Do You Have The Time To Listen To Me Whine?

[deceiving_is_believing]

Who: Shuuya and multiple closed prompts (Celebrimbor, Ardyn, Curufin)

A
Who: Celebrimbor and Shuuya (closed)
What: Meeting each other amidst the Chaos
Where: Side B
When: 4/1
Warnings: TBA?


Unlike some of the people stuck on either side separated from loved ones, Shuuya was able to remain pretty calm about this. He'd formed some minour friendships, and sure, he worried a little, but he hadn't formed any particularly close attachments. No, instead he was trying to keep himself low and unnoticed as the caves started crawling with monsters. He has daggers tucked under his hoodie, but he doesn't really know how to use them. So... he'd rather not if he doesn't have to.

He understood that rations were small, and had hardly taken any for himself to try and spare as much as he could for others who might need it more. He just has to time himself carefully, and he figures he'll make it through somehow. Hopefully the caves will be rejoined sooner rather than later. They just need to give Fear something to work with, right? Shuuya already had some experience in doing that.

He's ducking between buildings, trying to keep himself from the sight and grasp of monsters. He glances over his shoulder and runs another corner only to run into something and fall backwards onto his behind with a rather loud, "OOF!"

Oh, no... he's pretty sure he doesn't want to look up at what he ran into. But he does anyway to find a Malboro. Shuuya laughs and swiftly starts scrambling away.

"Well, shit, this isn't my day, is it?" He pulls the daggers from his sides and tries to prepare to fight. But close combat seems like it's going to be a problem with those vines. Man, this sucks, but Shuuya is still wearing a grin despite how nervous he feels. He moves on the defensive, more swiping his daggers at any part of the beast that approaches him.



B
Who: Ardyn and Shuuya (closed)
What: Discussions of Regis and how Shuuya finds the old dude to be pretty cool.
Where: Side B
When: 3/29
Warnings: General mindscrewing and manipulation, probably. Will update as needed.


Shuuya's shifting along the wall, trying to figure out this wall. He's spent the day looking around this half of the city trying to find people he knew. He recognized a few people, but people were probably moving rapidly in the panic, so there may have been some he missed easily. When the Network came back up, granted it was fuzzy, but he couldn't get a hold of Regis.

That might have worried him a little. Regis had made a good impression on him, the old guy was kind of starting to grow on him. So, if Regis is on the other side of that wall, he can only hope Regis is okay. He seemed pretty strong when Shuuya met him initially, but... well, old guys have weaknesses. This is commonplace, as much as Shuuya probably wouldn't say it out loud to the old guy.

At some point, he just pauses, stuffs his hands in his hoodie pockets, staring at the section of the wall in front of him as though the answer to make it disappear will come to him through an epiphany. With no such luck though, he just sighs and rubs the back of his neck, turning his attention to his phone and trying again on the Network to try and get through the old man.



C
Who: Curufin and Shuuya (closed)
What: Shuuya trying to help the only way he knows how.
Where: Side B
When: 4/4
Warnings: Descriptions of gore, will update as needed.


Some time has passed, and it doesn't look like that wall has had any progress on it. And, well, Fear needs strength, right? He chose Shuuya to be on his team before, so surely this is something Shuuya can do. He only hopes that Fear can receive strength through the wall. But he plans to give it all he got.

Sorry Celebrimbor, and sorry Curufin, he'll make this up to both of you later.

Shuuya's eyes flash red as he creates the desired illusion, taking on the appearance of Celebrimbor. He adds additional cuts and injuries to the image, making Celebrimbor's hair look matted with blood that also streaks down his face from a gash along the hairline. He makes the clothes look torn in several places, with blood stains and spatters to match them, and adds a few more deep cuts along the chest and arms. Finally, he adopts a massive limp, keeping an arm around his stomach as he leans against the walls for support as he hobbles along.

Now he just needs to hope he'll run acrost Curufin and that he'll buy into the image. If this plays right, this should give Fear quite the boost if he receives it.

Comments

[daemonized]

A really cool sword, he thinks to himself, echoing Shuuya's words with no lack of amusement. How easily impressed the boy was. Still, Ardyn schools his expression to be amicable as he responds.

"The King of Light lives up to his name, illuminating deceit with the truth," he offers. "He may have garnered a good first impression, but I wouldn't be so quick to form a positive opinion."

He pushes his hand off the wall, lightly, letting his arm settle next to him.

"His family line is tainted with the most wretched sort of betrayal."

If one thinks Ardyn will not tear into the royal Lucis Caelum line with abandon, they are very, very wrong.

[deceiving_is_believing]

"Deceit with truth? Betrayal?" Shuuya furrows his brown in confusion. "But... No, that can't be. He told me to be careful with my ability because someone might use it for..." What was the word the old man used, again? "For.. nefarious means? He has my back, doesn't he?"

Regis wouldn't do anything to hurt him, would he?

"But he..." Shuuya swallows nervously. "He didn't hit me, even when he had reason to. Even when I told him it was okay to."

[daemonized]

Ardyn chuckles at Shuuya's reaction. He feels no remorse shattering the boy's trust in the king, instead relishing it; the irony is that nothing he says is false, merely twisted with bias and bitterness, thanks to the slow crawl of time.

"Far be it from me to tell you who to associate yourself with. But heed my advice, Shuuya, the Lucis Caelum line is not to be trusted in its entirety," he says in a lilting tone.

"Did you know that he'd sent his own son out to die, for example? Without even telling the poor boy. His own flesh and blood, to be offered up as sacrifice."

[deceiving_is_believing]

Oh, no...

"Noctis? He did that to Noctis?"

He thinks on that a moment. "But... why would he do that to his own son?"

Not that he's one to talk. His own mother was no better. But Noctis, Regis said Noctis was awesome. That's totally different from someone that deserves to be beat up. Why would Regis ever do something like that?

Shuuya's breath seems to catch in his throat, trying to do the math.

[daemonized]

"Is any reason truly good enough, I wonder?" He sidesteps the question in an elegant way, for what business did Shuuya need to know of the dramatics taking place in Eos?

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself, should you ever see him again," he continues, knowing that bringing up the subject would do nothing but make Regis... uncomfortable, to say the least. "But do not spare your judgment. I know I wouldn't mine."

[deceiving_is_believing]

Is there any reason truly good enough? Shuuya looks pained as he gives this a thought. He opens his mouth and hesitates with what he says next.

"What if... What if there is?" This is uncomfortable, far too uncomfortable. And with every word he says, he's second-guessing himself, if he should be admitting to any of this. "What if... What if sacrifice means that everything will get better...? Whether they know it or not, that they're being sacrificed, if it means..."

Does that mean Ayano's sacrifice means nothing? Does it mean mine will mean nothing?

"Does it really make someone a bad person if they don't say someone is being used for a better good?"

He bites his lip. He already knows he's a monster, but... Is he a worse one than he expected? Just how many unforgivable sins has Shuuya committed, unwittingly or otherwise?