( open ) and i've been dreaming of revenge

[nilhilistic]

WHO: Rafal + You
WHAT: Quests + Day in the Life Interactions
WHEN: Late April/May
WHERE: Around!
WARNINGS: Grief, forced truths for the Bridge of the Lost prompt



( i. bridge of the lost ) cw: grief, forced truths

[ he had been exploring at his leisure. sometimes, as a dragon, sometimes the way a human would. both experiences were mandatory if he wished to get a grasp of what life was like here. and this quest . . . it seemed strange. stranger than the others. as if half couched in mystery and horror. and rafal has always liked a good horror story, being one himself.

so he waited, skeptical that anything would happen when footsteps alert him of another's presence. he turns to them with a scowl on his face . . . which quickly melts away into astonishment. ]

Nil. No — It cannot be. I saw you die.

( ii. sunwaning — the equinox bakery )

[ the one good thing about all these bakeries is that it made it easy for rafal to find a job. he had thought it would prove to be more difficult, especially since he has never held a "job" before and lived in a castle, but he was never fussed about work and this is the kind of work he enjoys. he spends most of his time at the back, creating elegant confectionaries and designs, idly swatting cats. should you make a special order, he'll see it through and come out to deliver it.

yes, that fancy cake with a layer of chocolate, creme brulee with an oreo base that melts on your tongue is his creation. and he's waiting to see if you like it, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. ]

Well? Out with it.

[ his people skills could use work though. ]

( iii. hope you have a landing strategy )

[ he could see why such a location was troublesome. a hindrance to those who wished to visit and had no easy way to get back and forth. and while he's not really the generous type, he knows a certain level of kindness is necessary.

necessary for the world to thrive. he's not too concerned if someone is unkind to him personally.

he transforms into his dragon self, fanning his wings as he settles into it. ]

If you require a ride, I will get you there safely. You have my word.

( iv. around ish — wildcard )

[ rafal can be seen around amberfell and nightwake. for the most part, he'll be hitting up every bakery/cafe at least once in a week. in less populated/forested areas, you're welcome to spot him in his dragon form. he is also looking for a potential room mate so that he has adequate living quarters. his inbox can be found here.

if you have any questions/prompts you'd like to do, you can reach me @ timmtams or simply drop a PM. ]

Comments

[sangreine]

That sounds nice. I'll follow you over there.

...If I transform fully, I'll need to use telepathy to communicate. Is that okay with you? [ Having someone's voice suddenly in your head is not a thing she likes to inflict without warning. ]

And it will destroy my clothing. I brought extras, but when I change back I can warn you to look elsewhere, if it bothers you. [ Doesn't bother her a bit. Clothes are the unnatural thing in her world. But this is a sensibility she respects as best she can. ]

[nilhilistic]

It's fine. I'm familiar with that.

[ the clothes thing, not so much. ]

It won't bother me, but whatever you feel is best.

[sangreine]

[ Her clothes aren't magical in nature or anything, and neither is her transformation (it's just really magic-looking biology), so when she grows into something three times the size... it is nice that he doesn't care, human sensitivities sure are odd. ]

I've forgotten what it's like to talk to someone who isn't so humanlike in their habits. [ Her other immortal associates and friends often have a terminal case of shyness. ] It's refreshing.

[ With that she makes a stretching motion, her eyes glow bright red and her skin seems to burst open (and along with it the dress, literally RIP. Her Chiropteran form is much bigger, silver skin and hair, with huge white bat wings and a shape that resembles a cross between a bat and a human. Her facial features are much the same, but for her nose which is more batlike, and she has red-tipped claws at the ends of her fingers. ]

[ Her wings snap out as if they felt confined by her previous shape. ]

< Ready when you are. > [ Her telepathic "voice" is the same as her humanlike one. ]

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal observes her form curiously before raising his dragonstone. in a swirl of light, he is in his dragon form. his wings flap idly as he glances at her. ]

Follow my lead.

[ and he takes off into the air. ]

[sangreine]

[ It's not especially in her nature to be led, but in this case it's logistics. Her top speed can shatter the sound barrier so she'll have no trouble keeping up. ]

< How is it that you're used to telepathy? Is that another of your abilities? >

[nilhilistic]

It is not as functional as telepathy. But speaking in a human tongue while in this form is not always easy.

[ sombron often did speak easily that way, but rafal could not. his dragon form was, unfortunately, still new to him. ]

[sangreine]

< Unless you think I won't understand it, speak to me however you prefer. Human tongues have their uses and all, I know enough of their languages to believe that much, but they are also limiting. >

[ She flies up alongside him, gliding through the air effortlessly. Being a distant relation to bats means that this is second nature. ]

[nilhilistic]

[ he chuckles briefly. ]

It is less about language than the shape of the tongue and mouth that makes it difficult. And I am still unused to it.

[sangreine]

< Is it a great chore? If so, you could try answering telepathically. But however it's easiest for you, I have no complaints. >

[nilhilistic]

It's fine. It is simply something I need to get used to, with practice.

[sangreine]

[ She would think he'd be used to it, unless... ]

< Can I ask how old you are? >

[nilhilistic]

[ the question catches him off guard. ]

A few thousands of years. Why?

[sangreine]

< I wasn't sure how long it would take to get used to something like that. But I suppose that depends on how often you practice. >

[nilhilistic]

[ ah. rafal goes quiet for a moment. ]

I couldn't transform when I was younger. I was powerless. Being able to do so now is a new experience.

[sangreine]

< ...You were trapped in human form? Without powers? That's awful. I was trapped as a mortal recently, it was torture. And that was a few months. I can't imagine doing it for thousands of years. >

[nilhilistic]

. . . It is what it is. As children, we were pitted against each other by order of our father.

Surviving was all I could do.

[sangreine]

[ She growls. Audibly, not telepathically. ]

< I'm sorry. How unfair. >

< I'm glad you have your abilities now. >

[nilhilistic]

As am I.

[ despite the regrets and the pain he has caused others, he cannot fully take it back. having power matters. people are fooling themselves otherwise if they think it doesn't. ]

[sangreine]

[ She pried into his life, it seems only fair to share something herself. ]

< During one of my wake cycles a human "raised" me. He used me and my twin as subjects for his experiments. Gave me just enough blood to keep me alive, not enough for me to have my strength or speed. So I understand, a little. >

[nilhilistic]

If my father could, I imagine he would have resorted to such measures. To him, having children was the same as having willing slaves. We owed our lives to him.

[ and thus, everything else. rafal and nel broke free, but it had forever changed the way they approached everything. ]

[sangreine]

< Those like him are the worst. I hope he paid for it. > [ She's not usually one for revenge, but she can't deny that sometimes it's well earned. ]

[nilhilistic]

He's dead but I suppose that isn't much to the living save for an end.

[ sombron should die. in all worlds. that much should stand and yet . . .

well, rafal finds it complicated. ]

[sangreine]

[ And that would be why she isn't one for revenge. ]

< Sometimes catharsis can be complicated, and sometimes it doesn't help even so. >

[nilhilistic]

I cannot pretend he is not my father. And are we not, at times, servants to our family's will?

[sangreine]

< I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I fought against my family in a civil war. >