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+--- Thread: Death Is. (/showthread.php?tid=11431)
Death Is. - Erasmus - Aug 12 2023
The body of the intruder was slowly turning it oil and it was all wrong. Erasmus had tried placing the stone back, but it was too late. It didn't work. They didn't understand. Erasmus had known the shiny was important, and yet... They had not realized what taking it would mean.
Being fully honest, they still did not truly understand what taking it had meant. Only that the intruder had gone from breathing to not breathing to rotting away into oil, and Erasmus hugged the stolen gemstone close as they whined pitifully.
Erasmus was not looking around, solely focused on the stone and the oily body of the other.
@Alek
RE: Death Is. - Alek - Aug 12 2023
Cetus was a common place for Alek to visit, though not necessarily this particular section. It was nice and moist here, a good place for a stroll, in his opinion. Except his stroll was about to take a rather sudden twist.
At first, Alek did not understand what he was looking at. That was definitely another dragon, but it was wrong. Melting in oil.
...Dead.
Horror caused Alek to rush over quicker, not even thinking of potential dangers. Alek did not know many dragons, and this did not look like how their parent had described their own dragon-dad even in an oily version, but... Dragons were family.
And then he caught sight of the strange looking gembound holding onto a gemstone. His eyes analyzed the situation. The scratches matched up, so was this... the killer?
He wanted to attack. He wanted to. But this gembound didn't even look grown, wasn't paying attention to anything but the body, and they were whimpering.
This was all very wrong.
"Did you do this?" His usual musical voice had harsher notes to it.
His eyes scanned the younger being, trying to determine if they meant harm to him now that they would probably notice him.
Alek didn't know what to do. What was the right move here?
@Erasmus
RE: Death Is. - Erasmus - Aug 12 2023
Erasmus heard a voice and looked up and saw-
A large being, very much like and unlike the being that Erasmus had... had...
His tone was harsh, but Erasmus did not understand the words. Once, words had passed through their head and been ignored but meaning had not been far to reach for. Now, the vampire teenager thought.
If Erasmus had known the words the intruder had spoke, would things have ended differently? Would it have ended not-wrong? Second-guessing themself was not a part of their nature, usually, but how could they not.
Whatever the case, Erasmus gazed at the large being with incomprehension. A long distressed canine-like whine left them.
@Alek
RE: Death Is. - Alek - Aug 12 2023
The small, odd being was looking at him, but it didn't look like they understood. They weren't newly hatched, surely, but it seemed as if the grasp of language escaped the small-compared-to-Alek gembound. They only whined.
It was a pitiful noise. Alek had already known the answer to his question as he had asked it, had looked at the scratch marks and the other's claws, and yet... Even knowing that this gembound had killed what was likely a family member...
Alek pitied the creature more than anything else. It was so confused, and it seemed to follow its instincts fully.
Was it just pity he felt? No, it was more than that, as he pondered what to do. Alek knew what it was like to be lost in instincts, but he had two parents while growing up that helped him recognize when not to act on those instincts.
But this being... Alek was fairly certain that they had either emerged as they were with no parents or been abandoned early on.
Fully instinct, nothing else. Was this what Alek would have been like without a family?
And even though this gembound had likely taken a family member away from him... Alek felt sympathy for this gembound.
They clearly did not mean harm now, conflicted as that made Alek feel, were only distressed, and so... Alek spoke again.
"Do you really... Not understand me? Do you even know what you did?"
@Erasmus
RE: Death Is. - Erasmus - Aug 12 2023
Erasmus blankly stared at the speaking being. His tone had shifted, and now that it was not as harsh, the music of it caught their ears. Their head tilted inquisitively for a moment, curiosity making them forget the situation for the moment, then their gaze once more fell upon the fallen being continuing to turn into oil.
A distressed whimper left them, and they hugged the important gemstone closer. The vampire had not known what taking the gemstone would do, but they could not leave it now that this had happened. It was more important than even they had realized and they had, they had...
What had they done? This was not prey, so how could this have happened.
They let out a croon of devastated confusion, looking between the being that was breathing and the one that was not. They needed to understand, fully.
Even if it hurt more. This was important.
They tried to focus. Maybe if they focused enough, they would be able to grasp the sounds and turn it into knowledge.
@Alek
RE: Death Is. - Alek - Aug 12 2023
The younger gembound does not understand, Alek is more certain of it than ever. And yet, they want to understand him. They are distressed now, even more distressed by the idea of understanding, but they want to nevertheless. There is a strength to that, he distantly thinks.
It hurts to be gentle to this gembound that killed almost-certainly-family, and yet... Alek thinks it would hurt him more to harm this gembound who cannot even comprehend what happened. Like harming a part of himself. This being is like a reminder that he could have turned out this way without his family.
But is he forsaking that family by wanting to care for this gembound? This gembound that killed a member of family, intentionally or not. He does not know.
"You killed him," Alek speaks slowly, usually musical voice rough with conflict as he tries to explain. "He is dead because of you."
@Erasmus
RE: Death Is. - Erasmus - Aug 12 2023
The being makes noise slowly after a pause, the musical tones turned rough with emotion that distresses Erasmus. While the being is not quite angry, he isn't quite not-angry either, the vampire thinks. It is... Conflict, they think.
But they try to concentrate on the sounds, not the tone, for once. Their mind repeats the noises until Erasmus can make some sense of it all.
Knowing does not make anything easier. They cling to the taken stone, staring at the body. The body of a being that was like them, not like the little things it eats. But a being with a stone. Is that what makes life? A stone? It feels right. And that makes everything worse.
Erasmus took that stone. Took that stone and killed this being.
"Dead..." They repeat, their first true word, voice rough with disuse. If it was not for the situation, they would startle from the sound. As it is, their dismayed green gaze stares at the living being.
They tremble, clutching the stone. For the first time, they feel something resembling self-hatred. Even now, they cling to their victim's stone, but to discard it seems worse than keeping it. To discard it would be not caring.
And... Erasmus cares. They shake and curl up around the stone, understanding at last. And though they do not wish they did not understand, they wish they had known better than to do what they had.
@Alek
RE: Death Is. - Alek - Aug 12 2023
Alek can see the effort to concentrate, to focus on the words coming from the younger gembound. And then the younger gembound speaks, and it is as if they have never spoken before. Perhaps they hadn't. As the realization comes over the smaller gembound, their body shivers and quakes and Alek...
He can only watch the distraught gembound as they curl around the stone of the fallen. Yet, he cannot help but wonder if that is truly all he can do. He cannot exactly perform miracles here. There is no solution.
There is no solution, but that does not mean that he cannot try to soothe regardless.
He moves closer, watching to see if the being will react, and if he is not stopped, he will settle his body around the the other gembound's and croon his musical voice wordlessly in an attempt to soothe. To not overwhelm this being further.
Alek does not know what is the morally correct action here, if this is it or if he has crossed a line he cannot uncross, comforting a murderer of his kin, however unintentional the act may have been.
But he is set in his path now.
@Erasmus
RE: Death Is. - Erasmus - Aug 13 2023
For a moment, as the larger body curls around them, a part of Erasmus wonders if this is the end of them, too. They don't generally let others in their territory, let alone close. Touch that isn't hostile is not something they were aware of as a thing, really.
But the majority of their mind just can't care whether or not that is the case. It is lost in the reality of what they have done and they hurt regardless.
And then... The being croons, no words, just sound, and the sound is beautiful. Erasmus wonders why, but they do not know how to ask, let alone understand if they are answered.
They feel protected, and it is as distressing as it is comforting. The being was upset, the being was conflicted, and yet... The being still helps Erasmus. They press closer to the being curled around them.
And as the crooning continues, they can't help but relax. Gradually, they begin to fall asleep, unable to resist with the sheer amount of emotional exhaustion they have experienced.
Most of what happened feels like a nightmare, and yet... Erasmus hopes this being will still be here, when they wake up.
[Exit Erasmus]
@Alek
RE: Death Is. - Alek - Aug 13 2023
It won't be a long sleep, Alek decides, for he will have to wake up the smaller gembound so the two can move away from here. But for now, the dragon lets them rest.
The small being has moved even closer than Alek had dared, and they are now cuddled against the dragon completely. Still holding the gemstone of the fallen.
He himself cannot sleep. Rest will not come easy for him now, he is fairly certain. Not when the path he has decided on feels like a betrayal of his family.
One day he will have to tell his family what happened. But for now, he has decided to take the responsibility of helping this gembound, and that takes priority, until they are doing better.
At that time, Alek will face his family once more.
But... For now, he stays here, crooning softly to this tragic being. That day is not now. It is likely not even soon. And that hurts, but this is the path he has chosen.
[Exit Alek]