hadriel_logs | Would You Be My Valentine? [OTA]

What? What's this? As Caedra passes by, looking for someone to break away from the rest, someone she can single out and hunt down alone - well. She sees that sight and curiosity gets the better of her. Also, he's wearing quite a lovely scarf and it would suit her better than it does him, she decides.

"What's all this?" she asks as she walks up, sword in hand but looking momentarily less aggressive than she has been lately.

Delmar looks nervously at the sword, holding his basket of valentines closer to his chest.

"O-oh dear.... I don't think that's really necessary."

With a shy, hesitant hand he reaches into the basket and holds out a pink heart shaped card attached to a cookie, eyes darting back to the sword occasionally.

"This is for you."

Caedra's eyes widen at - all this. At the heart, at the cookie. Whatever is going on here, she is completely taken aback, and rather than reaching for it immediately, she shifts her grip on her rapier and peers up at the man with a raised eyebrow and slightly parted lips as if about to say something but unsure what to say.

"You're not trying to poison me, I hope," is what comes out.

Delmar looks genuinely horrified at the suggestion.

"Of course not! That would be just awful!"

"It would, particularly for you," she replies as her eyes shift between the man's face and the little gift. If that's truly what it is. Nobody hands out things for free; everyone wants something in return.

"What is this about, then?"

His brows knit together, somewhat confused about what she means by that but also not really wanting to ask because it doesn't sound good. He gently waves the card in her direction again.

"It's a valentine!"

Tentatively, she reaches forward with her off-hand, keeping her right with the sword low at her side. She's starting to accept that at the very least, this man doesn't actually look like he means her harm. And if he's t all like most of the mortals here, even if he does, she will be faster and far more competent at fighting than he is.

"What's a valentine?" she asks, as she risks a glance away from him and instead at the paper heart. Is there a message on it, or is it just a cutout shape?

"They're cards people give each other to show they care."

On the card it reads:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You're a special person,
And I hope you have a great day too!

The poet in her is deeply offended at the juvenile attempt at verse. Caedra wrinkles her nose and stuffs the cookie and its little note into her bag - these days, usually empty of mason jars.

"How could you possibly care? We've never even met."

Delmar is not a prideful person and as such he doesn't take any offense that clearly she's not impressed with the card or the cookie. In the end he's relieved he got her to take it at all

Though he can't help bu look a little hurt at the accusation that follows.

"You don't need to know somebody to care that they are alright and to hope that they have a nice day...."

Edited 2018-07-22 22:26 (UTC)

What follows is several seconds of silence.

He's old. Perhaps he's senile. Perhaps he's new, or not fond of keeping up to date on the latest from these people. It's so rare now that she runs into someone who doesn't recognize her on sight even without having met prior. She's recognizable and she doesn't mind it.

Maybe he's one of those who thinks that evil can be overcome with wholesome goodness and love. Ew. The worst of the various possibilities.

But if that's the case, he can be easily pushed around. She's seen it before. It's worth a try.

"I don't care for sweets. But if you're so intent on wishing me well, your scarf would please me far more."

"My scarf?"

He feels an uncomfortable tightness in his chest at the request. The scarf he's worn today is one of the only things he has from home. It still smells of the wood of his closet back in his bedroom. It's safe and familiar.

One hand now clutching the one end of it he timidly shakes his head.

"I'm very sorry, Miss, but I can't give you this scarf. Maybe I could find a different one for you?"

And no, while he knows OF Caedra, he wouldn't just assume that this person is that same person who hurt his good friend Miss Margaery.

"A different one? No, I have several others. That one in particular, though, it's unique. I haven't seen one like it here and I'm quite fond of the pattern."

She presses, excited now that he's beginning to look nervous. This scarf is something he's attached to. A gift, perhaps? From someone important? She hardly even wants it for herself at this point. She just wants to take it away from him.

Michael is waiting his turn for whatever Del's up to (cookies? yeah he's into that), keeping a slight distance while he talks to someone else. Michael only remembers Caedra as the woman with the thorns outside of her house. They spoke around the time the city split, and she'd seemed... kind of odd? But that's nothing new.

But overhearing this conversation, she seems more than odd, she seems pretty rude. Which, again, is pretty par for the course in Hadriel, but that doesn't make it okay for her to push Delmar around. Normally Michael feels like he'd be the one awkwardly backed into a corner like this, hovering over giving in to avoid a confrontation. But since it's not him, it's Delmar, it's easier to work up the courage to interrupt. Besides, he's all about pissing people off this week, right?

"Hey, leave him alone." He gains a little more confidence the longer he talks. "If he doesn't want to give it to you, then he doesn't want to. Just move on."

Throughout this entire exchange Delmar had been so intimidated by Caedra that he hadn't even realized that Michael was standing nearby but the sound of his voice, instantly familiar, comes as a great relief. So much so that that hand still clutching the end of his scarf now comes to rest over his now pounding heart.

"Michael!"

Meekly Delmar makes to shuffle towards his friend, though he keeps looking over his shoulder because Caedra still has that sword. When he gets near enough, he lets the basket slip into the crook of his arm so that he has a free hand to latch onto Michael's sleeve.

"It is very good to see you."

It's always good to see Michael, he probably would have said that even if the situation had been different, but it has a different tone given the current circumstances.

Caedra lets Delmar slip off for protection, instead redirecting her gaze to the man who has walked up. She does remember him vaguely, too, though she never paid him much attention. Just some human with little to offer. Now it seems he's trying to defend the old man, which is quite funny and may result in her killing two today within minutes of each other, rather than just one at a time.

"It's quite often that people don't want things," she replies to Michael with a bold smile. "It's also quite often that they're forced to do them anyway, isn't that right? We can't all have what we want. Some of us get to have more than others do. Some of us have to make sacrifices."

"Yeah... good to see you too."

It kinda hurts Michael's heart a little to see how quickly Delmar switches from fear to relief. God, what if he hadn't been here? What if she'd just been allowed to mess with him unchecked? It already gets his hackles up, but more importantly, the potential violence of the situation is enough to temporarily drag the Visitor's attention off of its distant target and onto their immediate surroundings.

Michael saw the sword, of course, but he'd kind of ignored it as another eccentricity of the city. It has a slightly different meaning when viewed with the monster's input. Danger. Threat. It's not like he didn't already know that, but now he has it in stereo. Thanks, Caedra. It's been harder to filter out the creature's influence lately, and in this scenario, there's not much reason to. So he lets it out with his words.

"You're right, we can't all have what we want. And that includes you. Leave him alone."

Delmar tugs gently but insistently at Michael's sleeve. He didn't entirely grasp what Caedra was saying, in that he he doesn't exactly understand what specifically she means by 'sacrifices' and who the 'us' in her mind is, but he knows he doesn't like the sound of it and it worries him to have Michael arguing with her. The last thing he wants is for a dear friend like Michael to be in danger, let alone in danger because of him.

"Michael, we should get out of here... this all sounds bad...."

It's practically whispered.

"Oh, you poor scrawny thing, are you going to stop me? Hm? I don't think we became fully acquainted last time we spoke but I imagine you're quite incapable of any real defense against me. At best, you can both run - and you, Michael, should at least be able to run faster than someone so old, so at least you can save your own hide."

She's grinning, fully enjoying herself now as she wheels the rapier in a tight circle in her hand for emphasis. Pale green flame trails off the tip as she does so, and she looks between the two of them as if trying to select which to target first.

The taunts don't bother him so much; Michael's used to taunts, even if it's been a while. What bothers him is the idea that he would abandon Delmar, combined with the fear in the older man's voice. What bothers him is the flippant way she threatens to kill them both. What bothers him is the rising volume of the cacophony in his head, the Visitor taking both offense and attempted initiative.

It wants to teach her a lesson. He doesn't want to stop it. Wait, that's not true. Isn't this why he went to Harlan about Leo? He doesn't want to kill anyone. But god would it be nice to let off some steam, release a bit of the pressure behind his eyes. She has magic, she can probably defend herself. And anyway, didn't she threaten them first? He'd rather kill than let Delmar be killed. This is just self-defense.

"Delmar, you should go." Michael doesn't take his eyes off of Caedra.

The jab at his age doesn't really carry much weight with Delmar. He's used to casual insults and disrespect, in fact he generally expects it from strangers. What has him flustered now is the threat to Michael.

"Michael, I don't want to leave you here....it's dangerous!"

He looks between Michael and Caedra, unsure what to do. He doesn't think attempting to drag Michael away is going to work....

He asks in a whisper, "should I call for Harley?"

Harlan can teleport, right? So he could come right away....but at the same time Delmar doesn't want to put two friends in danger when he's already gotten Michael into trouble....

"How touching," Caedra comments, not elaborating on what. Perhaps either one, for both seem intent on protecting each other rather than themselves. It's funny how these people do that. They act like they'll sacrifice themselves for others. Some actually do. Most end up trying to save their own hide in the end, though. That innate need to survive makes them selfish and desperate.

It's expected, of course. Just funny when they reveal their hypocrisy.

She's not giving them any more time to decide, though. Let's see which kind they are - selfish, or sacrificing? Brilliant green flame races along the blade as she strikes toward Michael, but the fire arcs outward, seeking life and finding Delmar as well. How nice of them to stand so close together.

"No-" Michael's trying to respond to Delmar, not wanting Harlan anywhere near this situation, when the Visitor pulls both their attention back to Caedra, to the tension in her arm, the potential for violence. He has a feeling there isn't any more time to debate ethics, here. This is no longer a matter of want to, it's a matter of have to.

As Caedra's sword arm moves, so does Michael, stumbling backward, holding onto Delmar's arm as best he can, trying to pull him out of the way. But about halfway through the motion, he becomes dead weight, his consciousness switching out for the monster's as it materializes out of the air around him.

Though it normally takes its sweet time in manifesting, in this case the Visitor lunges forward to meet Caedra's blade, forcing itself between her and its host. Aside from being there to block it, the monster pays little attention to the blade, instead swinging a set of claws toward Caedra herself, shrieking in its high, staticy voice.

There's no time to process. One moment he and Michael are speaking, the next Caedra is moving to attack them and Michael is trying to pull him out of the way, and immediately after that Michael seems to just go limp like a sack of flour. Delmar reacts instinctively, catching Michael's upper half though the man's knees have already hit the ground.

For just a brief moment he tries to shake him, "Michael? Michael!"

It's then, in the forced awareness that comes with trying to shake Michael awake, that he sees what is happening on a larger scale. Gripping Michael's shoulders protectively, Delmar looks up and takes in the sight of a familiar beast. One he'd seen before but only in a dream...Michael's dream.

Shocked he feels his legs go weak, moreso when he hears the shriek, and he sinks to the ground, still holding on to Michael.

Edited 2018-08-01 05:42 (UTC)

There is no time to react. The monster lunges and knocks Caedra to the ground, its sharp claws digging down, pinning her as ichor wells up around the wound despite her attempts to roll away. She can't focus on the pain or what this thing even is - all she can do is hastily spit out the incantation for a teleport as she grips the hilt of her rapier. One moment she's about to feel its teeth in her neck; the next, she's a little over a hundred feet away and now standing upright as she stares at the thing that just burst out of nowhere and landed on her.

Caedra pays Delmar and Michael no heed, now. They barely even register in her vision, as she focuses on the threat. Her rapier is held ready to thrust upward into its underbelly should it leap at her again - she could slide underneath and pierce its heart or lungs, if it has them. Neither has she paid her injury more than passing notice, but the broad slash across her upper chest and over the shoulder of her off-hand bleeds thick black that seeps through her clothing. She'll worry about it later. There are other concerns at the moment.

The monster seems only slightly confused when Caedra vanishes. It's dealt with this ability before, and it has no difficulty finding her again. It bolts past Delmar and closes about half of the distance in long, bounding strides... and then it stops.

The Visitor watches her for a moment. The bright fires of its eyes lack pupils, but its attention is more felt than seen. It makes a low rumbling sound and paces a wavering line back and forth, as if impatiently waiting for her to return. It seems loathe to leave its host behind to give chase.

This isn't a target. Just a threat it wishes to warn off. If Caedra advances, it will run to meet her. If not, then that's that, mission accomplished.

Michael, meanwhile, remains entirely unaware of the situation.

Delmar can't find it in himself to get up, he can't even put together how any of this has happened, his memory of the last few minutes now like a cut reel of film that won't fit back together properly.

He doesn't even realize that he's now buried his face against Michael's shoulder and is desperately pleading under his breath for him to wake up.

But it seems to do little good. Michael is as unresponsive as the ground beneath his knees.

Caedra watches warily as the thing spots and bounds toward her, holding her rapier as if to strike - but as it stops and begins to pace, she meets its eyes with hers. Could she kill this thing? Probably, she's confident in her abilities. Is it worth it? It seems like it had just been summoned, and he could probably summon another. Does she want to try taking on more of them?

Not really, she decides. Not today, it's just not worth it. She almost second-guesses herself when she looks past the creature and sees the old man crumpled against the younger one, with the younger seemingly unconscious. Is he puppeting it? Is this his familiar? Ah, now - that would make some sense, wouldn't it?

Questions that can really only be answered by conversation. She backs away an additional few steps and lowers the tip of her rapier. "Do you speak?" she asks the thing warily.

[Delmar is always a welcome sight to see. he's such a dear and he's been so very kind to her. she walks right on over to him, arms open to give him a hug. it's been a while since she hugged him last and she'd say that it's been too long]

Delmar! Oh, it's lovely to see you. What's that you have there? [she says, noticing the basket on his arm]

[Delmar cheerful returns the hug, giving her a gentle squeeze around the shoulders]

Margaery! I'm very glad you are here! I have something for you...

[He pulls out a large red card attached to crown of colorful fake flowers and holds them out for her.]

For you!

[she squeezes him tight and gives him a kiss on the cheek as she pulls away]

You do? For what occasion? It's not my nameday, at least I don't think it is.

[she absolutely beams when she sees the card and takes it from him, admiring it]

Thank you so much! You're too kind.

[He flushes shyly at the kiss on his cheek]

Oh well...I...I thought I could help Love for all of this stuff that is going on and for that I thought I should show all the people I care for how much I care about them.

[The card is written as a little silly story:

Once upon a time there was the loveliest lady
Her name was Margaery
And she was kind and generous and brought happiness to everyone
Especially an old man named Delmar.
He loved her very much. She was his friend.

And they lived happily ever after ]

[she positively melts at the story]

Oh, Delmar! Thank you so very much for the card and for the sentiment! I would certainly like to think that I bring happiness to everyone, especially to you! I positively adore it.

[she gives him another hug, holding onto him tightly, then pulls back so she can look him in the eyes, hers sparkling with happiness]

[George is on her way to the Clinic when she runs into (not literally) Delmar. she notices the basket on his arm and his eager demeanor. he's probably the nicest person she's ever met, so she can't help giving him a smile]

Hey, Delmar. What's with the basket?

[And naturally Delmar smiles back. George is always a welcome sight. She'd brought him his statue when it had turned up in Hadriel, and she'd helped him look for his friends when the city was split into islands...she's done nothing but be kind to him]

I'll have you know, Miss George, there's a present for you in this basket!

[well, it's kind of hard to not be kind to Delmar, even for a misanthrope like her. being mean to him would be like kicking kittens. and she's trying to be a better person. sometimes, she even thinks she's making progress]

Seriously? For me? [she was not expecting this] Really?

[Laura gives Delmar her best smile when she sees him there with his basket, trying to get her attention. she already spends her days with him at the bakery, but she's not going to turn down more time spent with him. he's genuinely good, a rarity where she comes from]

Hi there, Delmar. You wouldn't happen to have kittens in that basket?

Edited 2018-07-23 22:29 (UTC)

[He shakes his head apologetically]

I'm afraid not... but! I do have something for you!

[Delmar reaches into the basket and pulls out a card and attached to the card is a little silver locket. It was the prettiest one he could find in the shops. There's a little songbird engraved on the front]

You do, huh? And it's not even my birthday!

[her hands tremble slightly as she reaches for the card and the locket. lockets have. . . special significance to Laura. James gave her one as a symbol of his love, breaking it in half so that he had one half and she had the other one. she must have lost her half in the boxcar as it wasn't on her when she arrived.

and she loves her new one. she carefully removes it from the card and puts it around her neck]

Thank you so much. I love it.

Wash threw in behind Sorrow for this event, both because maps and instructions seem incredibly important, and because he's fucking miserable right now anyway. He's hopeful on the way to mending things with... well. Most of his people, but it's still sort of a mess and his feeling awful might as well be useful, right? Right. He's not just sinking into his unhappiness like a toad in the mud, wallowing. You're wallowing. Shut up.

Whatever. He's out for a training run in armor, so also pretty impossible to miss. But it's his trackers that alert him to Delmar rather than the colorful sweaters, and when he glances over to see who's approaching he slows to a stop. Reaches up to pull off his helmet, his hair mussed underneath.

Normally the waving would make him ask what the other man wanted, but the basket doesn't escape his attention. Wash tilts his head a little, curious.

"Hey Delmar... what's in the basket?"

Delmar had put a lot of care and thought into this project. He'd made every card and for the people he knew more personally he'd personalized the messages and for some of them he picked small gifts he thought they might like. Wash has been one of his most regular customers at the bakery and his visits always brighten his day, so of course Wash is on the list of people getting something a little more special.

"They're valentines!" He shuffles closer, turning shyer as he does so.. "I, um, I have one for you too..."

This would have been easier if Wash had left his helmet on....

It would have been easier for both of them, yes, as Wash isn't great at hiding his emotions. His life is spent behind that reflective visor, it just isn't usually an issue, but he's used to people here asking him to take it off so. Whoops.

As such he can't hide the look of bewilderment -- not that Delmar would throw in with Love, but that he'd have something for Wash. A faint blush rises beneath his freckles as Delmar shuffles in and rummages through his basket.

"A... valentine?"

A timid nod is Delmar's only answer before he produces a bright pink heart-shaped valentine's card from his basket attached to a small bundle of cookies from the bakery.

He holds it out towards Wash, face red.

"This one is yours"

And on the inside of the card is a short message that reads:

'To a beautiful man hoping he has a beautiful day. Thank you for brightening the bakery every time you visit.'

Well of course he's going to read it right now, did you expect him to wait when it's not even in an envelope? And then his blush is deepening to match Delmar's, because if there's one thing Wash isn't accustomed to, it's flattery. Rather his life has been mostly the opposite, people telling him why he sucks -- he's adjusted to compliments from Kyna specifically and that's about it.

After just staring at the sentiment for a moment, face burning and uncertain how to respond, Wash realizes he's probably being very rude and forces himself to snap out of it.

"Thank you..." that's safe, right? That's what you're supposed to say to a gift, don't overthink it, geez. "You really don't deserve this place, you know. You're too nice."

The older man doesn't belong with train wrecks like him, constantly in danger or being manipulated by the gods. Wash wishes Delmar's bakery was instead tucked away in some quiet Earth town, somewhere he never had to worry about genocidal aliens or war again.

Delmar's heart is thudding so heavily in his chest it almost feels like it's drowning out what Wash is saying. It's not that he wants anything from Wash. Or anything with Wash. Delmar doesn't know him well enough to want something more than friendship but he also can't help but have a weakness for the handsome face, fit physique, and the awkward kindness of Wash, and when Delmar has a weakness, he tends to have little to no filter keeping it to himself.

With a timid bashfulness he reaches out and gently pushes at Wash's shoulder before waving his hand in the air in a 'oh you are exaggerating' gesture.

"That's not true." He finally manages to speak.

The little push doesn't actually move Wash at all -- it's a lot like pushing at a brick wall since he's in armor, but he does feel it and isn't sure what to make of it. That there are so many people here who aren't afraid to touch him, especially in this getup. And it's even stranger that he's gotten used to it. Doesn't automatically recognize every move towards him by people outside of his team as a threat anymore. They're his friends, yes, and Delmar is utterly harmless, but still. Wash has to stretch to remember a time when that was true in general.

"Well I think it is," he offers, shrugging that immovable shoulder. "And for once I'm not going to share these."

That last comes with a genuine, playful smile, almost a smirk. They're a gift, he'll be selfish for once.

Curufin is taking a walk for a change instead of being always in the boat out on the water. He encounters Delmar, who flags him down.

"Hello, Delmar! Did I ever thank you for donating the Bakery's cellar for a storage depot for the harvest, just before we left the desert planet? Say, what's with the basket?"

"Oh you don't need to thank me."

He waves shyly, looking bashful.

"I am just mighty glad I could help."

His gaze then drops to the basket.

"In here? Well, I have presents for everyone. And that means you too!"

Would You Be My Valentine? [OTA]

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