The jadeblood didn't exactly seem 'fine', easy enough for for Ophion to tell, but he didn't really know what else do it.  He'd already done everything he could think of, so finally he said, "I don't know how good the cocoa will...taste but...I thought it might help..."

  He twisted his hands in his lap in an uncommon release of tension, swallowing thickly.  The seadweller looked sort of like he was bracing for a blow, but he hadn't retreated to a safe distance if he was really expecting that to happen, so it was probably just a reflexive posture.  He didn't mention the tears or the trembling, though they made Ophion think that something bad had happened to the jadeblood that the paralytic had brought surging back to memory.  Gramal always seemed so solid, Ophion didn't know what to think of the idea that the other troll had also suffered through something terrible.  If someone big and strong like that could have something horrible happen to them...well, he didn't know what that meant.

  "I'm sorry..." he said weakly, looking downward.  He wasn't really sure what he was appologizing for in specific, but then that wasn't an unfamiliar feeling.  Was it for not thinking to tell Gramal not to use the dragon plates?  Or not warning the other troll after he'd already started eating of one?  Really, he didn't know what he could've said then but maybe SOMETHING.  Maybe he was appologizing for whatever had happened to the jadeblood to make his strong hands shake like that.  "I'm...I'm really, really sorry..."

[11/21/2013 4:30:21 AM] Zeda: Gramal didn't try to pick up his mug right then. Instead he only paused, and lifted his head shakily so that he could focus his attention on the seadweller's now apparently shrinking form, blinking slowly at the smaller troll. He was trying to hold himself together here, and it was probably obvious to Ophion that he wasnt in any sort of state to be worthy of being considered a threat. Why was he shaking like that, then? He knew by now that Ophion had suffered at SOMEONE'S hands, those of the troll that had branded his back with that crooked arrow and that crass assertion of ownership, but... he had been weak just then. Ophion could have killed him or worse, and the thought still echoed in the darkness of Gramal's mind with such chill emptiness that it dragged a shiver down his spine. But instead of regarding him with calm dispassion like he had before, Ophion instead sounded apologetic. Small and delicate and broken all over again, and where he would have found the seadweller's demeanor to be nothing but saddening before this, Gramal had to admit that in this moment, with his limbs still quaking, he was just a little... relieved, to see that Ophion was afraid of him. Sick as it was, it made him feel just a little bit safer, and a little more willing to relax his shaking body with a deep, cleansing sigh.

  And then of course, as though being released from a gate that had he;d the feelings at bay until now, he was rememering just how pitiable the poor seadweller could be.

  "...S'okay Ophion." It wasn't the textbook definition of 'okay,' sure, but it was better than it could have been. Neither of them were dead, and when he reached out with one trembling hand he only lay it on the smaller troll's shoulder lightly, patting him softly. Keeping the contact short.

  "I w's just scared. M'fine now."

 [11/21/2013 5:04:54 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion flinched visibly when Gramal patted him on the shoulder, but he didn't make a sound, and once the jadeblood had ended the contact the seadweller swallowed and tried to pretend he hadn't reacted that way.  His hands untwisted in his lap though, as if the blow he'd been bracing for was no longer a threat, and after a moment he finally peaked up at Gramal from beneathe his fringe in that streangely demure way he did sometimes.  And, really, he was curious about whatever had made the jadeblood react that way to something Novall had laughed off, but he'd never consider asking.  He didn't want to talk about his own torments, so how could he ask about Gramal's.  Gramal, whom he was starting to hope might be something like a friend. 

  "Okay..." the seadweller said slowly, sinking the bottom half of his face into the high collar of his turtleneck, not unlike the shirt's namesake, and looking back toward his hands.  When he spoke again his voice was muffled, but understandable.  "I don't...like talking about...certain things.  But...you offered to listen to me if I ever needed it.  So...uhm...if you ever need...to talk..."

  He trailed off, letting the offer hang in the air between them for a moment before he added weakly, "I...I mean...I might know what you're going through."

 [11/21/2013 2:42:56 PM] Zeda: Gramal pursed his lips when Ophion flinched, withdrawing his hand immediately, and it was immediately far less of a relief to him that the small troll was intimidated by him. It boded well for his survival, sure, but no matter how terrified he had been as he lay here on the floor he couldn't actually see any sense in it, now that he was watching Ophion retreat into his high turtleneck. It was sort of like waking from a daymare that had been absolutely horrifice, panting and shaking, only to slowly recall that the contents of his dream hadn't been frightening at all. He felt rather foolish now, and although he absolutely didn't want to open up and share the details of his life or the things that had happened to him with Ophion, he almost felt as though he sort of... owed him. For having thought for even a moment that someone like him would do him harm. It would be like his own, private apology for that moment of cruel comfort he'd derived from Ophion's fear.

  "...It w's someone small'n highblooded like you. En'I w's paralyzed like that." His speech was slow and soft, his voice taking on a heavier note of that rattling roughness that always lurked at the edges. This was far from something that Gramal wanted to talk about, and even saying THAT much felt like too much by far. His expression darkened, facial muscles now responsive enough to accomodate a grimace as he turned his eyes away from Ophion's face, busying himself with examining the cocoa that he lifted towards his face. "But you wouldn' do what she did't me. I know that. I jus' forgot f'r a momen."

 [11/21/2013 2:58:39 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion nodded slowly, unsure as always what to say at first, but finally managing another, "I'm sorry..."

  He got to his feet and finally wandered back to his spot on the couch, sinking down onto the white cushions.  The seadweller wanted to go to sleep now that this was over, but he was afraid to again.  Watching Gramal's hands shake, and hearing about whatever 'she' had done to him made Ophion think that a few monsters might be waiting for HIM on the other side of wakefulness.  He watched Gramal with the cocoa for a minutes, wondering if it tasted okay, before he reiterated, "Don't eat off the dragon plates."

  Maybe if he said that again it would help.  Now that he knew how terriffied Gramal must have been a moment ago, he didn't know how much of what he'd said to the jadeblood had really sunk in.  Maybe if he explained where the plates came from?  Gramal seemed mostly okay now, 'mostly' being the operative word, so maybe Ophion shouldn't bother.  But he did sort of owe an exchanged explanation after hearing THAT.

  "I was having some...trouble.  A while back," Ophion ventured timidly.  His tone was even more halting than normal as he tried to put the words together without going to deep into anything about Jeriko.  "I mean...nothing like what I--maybe a sweep ago.  Um, the girl who was auspisticising between me and...well, she suggested I make some plates I could use if...I needed them."

 [11/21/2013 3:31:36 PM] Zeda: His auspistice suggested it, and although Ophion didn't outright SAY so the implication was clear. A kismesis. Ophion had made those poisoned plates so that he could protect himself based on the suggestions of an auspistice, and if he was going to such extreme lengths to ensure his protection from this other troll then it stood to reason that the ashen was formed for prevention rather than maintenance. The thought that Ophion's suffering had come through a means even remotely similar to his own made Gramal's throat tighten, and as he sipped at the microwaved cocoa he couldn't get that tightness to leave. They hadn't shared all that much about what had happened to them, really, but this small exchange of words... it felt like it said quite a lot. More than enough.

  "...'M sorry too." He took another log, slow sip, and this time it seemed as though the hot liquid was doing its job, soothing away the tension in his throat and easing away his trembling. Yes, this was better. It'd be okay now. The jadeblood set his mug back down and took a deep breath, in through his nose and then out with a breathy sigh through his lips.

  "...Well. The plates work." The words were delivered so flatly that it had to have been meant to be at least a LITTLE funny, and Gramal finally lifted his eyes and looked at the seadweller again, settled and at-ease in a way that contrasted sharply with how uncomfortable the conversation and the events that preceeded it had been. "An th'situation's probably different now. But you have me aroun' to help now too."

[11/22/2013 3:24:47 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion nodded slowly, glancing up at Gramal when he heard the mug clink back onto the tabletop before looking away again.  The flat humor in the statement about the plates sailed right by him, but at least the jadeblood wasn't angry with him, or upset anymore.  Gramal was so close to being 'safe' to the seadweller, even after they'd only known one another for a little over a perigee now, Ophion hoped nothing happened to ruin that.  He really did like the jadeblood, after all.

  “The situation is different…yeah…” Ophion agreed with a weak nod.  Very different, but he wasn’t quite ready to go into that.  Still, it was a nice idea that Gramal would be around, though Ophion couldn’t foresee any complications in his current life that would require him to need…protecting? Maybe?  Well, he’d needed protecting when he’d first met Gramal and hired him, but that was sort of a rare occurance when the seadweller was so used to going through life [and town] unnoticed.  Regardless of that he couldn’t deny it was nice to have someone around to take care of him again.  “Um…thanks, though.”

 [11/22/2013 3:50:29 PM] Zeda: The joke went uncelebrated, but Gramal was relatively used to that since he rarely made jokes to begin with. Jokes required a certain cleverness of the tongue that the jadeblood was utterly lacking, and he might have honestly been far more surprised if the seadweller were to laugh at anything he said. So, he lifted up the sandwich that had been made for him, and as he took a bite the cheese that had oozed out past the edges of the grubtoast and onto the skillet crunched between his teeth. A little over-cooked, sure, but Gramal didn't show any sign of displeasure with his meal. It wasn't the sort of thought that he had any interest in giving voice to, however... it seemed to him that regardless of the things that had happened to them in the past, they were at least now presented with the potential to be a stronger unit together than either of them had been apart. Maybe he was still little more or less than an employee to Ophion, but Gramal thought that as unusual as the circumstances had been tonight, they might have become just a bit more like... friends, maybe. At least enough that they were willing to share even the barest slivers of detail about their pasts with one-another. He finished the first half of his new sandwich in a few short bites, and the silence between them felt less weighty than it could have.

  "...I know that'y sleep a lot an' that you must need it. But I hope y' start't feel better soon." He said it as mildly as he possibly could, not pushing in the slightest, but as the jadeblood lifted his eyes to look at the seadweller's pretty face it seemed clear that now, he was pretty sure that Ophion wasn't really sick. At least, not physically. Still, he didn't seem to be put off by it, or trying to warn him into getting over it. It just seemed as though the sentiments that he expressed especially in that latter statement were purely genuine.

 [11/22/2013 4:54:18 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion was a little surprised by Gramal's last statement, but he nodded quietly.  And, speaking of sleep, it seemed like high time that he got back to that.  Now that everything seemed mostly okay and things had calmed down, he was exhausted.  So, the seadweller captchalogued his book that had been left neglected on the couch, and pulled his blankets from his sylladex, settling in amongst them like always, and dropping off to sleep easily without another word.

  The next few nights passed comfortably enough between the two of them, their by now somewhat normal routine in place.  Ophion spent a few minutes one evening rearranging some of his playlists in his music player because he'd gotten a little tired of a few of the songs that played on the loop, but nothing seemed much out of the ordinary.  He set the rearrange playlist to play on shuffle so that he didn't have the play order memorized anymore, and then went to go about his routine.

  A few hours passed.  Long enough for the seadweller to complete his lengthy ablutions in the shower, nibble something Gramal had made for him to eat, and fall back to sleep.  Everything was essentially proceeding normally.  After Ophion had been asleep for a little while though, the playlist ended, but instead of looping back to the beginning like it usually did, there was dead air for a few seconds before something that sounded like a piano started playing.  It went on for a few minutes, just the piano before a familiar violin joined in, and a couple songs passed like that.  It seemed a little odd, but not impossible that Ophion would have added it to his playlist.  Until the weird part happened. 

  A new song started with the piano, but after a few bars, someone started singing, quiet and timid, in a faintly husky voice, though the words were too faint to understand.  Whoever had been playing the piano seemed to notice too because a second or two later the music stopped and a second voice said, "You do realize that the goal here is for you to sing at a volume louder than something only barkbeasts can hear?"

  The second voice was unfamiliar, deep with a rich, warm timbre.  Teasing, but not totally unkind.  A moment later Ophion's voice replied in the recording, "Sorry...it's intimidating when I know we're recording..."

  "Don't worry about it, okay?" the deeper voice said.  "We're going to cut out whatever doesn't sound good anyway, so there's nothing to be intimidated about.  You wanna try again?"

  "Okay..."

  A second later the piano started up again, and soon after Ophion's singing.  He had a good voice, soft an unimposing, but the way he sang it was almost on a personal level, like he sounded as if he was speaking directly to whoever was listening.  And, he sounded almost happy, talking with the other voice in the recording, even if he was intimidated or nervous.  This must be from a long time ago.  The song ended with Ophion saying, "How was that...?"  But whatever answer he'd gotten had been cut off when they'd stopped recording, as he was followed with the sound of a violin accompanying a piano once more, this time the deeper voice was singing.

  On the couch the seadweller turned over in his sleep a little restlessly, making a soft sound, but he didn't wake up.

 [11/23/2013 1:22:10 AM] Zeda: Gramal was putting away some of Ophion's freshly cleaned pajamas in his respiteblock upstairs when he first realized that what he was listening to sounded like two instruments playing in unison, rather than one. He had missed it at first, the classical music blending into a soft background noise to which he had become accustomed by now, but when he noticed it Gramal lifted his head slightly, frowning at the change. But despite being new and different, it didn't seem all that strange to him, so ultimately the jadeblood went back to folding Ophion's pajama bottoms and putting them away in his wardrobifier, and that was that.

  Until, of course, he heard the singing. The words may have been inaudible, but the husky softness of it... Gramal stopped everything that he was doing and stood to listen, tipping his chin slightly upward as if he would be able to hear better of he looked up at the speakers overhead. There was no doubt in his mind that the voice singing now belonged to Ophion. And then came the deep, drawling voice of another troll, and Gramal thought that he must be hearing something that Ophion didn't mean to have on this playlist. He pursed his lips and made his way out of his employer's respiteblock, keeping his steps light and careful so that he wouldn't make a noise and disrupt his ability to hear the recording. Downstairs, Ophion was still fast asleep on the couch as the conversation continued playing, and as he settled one broad hand on top of the railing he recognized that the seadweller was stirring faintly. It was strange to look down on his slumbering form and simultaneously hear the voice that was coming across the speakers right now. He just sounded so... vibrant. He sounded absolutely full of life as he sang, tone sweet and modestly happy, and it clashed violently with theversion of Ophion that he had become so familiar with by now, wary and slightly broken. Who was this singing now? And, should he even go downstairs and wake the sleeping seadweller while this was happening...?

 [11/23/2013 1:39:51 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: As Gramal hesitated at the bottom of the steps the song ended and someone started talking again, as if they'd pressed the record button mid-statement--the deep voice from before, "--what he told me."

  "That's stupid," Ophion's voice replied to whatever the previous sentence had been about, and a few violin notes sounded as if he was putting a few final tuning  adjustments to his violin.  "Anceri said he's under a lot of stress though...I feel sort of bad for him..."

  "Oh she's no better," the deep voice replied with a sarcastic sort of snort.  "And she really gets on my nerves.  Whenever I want to have some decent black with him she cockblocks me.  Like it's her JOB to keep bruises off of EVERYONE."

  There was a brief silence and then the deep voice said again, "Sorry, I didn't mean--Jeriko's different.  Besides, honestly you don't NEED her to auspisticise with him when you've got me."

  "...you're not always around," Ophion replied a little sullenly, then made a few more test notes on his violin.  "Are you ready?"

  "Yeah sorry it took so long to re-tune.  Mako really knows how to fuck with my things."  A few keys on the piano sounded off, and then there was a rustling like someone had turned to a page in the sheet music.  And then they started playing again without another word, totally in sync with each other.  There wasn't any more converstation in that recordning, and once the song ended the playlist shuffled on to solo piano piece.

 [11/23/2013 2:02:58 AM] Zeda: It felt like he was eavesdropping on someone else's private conversation, but there was something deeply strange about knowing that this recording had to have been made ages and ages ago. Ophion was alone now, after all, no matter how many people the voices coming across the speakers seemed to be talking about. Anceri... that was the name of his auspistice, then. And the kismesis that she had been keepin at bay was someone named Jeriko. He didn't recall ever having heard of anyone named Mako before , but what really seemed to matter was the identity of the troll who owned that deep, warm voice. He seemed to play off of Ophion so naturally, like they were two instruments in a long-practiced duet... was this his moirail talking now? All the while that he was thinking these things through Gramal had been making his way across the first floor, and it was by now becoming a very natural occurence to find himself standing before the couch where Ophion slept. Only now, he was looking at him a bit differently. Hearing how he sounded when he spoke to someone who made him comfortable and happy just seemed to underscore how very, very different he sounded now. It sort of... hurt, actually. Just a bit, but it hurt in some strange and inexplicable way.

  The piano was playing softly when Gramal knelt down in front of the couch and touched a thin shoulder that was wrapped in his own oversized sweater. He had no business touching Ophion and he knew it. He didn't even have any business getting as close as he was now, especially if he thought that all he was doing was waking him up to... to what, exactly? The contents of this audio file were already obvious to him, so there was no way that he would have had to ask what or who they were talking about. He just kind of felt like he wanted to be close to him all of a sudden.

 [11/23/2013 2:17:25 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion made a soft sound when Gramal touched him, and cuddled up against the jadeblood's broad chest, not really awake, but stirring a little from total slumber.  One of his thin arms slid a little ways around the larger troll's middle in a half-hug, and about the same time that a new song started playing, with that deep voice singing it, the seadweller murmured sleepily into Gramal's ribcage, "Mm...Novall...I had a dream about...."

  He trailed off slowly, as if slowly realising something the closer to full conciousness he got, and then he pulled away, looking confused for a second.  Then Ophion's gaze shot up towards one of the ceiling speakers and a mildly horrified look flickered across his face as he realized what he'd just done and what was playing over the speakers.  The seadweller had no idea how much of the playlist had been gone through while he was asleep, and he immediately fumbled for the universal remote to turn it off, cutting Novall off mid-note.  The following silence was abrupt, and he tried to think of something to say or do. 

  Finally, Ophion fell into his default, and managed to stammer, "S-Sorry."

 [11/23/2013 3:06:06 AM] Zeda: Gramal's spine stiffened only vaguely when Ophion's thin arm wound around his middle, and while he knew damn well that the seadweller wouldn't be happy when he realized what he was doing, he just couldn't bring himself to make the smaller troll come to his senses. It was just that he felt so vulnerable, and when he started mumbling softly against his chest his husky voice for a moment sounded almost comfortable again. Almost content in a way that Gramal hadn't ever heard it before. He didn't let himself put an arm around the seadweller's shoulders in return, and he imagined that doing so wouyld have damned him to never be trusted again, but that didn't mean that he didn't desperately WANT to. In this moment, Gramal felt like he wanted to just... hold him. And he knew that that was wrong, especially when the smaller troll was mumbling someone else's name against his ribs.

  But the impulse only worsened when Ophion came to his senses, jerking away and fumbling hastily for the remote, and he KNEW that cutting off that rich voice must have hurt in some way if he was out here all alone now. Novall was dead, he was sure of it. Nobody would have pitied someone like Ophion so much that they became perfectly in-synch with him, and then just left him alone. The jadeblod wasn't really paying attention to what his face was emoting when Ophion started stammering out his apology, but the way that he was looking at Ophion made it clear that he'd heard far more than enough.

  "You don' have t' apologize..." He shook his head slowly, his lips pressed into a thin frown as he watched the boy's face. He still wanted to hug him, and that was dangerous but undeniable. "You sounded... happy. Comfortable. It wasn' any of my business t'listen. But I liked hearing you like that."

[11/23/2013 3:37:46 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion looked a little surprised, or as surprised as his normally dull expression could manage now, at Gramal's words.  He was trembling a little, the movement most visible in his shoulders, especially when the seadweller folded his thin arms around himself and looked away.  He thought he should say something, maybe explain what that was, who Novall had been.  But he couldn't think how, didn't WANT to.  He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but each time he took a breath to speak, nothing came out.

  Finally after the silence had stretched on between them to an uncomfortable degree, he managed to choke out, "He took care of me.  K-kept me...safe.  He's dead."

  The seadweller knew it was an obvious statement, that Novall was dead.  But he couldn't NOT say it.  He had to remind himself sometimes.  It still felt like yesterday sometimes, when they would play together.  All Ophion could do now was let himself by consumed by the void inside him.  But, Gramal was still there, kneeling solidly next to the couch.  And, it seemed like...Ophion wasn't sure.  Maybe, that the jadeblood really was concerned.  Pitying, maybe.  Still hugging himself, Ophion looked back up at Gramal.

  "I'm not...very good at taking care of myself...or protecting myself," he confessed, as if it hadn't already been obvious.  "I...got forced into a...a really bad kismesis when Novall...died.  Jeriko...kept me locked up and did--things.  A...a lot of stuff.  He's...dead now too but I'm..."

  'Not' was what he wanted to say.  Not dead.  Though it didn't always feel like a victory.

 [11/23/2013 3:59:52 AM] Zeda: Gramal ground his teeth hard against one another, setting his jaw tightly as he listened to Ophion choke out every breath of his explanation as though it were his last, his voice shaking as badly as the rest of him while he sat there on the couch. He was doing his best not to touch, reminding himself just how badly Ophion flinched away from being touched, underscoring the importance of NOT touching especially when he said that this unwanted kismesis forced him, locked him up, DID stuff, and even though he knew far too well exactly how horrific this story really was he just couldn't bear to keep his hands locked into tight fists at his sides any longer. Regardless of whether or not it was a good idea or would be welcome at all, he couldn't just watch Ophion shiver at the edge of what could very well be tears and do nothing for him. He reached out then, not in slow-motion but certainly not fast enough to force himself on the seadweller if he wasn't welcome, and it was just so easy to wrap his arms all the way around Ophion's trembling frame, enveloping him like there was nothing to him at all.

  He was grateful that Jeriko was already dead, or else he would have to hunt him down and kill him.

  "I'm sorry..." He didn't mean to sound pale, but placating someone with a soft murmur like that was very few things if not that. He tried to let his chest feel like a barrier, a wall between Ophion and the space outside of them both. "What happened t'you was awful. You didn' deserve it..." That part felt strange to say, because it was more along the lines of something he always wished someone would have said to HIM. He needed to say something better for Ophion, something more personal. "I'm here now t'take care'f you. I'll keep you safe-- if y' want me here. If that's okay."

[11/23/2013 4:11:29 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion didn't retreat from Gramal's approach, though he tensed when the other troll embraced him.  The jadeblood could feel him, stiff but still shaking in his arms, but after a few moments, while Gramal was speaking, the seadweller slowly relaxed until he had melted against the larger troll's chest, still shuddering a little but not protesting the contact.  And after a few moments of silence Gramal became aware of Ophion's delicate fingers winding in against the fabric of his shirt, as if returning the hug however minimalistically.

  "...thank you," the seadweller said softly, words half muffled against Gramal's sternum.  He felt strange, being embraced like this.  It didn't hurt, or fill him with dread like he would have expected.  It was...nice.  Comfortable.  And it DID feel safe.  Something Ophion hadn't really felt in a while.

 [11/23/2013 4:54:11 AM] Zeda: There was a fraction of a moment there, with the seadweller still tense and trembling in his arms, that Gramal sincerely thought that Ophion might want to push him away. But then he could almost feel every tensed muscle across the seadweller's back slowly relax, and he was left with a body bonelessly wilting against him and thin, cool fingers cirling themselves  against his ribs, clutching at the material of his dark green shirt as they settled there against one-another. Gramal was going to respect what few boundaries he hadn't broken yet, he kept on promising himself that much, but as soon as that soft little 'thank you' was muttered against his chest, well... he was somewhat lost, and he had already tipped his cheek down against Ophion's dark hair before he could even think to stop himself, one stubby horn almost too close in front of his eyes for him to see it right. At this proximity, though, he could see the evidence of what he thought might be the scraping patterns of a file... and he held him more securely, exhaling a soft huff of air against the smaller troll's temple. Now he was a bit angry that Jeriko WASN'T dead, because he would have liked to have killed him himself.

  He sat there for a few long, quiet moments before he realized that he had been working the thumb of one hand very shallowly against Ophion's shoulderblade, a sort of minute petting gesture that he wasn't sure was even welcome. He was overstepping enough boundaries already, he really should just stop.

  "...If'y ever need one. Of these I mean." The offer was implicit, but obvious.

 [11/23/2013 5:24:42 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion shifted in his arms slightly so that he could look up at Gramal's face.  From this proximity it was easy to see the scar that puckered down the side of the seadweller's face, cutting across his eyelid and dividing the lashes there.  His good eye was moist, though, but no tears slipped from it as Ophion gazed at the jadeblood.  It was impossible to tell what exactly was going through the smaller troll's mind until he spoke again, breath cool against the side of Gramal's neck.

  "Okay..." His fingers tightened in a little in Gramal's shirt as he said, a silent acceptance to accompany the spoken one.  He lay his head back against Gramal's chest again, letting out a soft sound that could almost have been a purr.  A few moments passed until it finally became apparent that Ophion had fallen back to sleep nestled securely in the jadeblood's arms.

 [11/23/2013 5:51:33 AM] Zeda: Looking down at Ophion when he pulled away, seeing the scar that ran a course down over his left eye and the moisture clinging in his dark lashes, Gramal couldn't help but think that he was beautiful. Really beautiful and sweet, and deserving of so much love and care for all of the hardships he had been through. When the seadweller agreed to take him up on his offer concerning more embraces like this one, he offered one of his best and most gentle not-frowns in return, the set of his eyes softening slightly as the smaller troll leaned back into him one more... and then, seemingly within moments, he was asleep.

  Gramal blinked slowly, staring down at the small figure curled-up in his arms. He had fallen asleep just like that, no signs of dozing or anything! It was absolutely adorable, even if it put him in a weird position. He glanced around, trying to assess the situation and frowning faintly at the options at-hand. Should he just put him back on the couch and let him sleep alone? Tat didn't seem right, not when he was curled-up so contentedly against him. Maybe the floor would be a good spot to lay down with him...? That seemed like it would be way too hard a surface to sleep on, even with the plush white carpet in the way. No, no... the answer was obvious. As carefully as he could Gramal drew the small seadweller's body into his arms, securing him against his chest at least securely enough that he was able to lift him slightly. With a few slow, awkward maneuvers, Gramal was eventually able to get himself situated on the couch with Ophion lying on top of him, and other than a bit of silent stirring once or twice during the adjustments, he didn't seem as though his sleep had been disturbed in the least. That was a relief. Gramal lay his head back against the arm rest and stared up at the ceiling for some time, listening to the sound of Ophion's breathing against his chest in the perfect silence of his hive. And, eventually, he drifted off to sleep himself, a furnace beneath the seadweller's chilly weight.

[zedamalgam]

Gramal and Ophion - Initial Encounter

[12:27:59 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: His new hive was too big, too empty [though the emptyness was arguably something that it and Ophion shared in common].  It was above water, unlike his previous hive, which he'd come back to after finally finding himself freed from Jeriko's attentions, only for it to feel like stranger.  And breathing water was still too unpleasant for him to want to stay in the ocean all the time.  The new hive was on a river, which was all he needed.  Except, that taking care of a hive that sat filled with nothing but air was very different from the mostly self-containing ecosystem that came from one full of sea-water.  It made playing his violin much easier, for sure, but he didn't have the energy to look after it the way it seemed to need.  He didn't even really have the energy to wrestle any food out of the kitchen--when he bothered to go to the store.

  So, Ophion needed help.  Someone who would look passed the fact that the small seadweller might, in fact, be better off culled, and would just...take care of things, so that he could sleep, and not have to think about it.  The plan had been to come into town to post an ad at an agency.  It seemed like it would be easy enough, but then, no one really noticed Ophion--until they did.  And when they did noticed him, it wasn't always in the most favourable way.  He hadn't even made it all the way into the agency shop yet before being accosted by three indigos of varying stages of muscular and brutish.  They thought he was pretty, liked his scars, and what was he looking for?  Maybe they could help.  One reached out to touch him and he flinched, which made them laugh.

  So, Gramal made his way down the street, and while he had an ultimate destination in-mind he was not necsssarily making his way with any haste. After all, it had been bi-lunar perigees since he last took a walk in the city. His eyes were starting to gain a tinge of their colour, deep and dark with glints of green like emerald, and he was casting them about the streets idly as he walked, his lips pitched into a perpetual frown that could never reach the carved-on grin that split his right cheek. It was thanks to luck, perhaps, that he caught sight of a small seadweller walking down the street not far from him, his pace slowing-up slightly. He was small, with tiny nubs for horns and earfins that looked uneven from this distance- or was that just what he could see peeking up over the rim of his scarf? The highblood didn't turn his head as he walked, eyes focused on the ground ahead of him and his pace brisk, and while his gait could have been compared to any of the countless trolls that surrounded him on the city street Gramal was just... struck by him, really. He was so small, after all, lost in his big warm coat and his infinity scarf, dark and possibly brooding and deeply, terribly adorable.

  And while he watched, a group of three large indigoblooded trolls seemed to catch sight of him as well, changing their course so that they could double back and begin to follow the seadweller, grinning and encircling him. Confrontations in broad moonlight were commonplace, and Alternian etiquette suggested that if you saw a fight or some other type of assault in-progress you should turn the other cheek, unless of course you were highblooded enough and willing enough to do otherwise. Gramal was not highblooded enough, even with the elevation in status afforded by his blood. He would have been equal to a cerulean at best... but, what he DID have was will sparked especially by the way that the seadweller flinched when he was touched, and size formidable enough to match or out-do each of the trolls now harassing the violetblood. He turned and made a B-line for the small grouping, giving a deep and resonating growl to announce his advance. Two of the three indigos looked up as he approached, and one of them sneered and began to laugh, pointing at him.

  "Somebody carve you up a motherfucking smile there, my sour brother?"

[1:36:30 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion had retreated a step when he heard the growl from behind him, and at first thought it was a fourth of these thugs deciding to harrass him.  But, no, it was a rather intimidating jadeblood.  It was easy enough to tell from their body language that the newcomer wasn't on friendly terms with the indigos.  Was he picking a fight with them?  It never occurred to Ophion that the other troll had noticed them harrassing him and decided to intervene.  He tried to take advantage of the newcomer's distraction and turned to step back out into the street, but the nearest indigo stopped him by slinging an arm over his shoulders.  It wasn't a rough action, but the gesture was far from reassuring.

  "Where are you going sweet thing?  We ain't even got to motherfucking know each other."

  Ophion didn't said anything, just cast his eyes down to the side.  The weight of the larger troll's arm over his shoulders made his skin crawl, but what could he say?  It was easier just to keep quiet.

[2:05:31 AM] Zeda: [I'm at a bit of a loss for what Gramal can actually DO here as a midblood without Ophion backing him up- maybe he'll claim that he's his guardian, that seems legit]

 [2:10:05 AM | Edited 2:10:11 AM] Zeda: The seadweller's lack of protest seemed to amuse and please the indigos, who took it as more than enough of a sign of consent from the object of their focus. Gramal, however, was more concerned about the stiffening of his posture and his subtle flinching as his eyes focused on nothing, and he wasn't deterred from keeping at this just yet.

  "Y'r too low t'be touching a seadweller without'is permission." The jadeblood's voice was rough as gravel, and the indigos thought that it was absoutely HILARIOUS that a jadeblood would be talking to them about being 'too low' for anyone, bursting into loud peals of laughter that repelled all of the other trolls passing them by. The one with his arm around Ophion jostled the seadweller slightly, nodding down at him.

  "Say whatever the fuck you want, THIS fine little piece ain't complaining! Are you, sweetie?" The indigo didn't expect an answer, not even pausing to allow for one before he began laughing again. "You got no motherfucking say in this shit, greenie!"

  "I'm'is guard." Although his speech was a bit jumbled, words flowing together in a strangely accented way, the message was pretty clear and gave pause to the laughing, if only for an amused silence as they waited for more of the show. Gramal was lying on his feet, and he had never been very good at that, but... he forged ahead all the same, narrowing his eyes as he stepped forward and placed himself close beside Ophion, and therefore confrontationally close to the painted-face of the troll holding onto him. "I'm his guard an' it's my job to keep trash from touching'im without his permission."

 [2:26:47 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion blinked at the lie, but that was the only outward sign he made that he was surprised.  He looked up at Gramal, finally tearing his gaze away from the sidewalk and where he'd been disconnecting himself.  His face didn't change, but the jadeblood could see hope there in Ophion's one good eye just the same.  He didn't want to go anywhere with these clown-faced brutes, didn't want them touching him, even if he couldn't bring himself to say no or to shove them away.  It was too hard to say 'no', and a lot of the time it hurt worse than if he'd just said nothing.

  "Well why leave a choice motherfucking piece of ass like this all alone?" one of the indigos asked, looking like he wasn't sure if he was amused or wanted to throttle Gramal for calling him trash.

  Ophion finally spoke up, surprising everyone involved as he said huskily, "...errand.  Dry...cleaning..."

  It was a broken sentence at best, but it made sense at least.  He hadn't spoken since before the venom from Tethys' whip had made his tongue feel like a swollen mass.  His joints still ached from that, and he still couldn't hold his violin properly.  It was getting better, at least, and didn't feel like he was choking if he tried to get food down.  Not that he tried much.  He ducked out from under the indigoblood's arm and trotted to Gramal's side.  The jadeblood was an ally, or seemed to be, and there was only one of him.  Much less uncomfortable.

 [3:09:35 AM] Zeda: For a few tense moments,Gramal wasn't certain that the seadweller would actually go along with what he was saying. While he was holding his ground for the moment, standing tall despite the obvious outrage bleeding into the other trolls' toothy grins, he wasn't sure that he could maintain his composure and the boldness of his stance for very much longer. Maybe if they had been bluebloods, but... against indigos? It had become very, very hard for him to be bold and assertive towards trolls who wore paint indicative of their faith in the Mirthful Messiahs.

  When the small violetblood finally moved out from under the arm around his shoulders and took up a place beside him, the relief he felt was palpable. He could tell right away that the seadweller was either having trouble speaking, or had the same communication issues that HE had when he opened his mouth and only managed that softly murmuring, mumbling back-up for his lie, but he made no remark about it. After all, he was supposedly the smaller troll's guard and if his story was to be believed, then it would have to be clear that he knew his own master's voice.

  "An' I'm back now. So you'cn get lost."

  "Listen to these fucking weirdos talk! You been hitting the soporiffics or some shit?" The indigo who was talking now sounded more like he was lashing out in frustration than actually planning on continuing to harass them. After all, they may have been bold young members of a vibrant and righteous religious body, but a seadweller was a seadweller and if he was going to refuse to play alog just because his little guard dog came yapping, then they had no choice but to obey.

[3:14:39 AM] Zeda: [I know that it's not what you would like to hear, but I think that I need to go to bed now. I have work in the morning and a few things to do during the daylight hours, like deposit money at the bank and get a starting bank for my artist alley table. =A+ and all of this other artist alley product-making and packing and AA sign making shit, and sleep for the drive, and all that. It's kind of overwhelming how much is left to do, though at least I crossed a handful of things off my list]

 [3:23:02 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: The dig at the way he spoke didn't bother Ophion.  He was used to insults like that, even if it had been a while since he'd heard one.  Insults didn't hurt, after all.  He ducked a little bit behind Gramal, putting the jadeblood between himself and the indigos.  He might've fled to leave the troll to his fate but...well he wasn't used to having someone stand up for him.  That hadn't happened since Novall...

  Ophion shoved those memories aside, pressing his lips thinly together.  The indigobloods seemed reluctant to abandon their prey, but they finally started peeling off.  The one that had slung his arm over the seadweller's shoulders lingered a moment longer, eyeing Ophion in a sort of 'I'll see you again' way, before he too left to follow his friends.  Once they were gone, Ophion coughed awkwardly and mumbled, "Um...thanks..." [10/30/2013 11:26:51 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: [yeah sure that sounds fine]

[10/30/2013 11:44:28 PM] Zeda: It was a pretty insulting train of thought, perhaps, but when the seadweller ducked behind Gramal he found it very easy to square his shoulders and stand his ground, primarily because he had been raised with the expectation that he would be doing this exact same thing for helpless grubs fresh-hatched in the caverns. The indigos standing in front of him didn't appear as though they would be pushovers in a fight, especially with the fire of the mirthful religion in their guts, but jadebloods had a certain level of fame for their ferocity. He didn't say another word to the other trolls, bearing through the insult to both of them simply because he knew that they would leave far sooner if he didn't give them fuel for their rage, and when one-by-one they apparently gave up and started to wander off he continued to hold his broad, solid stance, just until the last of them was done throwing a backwards glance in their direction.

  Then, he turned his head slightly so that he could look back over his shoulder at the small seadweller... and then he turned himself around, clearing his throat and mumbling in a gravelly tone that was far softer and less forceful than the one he'd used on the others.

  "S'fine. It didn't look like y'wanted them around so." Not at all the best conversationalist, but he looked relatively ernest and hopeful that the point had gotten across. 'You didn't look comfortable so I came to help.'

[10/30/2013 11:52:41 PM | Edited 11:58:37 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion wasn't really superstitious, or believed in fate or anything pupa-ish like that, but this sort of seemed like maybe it was meant to happen.  After all, he'd come looking for a servant and there was this jadeblood suddenly telling people that he was Ophion's bodyguard.  The seadweller tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, looking up at the taller troll through the lashes of his undamaged eye and asked, "I...don't suppose...you'd be looking for a...job?"

  He didn't know anything about this jadeblood, no credentials or job history, but Ophion wasn't used to people noticing him.  Especially not noticing him in a positive way.  But, this one had stood up for him, too.  So it was worth asking, after all.  It wasn't like Ophion would find anyone he could truly trust, but this seemed like a slightly better start than it could've been.

 [12:06:49 AM] Zeda: A job? Gramal frowned slightly moreso than was typical of his perpetually-frowning expression, his brows raising slightly. It seemed to him like an odd sort of topical segue at first, but after sparing it a moment of thought he recognized fairly quickly that of course, the seadweller must have meant it as some reference to his claim that he was his bodyguard. Did he need one? Was he going to suggest someone else who needed protection the likes of which he could provide? The jadeblood parted his lips slightly, and slightly moreso than he meant to on the side of his mouth that was split, but he couldn't think of anything to say for a moment there as the heaviness of the seadweller's dark lashes over his calm, focused eye snagged his attention for a moment.

  "...I don't have one right now'f that's what y'mean." He paused for a long moment, watching the smaller troll's face and letting his eyes stray briefly to the still rather fresh-looking scar that traced over his left eye. Then, he seemed to recognize after-the-fact that he hadn't given a very full response and that he may have even sounded rude, so he went to further clarify. "But I'd be happy t'consider one'f you have an offer. Are y'looking f'r a real bodyguard?"

 [12:15:48 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion couldn't help the slightly uncomfortable shift of his weight when the other troll stared at him just a little longer than he was used to.  Maybe...this WASN'T such a good idea.  Well, he had the dragon ceramics, though.  If the jadeblood turned out to be a mistake, Ophion could always trick him into eating off those, somehow.  Once Gramal clarified himself, Ophion nodded slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke to the ground, "I just...moved.  Don't need a bodyguard exactly...but someone to help me take care of...the hive..."

  Still, even though bodyguard wasn't exactly in the job description, it might be an unexpected bonus?  Ophion HAD had quite a bit of trouble getting himself moving while he was sick as a barkbeast with that venom running through his system.  If anyone had wanted to cause him harm then it would've been too easy.  His circle of friends had dwindled to nil, too.  Having someone big and strong around again might be reassuring at least.

  "I could...use some protection too, though...I guess."

[12:30:56 AM] Zeda: Oh. A hivekeeper that could also protect him if he needed it. The seadweller was small, but Gramal knew better than most that the smallest and most delicate-looking trolls could conceal incredibly deadly skill and power, so he figured that he was probably far more dangerous than his small stature and demure posture would have someone believe. Still, for whatever reason he hadn't stood up to those indigobloods - trolls far beneath his high caste - until a jadeblood like himself had stepped forward to offer his support, so there was the possibility that he really MIGHT need protection and care.

  And Gramal, well... Gramal had come into the city for many reasons today, but chief among his errands was the fact that he was looking for a change of venue. Ever since leaving the caverns he hadn't exactly commissioned a hive for himself, and the lease on his space in his current hivestem was going to be up in a matter of less than a bilunar perigee. He was scheduled to check out a space in the northmost block in this part of the city, but if there was a possibility of taking on a hivekeeping job...

  "I'm gonna' be moving out'f my place soon. Would I be living in y'r hive with you'f I take th' job or should I keep looking f'r a new hivestem unit?"

[12:37:48 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion pursed his thin lips at the question, and murmured, "With me...I think..."

  It made him uncomfortable to share a space with a total stranger, but he wasn't really accustomed to living alone.  Even though there had been a good chunk of time after Jeriko's death that he'd had his kismesis' hive to himself, it was still different.  He hadn't ever wanted to live with his kismesis, but the other troll hadn't given him a choice, kept him locked up like an animal a lot of the time.  And, before that he had spent most of his time with Novall.  It was a contradiction, he knew, not liking to be noticed, but at the same time not used to being alone all the time. At least this jadeblood didn't seem terribly talkative.  Perhaps they could coexist in relative silence.  It would be enough just to have someone else there, Ophion thought.

 [12:59:58 AM] Zeda: So, room and board was included if he chose to take on this job proposition. Gramal frowned tightly, but not unhappily as he nodded slowly to himself, turning othe prospect over in his mind carefully. He didn't know this highblood, and by all means he knew that the small seadweller could easily kill him if he wanted to. His caste gave him access to more civil rights than most midbloods could enjoy, but they wouldn't save him from death or maiming at the hands of a near-tyrian seadweller like this one. But, really, with time growing short until the drones would expect his contributions and beyond that, if he MADE that goal, a future slated for cavern work that would keep him almost exclusively below ground for the rest of his sweeps, the thought of being able to afford to go out in search of that not yet completed red quadrant and NOT worry about the exhorbitant rent that he may or may not be making was pretty enticing. He could work for this troll, live in his hive, and make ends meet.

  He almost wanted to ask if it was above water, but... it would HAVE to be, right? There was no way that he could be expected to live in a submerged hive, even if there could be portions of the structure that held air to meet his survival needs. Yes, it'd have to be at least partially land-locked, he figured. He didn't want to look stupid asking.

  "Okay. I'll take th'job." He nodded once... and then after a moment seemed to frown even moreso, as though only just remembering his manners and internally scolding himself for the oversight. "I'm Gramal. What's your name?"

[1:07:30 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "Um...I'm...Ophion," the seadweller said, as if the question had taken him off guard.  It shouldn't have, since a servant and employer definitely needed to know each other's names, but Ophion couldn't remember the last time he'd met someone who had asked, or even who had been in a position to ask.  Novall always introduced him to people, and Jeriko had kept people away from him.  He hadn't met anyone new since that weird cerulean with the crossbow.  It seemed sort of sad, he was kind of a loser wasn't he?

  "When...can you start...?" Ophion asked after a moment, thinking about the dust that was accumulating on things.  The dust was a foreign concept to him before living on his own in a dry hive.  It just...appeared there, when you weren't paying attention.  Got thicker when you ignored it.  Made you sneeze when you tried to get rid of it.  He didn't like dust.

 [1:27:59 AM | Edited 1:28:01 AM] Zeda: Gramal shrugged slightly, and while he meant the gesture to give the impression that he had no particular qualms about starting either this minute, or some time from now, he didn't seem to catch on immediately that maybe he should actually say all of that out-loud. He did, however, EVENTUALLY catch on, though not until after the two of them had spent some time standing there and frowning at one-another. Then-

  "Oh. Well I c'n start anytime. I'm s'posed to move out by next week but I don't have too much stuff t'move. I c'n some sooner if y'want an' I c'n even come t'work f'r you a while b'fore I move in." It would be creepy and too easy to misinterpret his intentions of he were to say 'maybe even tonight,' and Gramal knew that. He had no idea of the plagues of dust bunnies that would be awaiting him, but he figured that if the highblood wanted him to begin working sooner, then he would. And while the seadweller COULD very well decide not to pay him if he just didn't feel like it, given his rank in the caste system, Gramal didn't think that he would. He was small, polite, and adorable after all. He had a weakness for cute things.

[10/31/2013 12:50:48 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion had only vaguely considered exactly how soon he wanted his new helper to start working.  He hadn't expected to find anyone this easily or quickly, so he'd been prepared to ignore the dust in his hive for a little while longer.  But then, Gramal seemed willing and able to start immediately.  And, though Ophion didn't really like to think about it, there were those indigobloods out there somewhere.  He wouldn't be able to help it if they found him and accosted him on the way back to his hive, so Gramal's presence might be able to avert that.  Ophion didn't really want to play with any indigos, tonight or otherwise.

  He half turned on a boot heel, looking back down the path he'd been taking up the street and said, "If you want to start tonight...I guess it's...kind of abrupt.  But...that'd be okay."

[11/4/2013 2:18:37 PM] Zeda: Although he had been raised as part of a group of jadebloods in the caverns and could have been reasonably expected to have some level of interpersonal skill as a result of it, Gramal had managed to come out of that experience with miraculously stunted social capabilities. However, despite his limited understanding even Gramal knew that it WOULD be kind of abrupt for him to begin work that very night and, what's more, to agree to a job that would eventually see him sharing a hive with a seadweller that he'd only just met. He had only ventured out tonight for the purpose of running some errands around the city and meeting with a potential new hivelord, not so that he could change the course of his future in any significant way, and... well, was that really what was happening here?

  Gramal frowned slightly to himself, and as Ophion turned to face the street again he angled his body as if to follow after him when he began to move again. Rationally speaking, there was no reason for him to think that taking on this job would change things in any significant way, right? It felt oddly important to him on a subconscious level, sure, but this was just a job he was taking on, and tonight was as good a night as any to begin. He didn't exactly have a schedule to keep with anybody else, and he wasn't putting off any other responsibilities for this. Ophion was, essentially, giving purpose and direction to an otherwise meaningless evening.

  "I think that'd be fine. 'M done with my errands f'r th'night an' I guess it won't be important to meet with th'hivestem renter'f I'll be y'r live-in worker."

[11/4/2013 3:24:20 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion nodded slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he finally took a few steps down the street.  The seadweller looked uncomfortable, in that way that showed in his body language no matter how impassive his expression.  There wasn't a limp to his gait exactly, but his posture was stiff, as if it hurt a little to move, or if he was just so put off by being on a public street it was difficult for him to relax.  Or, both.  He certainly wasn't the picture of a seadweller ideal, by anyone's standards.

  He wasn't talkative by any stretch either, and seemed perfectly content to wander down the street a few steps ahead of Gramal in silence.  Watching him wasn't entirely uninteresting, though, as not many of the trolls they passed on the street even seemed to notice him, to the point that Ophion had perfected sliding around shoulders and ducking elbows without colliding with anyone.  Finally he stopped at an automated transport vehicle and flashed a card into the payment scanner.  The doors hissed open and he slid inside, taking a minute to punch in the coordinates to his hive as he waited for Gramal to join him.

[11/4/2013 4:38:51 PM] Zeda: It was rather fascinating, actually, seeing Ophion bob and weave through the crowd as they made their way down the street. The seadweller may not have been the most impressive troll around, lacking the powerful presence and the greater height typical for his caste, but still... shouldn't these other trolls notice him at least a little? Gramal had his hands in his pockets, assuming a pose just the same as that of the troll currently walking ahead of him, but despite being of a lower caste the very individuals whose elbows and shoulders had to be avoided by the seadweller in front of him seemed to tuck in as he made his way after him.

  When a yellowblood nearly shoulder-checked Ophion - or WOULD have if he hadn't been able to duck out of the way - Gramal curled his lip and snarled at him loudly, and the gesture seemed to have the effect of parting the crowd ahead of BOTH of them at least long enough for the smaller troll to reach the automated transport and access its payment system.

  Getting into a 'car' with a perfect stranger wasn't exactly a safe tactic on most nights, but as soon as Ophion settled himself into his seat Gramal slid in after him and took up residence at his side, buckling his vehicular safety harness. Although he saw the coordinates as they lit up on the screen, he didn't really understand where they were going until the internal GPS system provided them with a map to chart their progress over the course of the drive. It looked like it was in a river, or near one...

  "Y'don't live close't th' ocean?"

[11/4/2013 4:55:35 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Once the vehicle started rolling forward, Ophion settled in against the side of the seat, sighing quietly and leaning his head against the glass.  He felt a little sick, but it was probably just the leftover disgust for those indigos.  One of them had touched him.  TOUCHED him.  It made him want to vomit, or curl up into a ball.  There was a sound next to him, and he tilted his head up when he realized the jadeblood--Gramal?--was talking to him again.  He'd have to get used to that again, other trolls talking to him.

  "No..." Ophion said, though it came out a little more like a croak than a word, and he cleared his throat before claryfing, "River mouth...not far from the ocean.  Not really close either, though..."

[11/4/2013 5:59:12 PM] Zeda: Gramal frowned tightly at the seadweller, a little concerned about how severely he was listing now that they were on their way to his hive. Ophion had seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable before but the jadeblood had chalked it up to social anxiety or something like that, assuming that he was just not enthused about being out in public or surrounded by others. Did this mean that he was ill? If it was something terminal, then maybe that was why he was so small and had such little presence in a crowd. He would have wanted to ask about it, but... no, he was pretty sure that'd be rude.

  "Mm." Though, frankly, muttering an affirmative that wasn't even really a word didn't seem like it would be any less rude. Gramal averted his eyes and cleared his throat, deciding that he needed to say at least a little bit more. "...What kinda' stuff d'you need me t'do as y'r hivekeeper? I know what'y need from a bodyguard but I wasn't sure about th'rest of it."

 [11/4/2013 6:31:27 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: The first thing Ophion thought of was the dust.  Was there anything else?  He was sure there was, but it took him a minute to process through it.  Oh, he needed to eat.  He hadn't done that in a while.  Did hivekeepers do that?  Ophion had never needed one before, so he couldn't be sure.  He realized after a moment that he'd probably let the silence stretch on between them for too long, and sat up a little more, clearing his throat.

  "Um...cleaning..." he said slowly, fiddling with one of his lapels as he mumbled down towards his stomach.  After a moment he remembered he had actually written down a list of duties for the ad placement that he hadn't ended up needing to put in.  He reached up and opened his fetch modus, pulling the list out and unfolding it.  Ophion took a moment to check it over, and then said, "Cleaning, maintenance, um...air filters...salt filters.....food?"

[11/4/2013 7:09:31 PM] Zeda: Gramal waited patiently for Ophion to respond, his head turned slightly towards the seadweller seated beside him in the cab of the four-wheeled transportation device. Long pauses and heavy lulls in conversation were, as far as he could tell, unusual for most trolls that he encountered, but seeing as how they were something to which he HIMSELF was prone Gramal bore through the heavy silence with ease, simply waiting for the rest of the sentence to come his way.

  When Ophion pulled the list from his sylladex and began to read off the points Gramal simply nodded along, frowning thoughtfully. Cleaning and maintainance he could do, and cooking he was okay with. After all, he'd raised someone before... but salt filtration was going to be new for him. Maybe it would be like maintaining a saltwater fishtank?

  "I c'n do most'f that. I'll have't learn how y'r saltwater filters work but if y'show me how I c'n learn fast."

[11/4/2013 10:34:52 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: "I can show you..." Ophion said, nodding slightly.  He hadn't had any expectations that a landdweller would already know how to maintain salt water filters.  He had invested in the corrosive-resistant kind, so at least he didn't expect they would need much attention for a while.  It was a necessity for a seadweller living in fresh water, however inconvenient, to be able to simulate salt water in his own hive when he needed it.  Even if his damaged gills made it too painful to breathe it, he still needed access to it if he wanted to stay healthy.  Well, he wasn't exactly healthy to begin with, but he already felt poorly enough without adding salt depletion to his list of ailments.

  "...How long...will I have you...?" he asked after a moment, the thought occurring to him that this jadeblood looked old enough to be conscripted back to the caverns before long.  "Um...I mean...you're jade...right?"

[11/4/2013 11:24:32 PM] Zeda: Being asked how long Ophion would have him initially brought to mind Gramal's lifespan, and for a moment the jadeblood couldn't help but wince. He wouldn't live as long as a seadweller, even one who was quite possibly sickly, but he wouldn't exactly be dropping dead any time soon. Then, rather belatedly, it seemed to occur to him that Ophion was probably wondering how long he would be around not before he died, but before he would eventually be sent back to the caverns so that he could take up his hatchright as a guardian to the Mother Grub. That made a lot more sense than any question to do with his mortality.

  "I'm ten so I'll be going back't th'caverns in a sweep'r two." It would typically be closer to a sweep than it would be to two for most trolls within the midblood range, but Gramal knew that he had a certain amount of leeway as far as locating quadrant holders went. Fulfilling quadranted obligations to the empire was an important task that all young trolls had to undertake before their conscription and subsequent acceptance into adult society, but except for a few very rare cases of jadebloods being required for the maintainance of off-planet Mother Grubs his was not a caste that was meant to leave the home planet. This meant that there was less pressure on him to prove that he would be able to function within normal adult troll society, and that combined with the rarity of his caste to begin with almost ensured that nobody really cared if he could carry on a healthy matespritship or not.

  Gramal figured that it went without saying that he hadn't fulfilled his obligations just yet. After all, Jades could return to the caverns as soon as they liked after they finished filling their quadrants and contributing the necessary pails, and here he was still skipping from one hivestem lease to the next.

  "If y'like my work an'you think you'll need me I won't go back t'the caverns b'fore then. Even'f I finish filling my quadrants."

[11/5/2013 12:15:41 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: That offer surprised Ophion a little.  He turned his head slightly to really look at the other troll, quietly taking in Gramal's somewhat sour expression, shaggy hair, the scar on his mouth.  Ophion hadn't noticed the scar.  But then, he hadn't really met the much larger troll's gaze, had he?  Ophion had plenty of scars of his own to know better than to ask about its origin, but it did make him curious.  It felt a little like common ground too, though maybe in a weird way.  The apparently perpetual frown on Gramal's face didn't frighten Ophion.  He'd spent too much time around saccharinely smiling members of his own caste who had ended up being vipers in disguise [or, not so in disguise].  Even if this jadeblood looked threatening, or at least unhappy, it was honest.  And, he'd offered to stay to work longer, if Ophion NEEDED him.  After Novall had died, no one seemed to remember that Ophion needed anything.  Or, cared.  And here was a total stranger who did. 

  But, then, maybe that was what Ophion was going to be paying him for.  Ophion nodded slightly, and turned to look back out the window as the countryside flew by. 

  "Never...met a jadeblood before..." he mumbled, breath fogging into the window.  The statement was quiet enough that he could've been thinking out loud, or talking to Gramal.  It was difficult to tell.

[11/5/2013 1:51:54 AM] Zeda: Ophion slowly turned, focused his one violet eye on his face, and for just a moment there Gramal felt as though the seadweller was actually LOOKING at him for the first time. It was more than a little uncomfortable to find himself being so intensely appraised, and while Gramal did his best to remain stoic under scrutiny he ultimately averted his gaze towards the GPS readout still summoned up on the screen in front of them, the muscles in his jaw tightening and then loosening awkwardly.

  He felt it more than saw it when Ophion finally looked away, and when Ophion said that he'd never seen a jadeblood before it sudden;y seemed to make sense that he'd been staring like that.

  "There aren't a lot'f us." That response sounded kind of blunt, didn't it? He didn't mean to sound rough, especially not when speaking to someone as delicate-looking as Ophion. Even after experience had taught him better, Gramal still couldn't stand being harsh on small, cute things.

  "I've seen seadwellers b'fore but I think you're th'highest caste I've ever seen."

[11/5/2013 2:13:02 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion thought briefly of Makoen, and how there was a troll HE knew higher than himself.  He didn't really want to think of the tyrianblood though.  Happy, and secure with that weird cerulean.  He still wasn't convinced that they deserved to be happy.  Not when he had nothing and no one.  But, he supposed it was better than Tethys and Nereid, secure in their victory and using him like a drone only to follow commands when they deigned to notice him at all.

  And then there was Jeriko, who had seemed to find Ophion's blood color to be just another reason why the smaller seadweller made him angry.  Even though everyone else in their group of 'friends' had been higherblooded than Jeriko, Ophion seemed to be particularly infuriating because he was small and weak and cowardly and ugly.  According to Jeriko.  Ophion had believed him for a while, maybe still did a little.  Didn't care either way anymore.  Jeriko was dead and Ophion wasn't and that was really all that mattered.

  And, was he supposed to say something here?  He was, wasn't he.  Ophion wasn't really sure what, though.  He cleared his throat and mumbled, "I...I'm probably...not what you'd expect, I know."

[11/5/2013 3:27:55 AM] Zeda: Honestly, Gramal thought that the conversation had been concluded and that the two of them were simply riding together in silence until Ophion spoke up once more, so when Ophion volunteered that little self-deprecating comment he was almost taken aback by it, turning his head and raising his brows at the smaller troll seated beside him.

  It'd be rude to say that he hadn't been expecting anything, so it was good that his brain was quicker than his mouth. However, as soon as he took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts it became abundantly clear that his brain could be painfully slow, too.

  "...I guess you're a little small. But allot'f trolls'r smaller than me." Agh, no, that was just as rude as being blunt would have been. He winced at his own remark, his lip peeling back slightly more from the side of his mouth that had been split open.

[11/5/2013 3:44:08 AM | Edited 3:50:33 AM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion looked back over at Gramal, but the statement didn't seem like an insult.  Not in the way Jeriko had always meant it to be.  And, it wasn't really news to the seadweller either.  He knew he was small.  And he could easily tell that Gramal was much bigger.  So, he just nodded and looked back out the window without saying anything.  They were close to his hive anyway.  The transport rushed along at an almost breakneck pace.  They used to scare him, just a little, and...maybe still made him a little nervous.  He didn't go into the city that often, after all.  But at least it was a quick trip at that speed, which made it easier to make the trip without falling asleep.  He'd done that once and the transport had beeped incessantly at him and charged him extra until he got out.  The funds he didn't care about but the noise had been too jarring.

  "That's it," he said a few minutes later, pointing out the window at a dark shape occupying most of the river just a small distance down the road.  His hive sat in the middle of the river, with a small walkway that led to dry land on the side the road ran passed.

[11/5/2013 4:40:00 AM] Zeda: Well, at least he hadn't made a spectacular flub just then, but Gramal could tell that he hadn't exactly given strength to any sort of positive opinion about him that the seadweller might have been cultivating. He pursed his lips tightly and concentrated on looking out the window at what Ophion was indicating, and when he saw the silhouette of the hive that he might very soon be occupying he leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look even as the automated vehicle zoomed downhill towards it. He wanted to say that it seemed a bit on the small side for a seadweller of Ophion's calibre, but it seemed highly likely that there would be successive floors of the hive hidden beneath the lake's surface and, once more, his mind managed to keep itself far enough ahead of his mouth that he didn't say anything at all.

  When the car pulled up to the lake's edge and began idling mere feet from the boardwalk that seemed to bridge the gap between the shore and the entrance to Ophion's hive, Gramal took that as his silent cue to get out. The night air in this secluded place felt far colder and much more crisp against his skin than it had within the city's limits, the higher humidity in the air lending a bite to the chill as he inhaled slowly and made his way around to the other side of the automated vehicle. Without any sort of prompting, Gramal reached down and opened the door for the seadweller, stepping back and making room for him to exit at his leisure. Proper etiquette for a driver, although that hadn't been on Ophion's list of needs.

  "I've only ever lived in hivestems'n in the caverns before. Will I be in a guest block'r something like that?" The thought of having anything more than a respiteblock to himself had obviously never crossed his mind.

[11/5/2013 2:46:33 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion blinked when Gramal opened the door for him, once again a little surprised by the other troll's consideration.  It was sort of nice though, he couldn't deny that.  Once the initial surprise had worn off, he climbed out of the vehicle.  Once they were out, the car doors hissed to a close and the transporter rumbled off back down the way it had come.  Ophion watched it go for a moment, then turned back toward his hive and headed up the walkway, bootheels clopping across the boardwalk.

  "I have a...guest block...yeah..." Ophion said as he walked, hunching inside his coat and burying the bottom half of his face into the scarf around his neck.  The walkway let to a set of outer steps that climbed a few feet up to the front entrance.  Now that they were at the hive itself, it was much easier to see that it was elevated above the river rather than partially submerged in any way.  Small for a seadweller's hive, but then Ophion WAS a little strange. 

  Ophion didn't use a key to get inside, instead flipping a panel open and letting the machine scan his hand.  After a second the door seemed to acquiesce, and it slid open.

  "I'll add your signature to the lock...tomorrow.  Okay?"  Ophion said as he stepped inside, toeing out of his boots just inside the door.

[11/5/2013 3:05:33 PM] Zeda: He inclined his head slightly towards Ophion as the seadweller exited the car. To Gramal, it made perfect sense that he should hold the door open for someone - not just a seadweller or his employer, but to ANYONE, and especially to anyone as small and apparently ill as Ophion. He closed the door behind his new employer, and as he turned towards the river and began to follow the seadweller down the boardwalk the jadeblood finally recognized that the hive was not actually below the water, but apparently perched on top of it. He'd never seen architecture like that, and it made it very clear that the hive really WAS that small and cozy, comprised of a square footage far more suitable for a midblood than a highblood.

  "Okay." He wanted to remark on the fact that he'd never seen an electronic scanning lock quite like that one before, but Ophion had prompted him for an 'okay' so he returned nothing more than that. He passed through the doorway into Ophion's cool, quiet hive, and took Ophion's removal of his boots as his cue to do the same. It took a great deal more effort to unlace and shimmy out of a pair of combat boots than it had for Ophion to toe out of HIS footwear, but Gramal had a great deal more finesse with his hands than he did with his words and he managed the task with relative ease, straightening up and taking his first real, sock-clad step into Ophion's home, surveying his surroundings.

[11/5/2013 3:28:59 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: The door automatically slid shut behind them, and Ophion flipped a few light switches.  The overhead lights took a minute to warm up, instead of automatically flooding the hive with illumination, they started at a low glow and gradually got brighter.  Ophion shuffled on into the hive from the entranceway, stifling a yawn.  The first floor of the hive was in an open floorplan, on their left was a sitting area below broad, picture windows that filled most of that wall, with a long white leather couch that would've sat at least five trolls, maybe more, and a glass short table.  The table looked like it was more of a collective place for trash that hadn't made it to the waste bin, as there were crumpled food wrappers and papers strewn across it, obscuring most of its surface.  Some of the garbage had strayed over onto the plush white carpet below the table, but thankfully nothing looked spilled or stained.  On the right side of the first floor was a kitchen and dining area, marble countertops constrastingly smoothe and clean in comparison to the glass table in the sitting area, with an island in the middle of the cooking area. 

  Separating these two blocks was a staircase leading up from the center of the space, and this was what Ophion headed towards.  His respiteblock was up there, along with the hive's hygieneblocks, though he most often slept on the couch downstairs.  It was easier, and he didn't really like using the recouperacoon.  Ophion padded up the steps, feet barely making a sound as he led Gramal up.  The seadweller pointed left down the hall once they reached the top and said, "Guest block's that way...do you need anything...?"

[11/5/2013 3:54:07 PM] Zeda: Gramal looked around himself at the space, a little bit impressed at how spacious the hive seemed from the inside as compared to the outside. Although the livingblock and nutriblock spaces were not comprised of all that much space in terms of square footage, the sparse furnishings and the open floorplan made the place feel incredibly wide-open and welcoming - until, of course, the jadeblood's eyes strayed towards the trash heaped up and strewn across the dining table. That was when he began to more thoroughly scrutinize the hivespace, and the more he looked around himself the more off-putting little details managed to reach his notice, his dark jade-tinged eyes skimming over discarded food wrappers and a thick blanket of dust that seemed to cling to every surface that wasn't already preoccupied with garbage. No wonder the seadweller had been willing to get him started on his new job as soon as the very same day that he met him. Ophion's illness must be keeping him practically coonridden, if his hive had fallen into such disrepair...

  When the seadweller began to ascend the stairs he was quick to follow after him, skimming one broad palm up the length of the stair railing partially for the sake of maintaining his own balance, and partially so that he could catch Ophion against his chest like a safety net if the seadweller's steps began to falter.

  He was a little surprised that the seadweller was curious about his needs. Highbloods typically didn't care to ask after things like that, especially not where their hired help was concerned.

  "...I guess I sh'd ask'f you have cleaning supplies'r if I should use my own?"

 [11/5/2013 4:10:05 PM | Edited 4:14:16 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Oh, right, cleaning supplies.  Ophion had forgotten about those.  He paused at the top of the stairs to think, flexing his knuckles stiffly as he did so.  He had cleaning supplies for the salt filters, but he hadn't thought about all the things he'd need to maintain above-water areas.  Maybe he should have gotten those while they were still in the city.  Well, it was too late now.

  "I think...you might need your own," the seadweller said, talking down toward his hands.  "I wasn't really...prepared.  Um..."  He paused for a moment, thinking maybe he should elabourate.  He HAD just moved not long ago, after all.  "I'm still getting used to...a hive that's not filled with water..."

  That probably opened up more questions than it answered, he realized belatedly.  Mainly questions he was a little too tired to consider right now.  He hoped the jadeblood wouldn't press him right now.  Ophion could always talk about it later.  His throat hurt.  Maybe he should get some water before he went to sleep?  He had half turned to walk back down the steps before he realized Gramal was still there, accidently bumped into the jadeblood.  He hadn't noticed the other troll had been hanging so close to him on their way up, and he instintively grabbed onto Gramal's forearm to catch his balance.

[11/5/2013 4:33:20 PM] Zeda: Although he stopped making his way up the steps when Ophion did, Gramal's presence close at the seadweller's back had apparently gone without notice until the moment that the smaller troll turned around and ran into him. He had been prepared to catch his new employer's weight if he fell, but it wasn't until he felt that slight body crash into him that he realized how incredibly, painfully light Ophion was. He hooked one arm around the seadweller's body almost reflexively, supporting him as carefully and gently as he possibly could, but as he felt Ophion's fingers digging into the material at his elbow he wondered if he maybe shouldn't keep his hands to himself.

  "Sorry I w's too close." He pushed Ophion carefully back onto his feet, relaxing his hold on the smaller troll so that he could evade his grasp as soon as he was balanced on his own two feet once more. "R'you alright?"

[11/5/2013 4:41:16 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion tensed reflexively when he felt Gramal's arm hook around him, but he relaxed when the other troll didn't keep hold of him, and the seadweller hastily slid out from his hold as soon as he'd regained his balance.  That was a little too close, though he was glad the jadeblood hadn't wanted to keep hold of him.  They would have had a problem if that had been the case.  Ophion wet his lips and edged around Gramal on the steps, mumbling, "Mm...yeah.  I'm fine.  I'm...going to get some water and..."

  And sleep.  Maybe sleeping alone in a hive with a troll he'd only just met sharing his space wasn't the smartest idea.  But then, Gramal was already inside, there probably wasn't much Ophion could do, even if he stayed awake.  That quick release touch made him feel a little more secure, though, even though he would have preferred not to have run into the jadeblood in the first place.

  "...and I'm going to go...to sleep," he concluded, padding back down the steps quietly.  "The window blinds are...automatic.  So you don't need to worry about...the sun or anything..."

[11/5/2013 5:02:58 PM] Zeda: Sleep? Gramal raised his brows slightly at that, more than a little shocked that the seadweller would be willing to leave a strange troll to wander his hive unattended when he had only just that night been accosted by a group of strange trolls who clearly meant to do far more than simply harass him for being small and more than a little cute. He didn't mean anything rude by concluding that it had nothing to do with confidence, and he certainly didn't imagine that the seadweller could have judged him to be completely trustworthy within such a short amount of time. Was he just too sick and weak to spare the time for wariness? In which case, he supposed he should be grateful that the smaller troll had beenlucky enough to end-up with him and not some dangerous creep. He stepped back and made room for Ophion to walk past him, following after the seadweller as he changed his trajectory and started making his way back downstairs. Why was he doing that, though...?

  "...If y'r going t'go t'sleep then why're you headed back downstairs?" As soon as he said it, though, he thought that he knew what was happening here. He'd seen plenty of evidence of a single sickly troll making the journey from his couch to his thermal hull or hygeineblock and then back again, but no real sign of trips to other locations within the hive. "D'you sleep on th'couch...?"

[11/5/2013 5:39:57 PM] Samlet Bird Hamlet: Ophion made his way over to the kitchen area, twisting the taps at the sink until it ran filtered salt water instead of fresh water.  He glanced back over his shoulder at the jadeblood who had followed him back downstaires as he pulled a glass out of a cabinet to fill with water.

  "Yeah..." he said, lifting the glass to take a sip, watching Gramal over the rim for a second before letting his gaze fall.  The salt water made him feel a little better, but he made sure to keep his gills sealed.  He didn't really fancy the stinging that would burn through the damaged tissue if he let that happen.  Once he had finished with the glass he set it down onto the counter and wandered over to the couch, sliding his coat off his shoulders and dropping it a little carelessly onto the carpet as he sat down.  Briefly a puckering of scar tissue that dotted his upper left arm was visible before he pulled a few blankets out of his capchtalogue and curled up in them.  Something like that wasn't uncommon on a seadweller, as it was almost obviously a healed shark bite.

  "I...don't like the recouperacoon..." he mumbled in explanation from his little cocoon of blankets, reaching one thin arm out for a universal remote that had been partially buried by the trash on the table, and dimming the lights over his head a little, though he left plenty for Gramal to navigate the hive.  "Wake me up if...I don't know...there's anything..."

[11/5/2013 6:12:29 PM] Zeda: As he stood there and watched Ophion curl-up in his knot of blankets, obviously settling in with the intention of sleeping away the rest of the night and perhaps even some of the daytime, Gramal's brows knotted themselves tightly together. He had seen the briefest glimpse of scar left from a massive animal bite on his shoulder, pretty typical fare for a rugged seadwelling troll and apparent proof that he had at some point been at least strong enough to evade a large predator, but to him it seemed painfully apparent that he was now simply too sickly to make it through the night without resting. He began to move around the living space slowly collecting trash, using the empty tray from a microwaveable meal to collect what garbage he could.

  "I'll do my best't be quiet." His gravelly voice was low and soft, and even as he accessed his sylladex and started to pull out a dustpan and other cleaning supplies Gramal continued to apply a solid effort to being quiet. "Sleep well."

[zedamalgam]

[Just 'cause I wanna] HEIGHT CHART from tallest to shortest

KRAUKA: 7' [213cm], 376 sweeps DRACIS: 6'5" [195cm], 15 sweeps GRAMAL: 6'4" [193cm], 10 sweeps ATRETO: 6' [182cm], 7 sweeps OBEROS: 6' [182cm], 8 sweeps AEQUUS: 5'8" [173cm], 11 sweeps PTHORA: 5'7" [170cm], 9 sweeps OXALIS: 5'5" [165cm], 7 sweeps NABROK: 5'4" [163cm], 6 sweeps PLYLYM: 5'1" [155cm], 8 sweeps

[zedamalgam]

☠☠☠

☠  When Krauka was burned as a fleet cadet piloting what amounted to a prototype ground mech, she suffered SOME permanent damage beyond the scarring, but nothing so severe that it’s still giving her much if any trouble after hundreds of sweeps. She can’t squint her left eye as well as her right, and some of the flesh from which her bottom eyelashes used to grow was burned so she has thinner bottom lashes on that side. The facial muscles responsible for her smile were for some time damaged, so any ancient old photographs of her would depict a crooked grin, but she’s healed-up very well and her smile does not continue to be effected in any major way.☠  Atreto’s eyes are obviously intensely light-sensitive from staring at shit in full-on Alternian sunlight all the damn time. He tends to get that ‘burning eye’ sensation a lot and gives himself eye strain-related headaches. Sometimes they water uncontrollably and only half the time is it because he’s a big gay baby having a cry about something.☠  Gramal’s half-glasgow, due to the lack of proper medical attention typical of Alternian society, healed while a fair enough portion of it was still split. Therefore, if he snarls at someone you get a lot more teeth showing on that side than is at all natural.

[zedamalgam]

I heard you liked sidecharacters so I made a sidecharacter for your sidecharacter. PLYLYM LEPORI, Lepus troll who used to be a sweetheart before she joined a clown cult. Voiceclaim is Jessicka, lead singer of Jack Off Jill.