ic contact

[dawnwillcome]

Leave me a message if something has happened that I should know about.

If this is about saving the world, press 1.
If something needs to be done about Dorian, please press 2.

text | video | voice | action

Comments

[dawnwillcome]

[Well, that's certainly one way to be woken up. Jove sits up quickly, instinct having her ready to defend herself, momentarily expecting to see a harlequin masked assassin in the darkness - but this isn't Thedas, and all she sees is Tek.

A very banged up Tek. That's new.

She does get up, is out of the bed in seconds, but she doesn't leave. She goes to Tek's side and reaches out towards his arm, intending to help him.]

And here I thought this planet was a safe one. What on earth happened to you, Tek?

[heresyandlace]

[he doesn't bother expending the energy to push her away, but he does lift the elbow of the arm that is holding the cloth to his neck, putting it between himself and her attempt. it's easy enough to get around if she really tries, but he's hoping that the motion will carry enough of a message to get her to leave him alone.

and he goes to sidle past her, out of the doorway. still expecting her to leave through said door.]

I met a new friend. Now go.

[dawnwillcome]

[She frowns at him, but doesn't go. Of course she doesn't go.]

And leave you to care for a neck wound on your own? You can't even see it, how do you expect to be able to dress it?

[Since he's shoving that elbow at her, she'll just cup her hand around it and use it to lead him towards the bed.]

Let me help you.

[heresyandlace]

[his mouth curls more quickly into a snarl than it usually does. his teeth are already sharp, and his eyes are a little brighter than their usual lazy glow. he does head in the general direction of the bed, but tries to shrug his arm away from her grip.]

Just stop it. Ugh, you just... stick to everything.

Don't touch me.

[dawnwillcome]

[Once those particular words are out of his mouth, he gets his wish. She's not one to go against that kind of request, not when she knows just as well as anyone with half a brain that don't touch me is never a phrase to ignore.

She still wants to touch him, of course, because she's concerned and that's a lot of blood, but as she follows him she keeps her hands to herself.]

You'll have to tell me what you mean by that another time. [That part comes out congenially enough, but her tone shifts to something with more grit to it when she speaks again.] Who did this?

[heresyandlace]

[he glances at her a little when he hears that final tone in her voice. surprised, maybe.

he doesn't entertain it for longer than that, though. he has everything else in the world on his mind, and he is annoyed. her giving him a little bit of room helps somewhat, but he is still vexed and riled up and frustrated.]

I mean that you have to meddle. And you touch, and you pick at things, and you always need to help.

I don't need it. So just go.

[dawnwillcome]

Call it a character flaw, then, because wanting to help people isn't something I'll stop doing any time soon.

[She still wants to know who did this, though. She isn't security, but she doesn't need to be to want to keep her shipmates safe.]

If it was someone who might visit the ship in the future, I need to know. I'd like to know who to light on fire the moment they step foot in our home.

[heresyandlace]

Without warning? How cruel of you.

[he smiles unkindly to himself at the mental image, and pulls the cloth away from his neck to carelessly toss it off to the side.

the wound is relatively shallow but hideous--all black blood and bruising, with flesh torn quite obviously by blunt, humanoid teeth.]

And I suggest you save your efforts for someone who needs it. I don't want your care.

I'm going to fix this myself.

[dawnwillcome]

I'd say they have it coming, going by the state of your neck.

[Maybe she should leave, but now that she can see the wound that's pretty much asking for the impossible. Her fingers itch to touch, to find something to disinfect what is clearly a bite, to dress it and then see about setting people on fire, but if he's been anything he's been quite clear about his feelings. No touching. She gets it.

She's coming closer anyway.]

How do you intend to do that, exactly? Bite wounds almost always come with infections, are you going to just will yourself to fight one?

[heresyandlace]

[oh, his patience is so short. he's too wired for his usual social niceties and games. she asks this, comes near him again, and he turns on her very fast.

pivoting around, he automatically steps into looming over her. not quite snapping, but his voice has been cut shorter and sharper.]

Have you learned nothing?

I don't get infections. I don't get sick, I don't grow old, and I don't need bandages. One insignificant wound isn't going to slow me down.

I don't need your help.

[dawnwillcome]

[She doesn't flinch or back away, but having Tek suddenly in her space like this does stop her from moving forward any farther. Turning this into a fight hadn't been her intention.

She's reminded now, finally, of the last time he was ill and she'd tried to help him. He'd been more accepting of it then, letting her mix together herbs to bring his fever down, but the entire time he had said they were pointless. That he didn't need them. It's the same now, but why?

Jove knows she should leave now, give him his space and his privacy, but with him so close to her and the suddenly realizing how similar this is to the last time, curiosity is her undoing.

It usually is.]

What will you do, then? How will you heal yourself?

[heresyandlace]

[she has her chance to leave--her clear moment when she should leave--but she stays.

so be it. he doesn't have the patience for this. his neck is torn and ugly, he has energy that he needs to expend before something bad happens, and she's picking hard at his nerves.

so, he explains with demonstration.

the only time she'd seen him shift before was right before his death, when the form of the dragon had disappeared into a brief flicker of light. this time, she's up close to feel the air warp, energy snapping out of nothing and into the room--it feels like mourning and decay and all of the peaceful, dead places of the world. in a fast tumble of light, a towering, winged monster materializes and unfolds.

a face resembling Tek's is in there somewhere, as well as his basic body structure, but it's all warped and wrong and monstrous. he's all spikes and talons and wings that barely fit in the room, and he hunches to avoid hitting the low ceiling.

there. this is how he plans to fix it. the bruises on his face are completely gone, and all that is left of the wound on his neck is a shallow, oozing line of broken skin.]

[dawnwillcome]

[She's averaged size, for an elf. Not particularly short, perhaps on the slender side when compared to Sera and Solas, just very run of the mill. She's never felt small, save for a few moments when the weight of her mission seemed heavy enough to crush her, but those moments never lasted.

Now, she feels absolutely tiny. With Tek forced to lean over, she's trapped between and beneath the bulk of his body and has never been more keenly aware of how small the ships are. There's nowhere to run and she can't help the flash of fear that has her trying to lean away from him.

But she can't, and once the transformation is complete, once the shock has ebbed, the hand reaching back to find the support of a wall finds its way back to her side. Her eyes narrow, but in curiosity. Intrigue. Not disgust, and the fear that had flashed through them bleeds away quickly.

Her hands are still flexing a little nervously, curling into fists before relaxing, but other than that she seems to have gotten over the surprise of his transformation.]

You always do have to go for the dramatic performance, don't you.

[heresyandlace]

[he sounds absolutely monstrous when he chuckles, and it's maybe easier to see exactly how the pretty thing that slinks around the ship and the monster that she killed in the forest really are the same creature.

and though he does take up the majority of the room--especially where his wings are concerned--he makes the effort to shift around into empty space as much as he can. instead of changing back to his smaller form right away, he tries to get a little more comfortable in the shape he's got now.

folding his wings tight, he steps back into the emptiest corner of the room and lowers into an easy crouch, so that he doesn't have to slouch so much along the ceiling. even like this, he's still taller that her by far, but it's an improvement.

and once he's settled, he wraps a pair of tails neatly around his feet and brings up one massive set of talons to paw at the remainder of the wound on his neck. it's still seeping black, but the major damage is healed.

he snorts, though.]

--Almost.

[dawnwillcome]

[The cat isn't all that curiosity killed, it seems, because Jove's hands positively itch to reach out towards Tek and inspect him more closely. He's reminded her of the dragon Corypheus commanded from the moment they fought on Mor, but now she compares him more to the unfortunate spirit turned demon that she helped Solas free from a group of very stupid human mages.

Hulking and terrifying to look at, but so much more beneath the surface. Something with a will and drives of its own, something to be respected.

Still, she keeps her hands to herself, even as she takes a step forward and frowns when she watches him poking at that wound. She's still watching him closely, wary, but he hasn't attacked her yet. That must count for something.]

You heal in this form, then. [That was why he wanted her gone, so she wouldn't see it. And yet he's done it anyway, which is... well, she's not sure what that means beyond him just losing patience with her.] Will you heal completely like this?

[heresyandlace]

[the fact that he hasn't lashed out or worked harder to drive her away does count for a lot... but maybe not all in the positive spectrum of things. being in this shape isn't as much of a soul-deep rush as it is to take on his true form--in fact, more than a little bit of uncomfortable tension goes along with being caught halfway like this--but it's still a little bit of a thrill. and having a mortal creature caught this close and curious instead of fleeing is almost exhibitionary.

his tails flick. he's feeling a little too predatory when he lets her step closer. something like when she'd fed him those mashed-up leaves and stems.]

It's in the shift. [the last word is almost entirely made up of hiss.] One more, and the wound will be gone.

[dawnwillcome]

[She should probably be keeping that last time in mind, the way he'd propositioned her seemingly out of nowhere, but the randomness of it and the fact that she ended up murdering him later have done a great deal to mute those memories. It's not something she thinks about anymore for the simple fact that she assumes that one time was some sort of odd fluke. After all, it wasn't as though he had shown any interest after that, was it?

No, anything other than concern and curiosity is far in the back of her mind at the moment. One more shift and he'll be healed, he says, but he hasn't done it yet. Why?]

Does it take a lot of energy to complete the shift?

[Why does she always stand in front of things that can kill her and ask them questions is really the more pressing query.]

[heresyandlace]

Yes. It takes time.

[and, that being the case, he settles down to wait--eased into a comfortable crouch, head hanging lazily from his shoulders like an oversized vulture. all that moves now is the steady feline flicking of his tails.]

Inconvenient in an emergency. [--which is maybe a little bit pointed. if he hadn't spent so much energy shifting and fleeing through the forest, he might have been able to change in the middle of the battle and save himself.]

[dawnwillcome]

[It hits home rather squarely, too, and has her looking away from him with the right amount of shame. She deserved that.]

I... imagine so.

[Really, if he wanted her out that would have been the right way to do it from the start. Biting back a sigh, she rubs the back of her neck and takes a very small step back.]

Is there anything else you need, anything that might help the transition?

[Pillows to lean on while he waits, something cold to drink, she has no idea what might help but it's likely that she'd get it right away.]

[heresyandlace]

[it's an effort to fight down the little bit of glee that comes from having someone who would even think of making such an offer. it's not a luxury he has very often. it's a treat.]

Is there anything in the kitchen? I am burning quite a bit of energy, after all...

[a snack would be nice.]