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calderamemes2025-12-04 10:26 am
calderaevents) wrote in calderamemes2025-12-04 10:26 am
TDM #10
ARRIVAL
It happens in an instant. A heavy weight in your gut, a trembling of your limbs, the world spins and you barely have time to register that you're falling before you lose consciousness. And when you awaken, it's not where you were last. Dark, unadorned oak walls surround you in a tiny room, the only furniture the bed you are currently resting upon, and the bedside table with a folded piece of parchment resting atop it that simply reads:
As you exit you find others like yourself emerging from the surrounding rooms. You are indeed in a tavern, but there is no hustle and bustle one might think to hear in such a place. The only person down on the main floor is a humanoid figure wiping down the bar, who smiles when they see you. They're familiar, but not, and you can't quite place their face. For some reason, however, their presence is comforting and warm.
"Welcome, Visitor. I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
And you most certainly do.
Due to popular demand, the starter tavern and the drinks provided are available to in game characters via a portal accessible only to those with a faction gem.
DRINK MENU
WINTER'S WHISPER A fragrant spiced tea that calms the nerves and inspires the drinker to share their hopes and dreams.
JINGLE BELL A crisp, bright drink...that makes jingling bell sounds as you walk. There are no bells, and yet you jingle.
S(LAY) RIDE This drink has an earthy, woody taste. Almost as woody as the tavern floor it forces you to lie down upon. You cannot get up unless someone else helps you.
MISTLETOE MEAD Made with honey from enchanted bee hives and a touch of mistletoe leaves. Time to find a smoochin' partner!
HOLLY JOLLY SPICE A bold and fiery blend of rum, cinnamon, and cloves with a secret twist—just a dash of enchanted holly berry syrup that makes your cheeks flush with warmth and your laughter contagious. One sip, and you're the life of the party, even if you're by yourself.
CANDY CANE CRUSH A festive burst of minty sweetness with a cool, refreshing sensation that tingles the tongue. The drinker's mood subtly shifts the color of their surroundings, briefly changing the hues of objects or lights in the room to match their feelings.
GINGERBREAD MAN A thick drink that tastes exactly like a gingerbread cookie. However, candy and other delicious accents start appearing on you as if YOU were the cookie. Is that icing on your nose? Candied cherries in your hair? Gumdrop buttons? But on the bright side, free candy!
JINGLE BELL A crisp, bright drink...that makes jingling bell sounds as you walk. There are no bells, and yet you jingle.
S(LAY) RIDE This drink has an earthy, woody taste. Almost as woody as the tavern floor it forces you to lie down upon. You cannot get up unless someone else helps you.
MISTLETOE MEAD Made with honey from enchanted bee hives and a touch of mistletoe leaves. Time to find a smoochin' partner!
HOLLY JOLLY SPICE A bold and fiery blend of rum, cinnamon, and cloves with a secret twist—just a dash of enchanted holly berry syrup that makes your cheeks flush with warmth and your laughter contagious. One sip, and you're the life of the party, even if you're by yourself.
CANDY CANE CRUSH A festive burst of minty sweetness with a cool, refreshing sensation that tingles the tongue. The drinker's mood subtly shifts the color of their surroundings, briefly changing the hues of objects or lights in the room to match their feelings.
GINGERBREAD MAN A thick drink that tastes exactly like a gingerbread cookie. However, candy and other delicious accents start appearing on you as if YOU were the cookie. Is that icing on your nose? Candied cherries in your hair? Gumdrop buttons? But on the bright side, free candy!
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY
As the effects of your drink wear off, the Tavernkeeper speaks once more:
You are compelled to walk through the only door leading out of the tavern, finding yourself not outside, but in a deep black, seemingly endless room with five portals arranged in a circle. As the last of you leave and the door closes behind you, gone when you look back again and replaced with nothing but that black void, three of the portals illuminate:
The first portal is surrounded by an almost blinding light, prismatic rainbows shining brightly in the dewy air outside of the tavern. A soft breeze may gently caress you, pulling you toward it. The portal seems to lead to a city in the clouds, airships and winged beings of all sorts soaring through the skies. Of the little bits of visible land, much of it boasts giant waterfalls that look like clouds melting into the land below. The portal calls to those who crave independence and freedom; and especially to anyone that wishes to find the strong bond of a family not forged in blood.
The second portal is encircled by a fairy ring of spotted white capped mushrooms, the faint scent of damp stone and rich earth wafting from within the faint green glow. Peering inside, one can see a sprawling harbor city of gray hewn stone, a melting pot of humanoid beings going about their day, and beyond, rolling green farmland and cottages clustered in small villages. This portal is destined for those who crave stability and solid ground beneath their feet. A simple life, an adventurous one, and everything in between can be found within.
The last portal is adorned with shells and seaweed, the glow of blue around it catching on droplets cascading down the circular opening. Beyond it you see a city housed inside a massive bubble deep under the ocean, spiraling towers encrusted with coral, and a variety of different creatures mingling about the streets. Outside of that bubble, merfolk swim, a massive squid engulfs the view from the portal as it smoothly glides through the water, and schools of fish disperse as it passes. A sanctuary in the sea that calls to those with a hunger for knowledge and a desire to aid those in need. Or perhaps it is the mystery that beckons you - the lure of the unknown in the depths that bids you explore it.
Upon following the pull of the breeze through the first portal, you are thrust into the beauty of a lively city that goes by the name of Heaven's Bow. Much of this main city feels exactly as you would expect on a city below, but there are clouds surrounding every direction you look. The walls of buildings are made with light-colored limestone, and buildings are generally built up to heights made even more grandiose by their position in the sky.
The Skyfall Docks are the first thing you notice, boasting hundreds of airships sailing in and out across the clouds with shouts that accompany a typical port city. Just outside is a fantastic market with goods not only from the other regions of Caldera, but from what some shopkeepers claim are other worlds--items sold or left behind by Visitors. Almost anything can be found in the markets if one is willing to look hard enough. Transport to other locations throughout the sky and even to the land or sea can be found here.
If the docks are too lively for you, you may instead find yourself roaming the underbelly of Heaven's Bow and finding brothels and gambling parlors filled with the promise of pleasure and fortune. The guild house for the Sylphs can be found here as well, giving out quests and training to prospective adventurers and guards alike--though none of them seem concerned with the illicit activities that surround them. Perhaps the freedom the Sylphs boast of extends to what others may deem an undesirable activity.
But most curious of all, you find a shimmering opal gemstone in your hand. When placed anywhere on the body, it will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.
If it was the second portal that called to you, you will find yourself in the busy city of Grey Ward, with its cobblestone streets and sturdy grey stone buildings. You are in the heart of the city, the Glass Market, so named for the colorful stained glass windows of the surrounding buildings. The scent of cooking food and the sound of barkers fills the air; watchful guards keep an eye out for pickpockets and thieves, and citizens go about their day. From here, one can investigate the rest of the city: the Sundown Docks, where both sea and sky faring skips transport people and goods. The Soot Spire, home of inventors and engineers. The Hearthstill, the main residential area. The Downs, a smaller residential area for those with less means.
Outside the city walls, one can explore acres of farmlands to the east and west, or follow Terra's Pass to the less settled areas, but take care. Past the Skyward Range, out in the smaller burrows and villages, the influence of the city guard diminishes quickly, and you'll have to keep your wits about you. Bandits along the road are always a risk, and the wildlife are less controlled by regimented hunting.
In your hand is a gemstone, a brilliantly green emerald that, when placed anywhere on the body, will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.
If the last portal beckoned you through it, you find yourself within that bubble covered city beneath the sea, the city of Salt Spire. Your ears pop with the change in pressure, and the smell of the salty sea fills your nostrils. All around you buildings made of dark stone encrusted with coral and seagrass tower high above your head, the backdrop outside the dome a deep blue, seemingly endless sea filled with fish and merfolk and all other manner of creature swimming through the water. You stand in the heart of it all, surrounded by people with gils on their necks and scales upon their vibrantly colored skin, all of whom seem intrigued by your arrival. You have many options of where to visit in the city under the sea, but where oh where will you go first?
The Salt Spire Library is right before you, an impossibly large building housing thousands upon thousands of books of all genres. Fiction, non-fiction, romance and mystery and all between. You may even find books from your world and others! Oddly enough though, no Calderan history books are to be found, and if you ask for them, the librarians and locals all choose to ignore your questions.
If scholarly pursuits aren't to your interest currently, perhaps a trip to Bluetide Market would be more your style? The marketplace is host to every manner of shop one might ever need: artisans of all varieties, apothecaries and healers in the Shimmer Quarter, the most in fashion undersea clothing shops, food stalls, and all between can be found in Bluetide. There are also the Tideshore and Fogbottom docks on either end of the city. The former allows transport to the surface via large, magical bubbles for those that cannot hold their breath or make the swim themselves yet. The latter allows people to venture further into the sea. Those without their underwater abilities are offered rebreathers for travel that last for four hours before needing to be replaced.
In your hand is a gemstone, a shining sapphire that, when placed anywhere on the body, will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.
Visitors in all starter cities are offered a standard home with basic necessities provided (your choice in design, etc.) that can house 1-4 people if they so choose. If you aren't ready for a permanent home yet, there is an inn in Grey Ward, where accommodations and food are free for Visitors.
THE AFTERMATH
When the mysterious moon god attacked, tearing treacherous rifts into the fabric of Caldera. The Star Gods held these rifts open while Visitors bravely stepped up to find and destroy the broken shards of lunar light within them. Thanks to their efforts, the moon was finally pushed back into its rightful place in the sky. The god sentenced to serve their punishment upon the displaced satellite was seemingly torn asunder by the overwhelming power they unleashed in a last, desperate attempt to destroy the world. Nymion dealt the finishing blow in a blinding beam of lightning and a boom of thunder that shook the very earth, then restored the moon, hanging it carefully back where it should be in the sky, albeit now with visible cracks he was unable to fully mend.
The gods were exhausted, but standing. All except one.
As they descended from the chaos where the rifts in reality had once writhed, Triton carried Cordelia in his arms. The Queen of the Seas lay unconscious, her strength spent after holding both her own and Nymion's rifts open long enough for the Visitors to break through. Fortunately, the seas did not erupt into turmoil; Vesper and Triton kept the Undine realm steady, even as Cordelia fell into a deep, uncertain coma.
"Caldera survives another day!" Nymion boomed triumphantly as he and the others touched down. "This calls for a celebration! 'Tis the season, is it not? Enough pouting — Cordelia will rise again, if she is strong enough to."
The gods were exhausted, but standing. All except one.
As they descended from the chaos where the rifts in reality had once writhed, Triton carried Cordelia in his arms. The Queen of the Seas lay unconscious, her strength spent after holding both her own and Nymion's rifts open long enough for the Visitors to break through. Fortunately, the seas did not erupt into turmoil; Vesper and Triton kept the Undine realm steady, even as Cordelia fell into a deep, uncertain coma.
"Caldera survives another day!" Nymion boomed triumphantly as he and the others touched down. "This calls for a celebration! 'Tis the season, is it not? Enough pouting — Cordelia will rise again, if she is strong enough to."
SEASON OF LIGHT
In the aftermath of this tremendous chaos and effort, feelings of paranoia, exhaustion, and grief linger in the populace, making the people reluctant to celebrate this victory. Once again, the realm has been shaken, and the fear of life or death is not an easy one to brush off.
Yet at Nymion's urging, the locals yield. Perhaps he is right — this is the season meant for unity and hope. Though still wary, they do their best to ensure that the Season of Lights begins as it has in years past. Once more, the people of Caldera sink into the comforting bustle of distraction, fixing their attention on the imminent celebrations. The holiday, reminiscent of Christmas and New Years, brings gift-giving in abundance and decorations of shimmering silver and radiant blue that cast their glow across sky, sea, and land in harmonious splendor.
One of the season's highlights is the grand Feast of the Sky, a night when the people gather beneath a star-filled canopy to exchange gifts and share a meal. In the days leading up to the feast, families and friends take part in a tradition known as "Lightwalking," embarking on midnight strolls through lantern-lit streets, singing carols, drinking hot cocoa and cider, and sharing stories of hope and renewal. Even the seafaring vessels join in the light show, their sails and rigging adorned with glowing orbs that drift like stars across the water.
Above all, the Season of Lights is a celebration of resilience — a time when the people of Caldera set aside their worries, if only briefly, and bask in the glow of community, generosity, and the promise of brighter days ahead, especially now that the threat of the moon has been vanquished.
Yet at Nymion's urging, the locals yield. Perhaps he is right — this is the season meant for unity and hope. Though still wary, they do their best to ensure that the Season of Lights begins as it has in years past. Once more, the people of Caldera sink into the comforting bustle of distraction, fixing their attention on the imminent celebrations. The holiday, reminiscent of Christmas and New Years, brings gift-giving in abundance and decorations of shimmering silver and radiant blue that cast their glow across sky, sea, and land in harmonious splendor.
One of the season's highlights is the grand Feast of the Sky, a night when the people gather beneath a star-filled canopy to exchange gifts and share a meal. In the days leading up to the feast, families and friends take part in a tradition known as "Lightwalking," embarking on midnight strolls through lantern-lit streets, singing carols, drinking hot cocoa and cider, and sharing stories of hope and renewal. Even the seafaring vessels join in the light show, their sails and rigging adorned with glowing orbs that drift like stars across the water.
Above all, the Season of Lights is a celebration of resilience — a time when the people of Caldera set aside their worries, if only briefly, and bask in the glow of community, generosity, and the promise of brighter days ahead, especially now that the threat of the moon has been vanquished.
THE GRAND MASQUERADE
Another highlight of the season is the Grand Masquerade that unfolds high above the world in Heaven's Bow, the floating city where the wind dances in the sky and the stars seem close enough to touch. The moon, thankfully, is no longer that close. The event is more than just a celebration of the Season of Lights — it's a gathering of hope, a focus on light during dark and uncertain times. Here among the clouds, the people of Caldera and the heroic Visitors from other worlds come together in a shimmering, ethereal celebration, their faces hidden behind elaborate masks and appropriately fancy dress provided with instantaneous magic when one steps through the threshold of the castle gates.
The gleaming silver palace at the heart of Heaven's Bow is a breathtaking sight, its walls adorned with shiny blue decorations that catch the light from thousands of lanterns floating in mid-air. The sky above is painted with the colors of dusk, swirling in a palette of purples, blues, and silvers.
Sylphs — the free-spirited, airborn people of the Sky — flutter about, their wings glinting in the light, performing acrobatic feats in the air and playing beautiful, floating melodies on lyres. Their laughter and music mingles with the sounds of the celebration. The atmosphere is that of a sigh of relief, a dissolution of tension; the laughter echoing through the palace halls is tired but genuine, the chatter between friends is that of gratitude that they made it through all right.
The gleaming silver palace at the heart of Heaven's Bow is a breathtaking sight, its walls adorned with shiny blue decorations that catch the light from thousands of lanterns floating in mid-air. The sky above is painted with the colors of dusk, swirling in a palette of purples, blues, and silvers.
Sylphs — the free-spirited, airborn people of the Sky — flutter about, their wings glinting in the light, performing acrobatic feats in the air and playing beautiful, floating melodies on lyres. Their laughter and music mingles with the sounds of the celebration. The atmosphere is that of a sigh of relief, a dissolution of tension; the laughter echoing through the palace halls is tired but genuine, the chatter between friends is that of gratitude that they made it through all right.
FLIGHTS OF FANCY
In the grand hall, there are long tables laden with lavish finger foods and desserts, the plates interspersed with baubles of iridescent glass. A round table off to the side has a tower of champagne glasses with sparkling wine, and it appears to be a custom to pair up, make a heartfelt toast, and link arms with your partner to drain your glass. This wine has mild magical effects, making your form glow faintly and your voice take on an airy, musical quality, which may charm those around you, and slowly turns the din of the party into a symphony as the night goes on. You may also find that you are lighter on your feet, enough to even float off the ground a little as thought gravity has lessened, and it may give you the urge to dance.
And as for dancing, there is a gorgeous ballroom floor that gleams with silver and blue polished tile. The dances of the locals echo the sylph's graceful flight through the air, with languid, flowing movements and a freestyle form of step, letting the music move them across the floor. However, there is the occasional livelier song, where the Calderans will push you into the closest person to partner up for a complicated and jovial traditional dance. Keeping up seems to be optional- there is plenty of laughter and no judgment if you falter in the steps. Finally, a slow dance brings couples together more intimately, holding each other with a renewed sense of love, knowing now that nothing here can be taken for granted.
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
If dancing isn't your thing, you notice that curiously, there's a stream of Calderans leading out of the great hall, and if you follow them, you will find yourself outside in front of a large crystal dome. Welcoming folks inside is none other than Nymion, the showboating Star God himself, who singles out Visitors entering with a special little quest:
"Hey, not a bad job you guys did with those rifts. Couldn't have saved it without your help, but don't tell anyone I said that. Anyway, I'm still looking for exceptional talents in this world, and I've yet to be truly wowed. You up for a challenge? Yeah, of course you are, that's what I thought. Come on, champ!"
He claps you on the back a little too hard and ushers you inside. Upon entering the dome, you discover it's a gorgeous planetarium, so realistic that it feels unnervingly like you're floating in space. In here, Visitors are granted the magical ability to create stars and form constellations in this space. Nymion wants you to create something truly show-stopping, name it, and present it to him. If you're having trouble getting the creative juices flowing, it may help to work as a team with a fellow Visitor. If he likes it, he may just make your constellation real.
"Hey, not a bad job you guys did with those rifts. Couldn't have saved it without your help, but don't tell anyone I said that. Anyway, I'm still looking for exceptional talents in this world, and I've yet to be truly wowed. You up for a challenge? Yeah, of course you are, that's what I thought. Come on, champ!"
He claps you on the back a little too hard and ushers you inside. Upon entering the dome, you discover it's a gorgeous planetarium, so realistic that it feels unnervingly like you're floating in space. In here, Visitors are granted the magical ability to create stars and form constellations in this space. Nymion wants you to create something truly show-stopping, name it, and present it to him. If you're having trouble getting the creative juices flowing, it may help to work as a team with a fellow Visitor. If he likes it, he may just make your constellation real.
QUESTBOARD [NEW QUESTS ADDED]
Settled in? Good. It's time to make your way to the Questboard located in every city in numerous, easy to access locations. That is, if you want to make any kind of impact on the world or just get some Bones for anything you might wish to purchase. Visitors are given a very small stipend in which to survive every month, but all it does is keep you fed and housed. These quests will assure you greater wealth, and they're the main reason you're here: each finished quest helps the Calderans fix their shattering world.
Quests can be accepted at the questboard via magically signed parchment upon the board. Just sign your name to accept and the paper will be whisked away... somewhere. You're not actually sure. Probably nothing to concern yourself with.
Once quests are completed, earned Bones will be dropped off at the character's residence by Bonita, the mysterious artisan who has supposedly handcrafted every Bone circulating in Caldera. Please do not speak to her, she startles easily.
OOC NOTES
Welcome to Caldera's 10th TDM! All characters awaken in a strange tavern with nothing save the clothes on their backs, all of their powers stripped, and a piece of parchment directing them downstairs to the Tavernkeeper. There is a thread of all questions answered by the Tavernkeeper here, and if you have more, feel free to ask there for what would be offered ICly.
◾For OOC questions, please direct themhere.
◾All locations are available to be explored!
◾The TDM is game canon and all completed quests can be carried over once accepted into the game.
◾All constellations crafted by Visitors will be visible in the night sky unless specified otherwise.
main navigation
◾For OOC questions, please direct themhere.
◾All locations are available to be explored!
◾The TDM is game canon and all completed quests can be carried over once accepted into the game.
◾All constellations crafted by Visitors will be visible in the night sky unless specified otherwise.
no subject
"You're bullshitting me." Damian moves, turning around so that he's kneeling at the edge of the bed instead. He gestures at Seb with his stein, mead sloshing dangerously close to the rim. "Undesirable?? Those controlling fuckers back where you're from blind as well as awful?"
He scoots in closer, the threads of magic in the drink starting to settle in. He rests the stein on Sebastian's knee, sticking a finger in his face.
"They're bullshitting you, lean and green. You are a snack. Have some fucking confidence."
no subject
"Where I'm from, it's not always about looks."
He's not going to elaborate on that unless pressed. As Damian puts his mug on Seb's knee and he hears it sloshing, he grabs it instinctively to keep it from tipping, with more speed and grace than one would expect from a blind man.
"Don't spill this poison on me, I'll perish instantly."
Then, more sincerely:
"Thank you, though. I'm flattered."
no subject
He lets the stein go now that Sebastian has a hold of it and uses his newfound freedom to gesture wildly his direction. He might be tipping forward into Seb's space just a little.
"But also, don't change the subject - just look at you! Blushing and shy and shit. Who wouldn't want to eat that up?" His hand finds Sebastian's arm for balance as his other goes wide. "Idiots, the whole lot of them. Fucking creep conservatives."
no subject
He hears the movement, Damian's voice getting closer, his hand on his arm. This guy has no boundaries, which at first was creepy, but is quickly becoming amusing and a little endearing.
"Alright, alright. I get it," he waves a hand dismissively, but he's still smiling.
"You'd be able to eat me up, but others might have trouble stomaching it. And I don't blame them, because I'm also poisonous."
no subject
Well, no. He knows what he wants to do. But. God. This fucking man and his fucking will-he-won't-he no homo. You'd be able to eat me up. Such a fucking tease.
His teeth run over his bottom lip, considering. Normally he wouldn't bother with something so frustrating, but...
"...sssso. Like." The words draw out of him like they're being compelled. Maybe they are. "That an offer?"
no subject
Of course, he has a bionic arm and face tattoos, and now no eyes, so he'll never meet anyone just like him.
"An offer to poison you? If you're sure." He smirks.
no subject
But also. Man. If he'd been born with it, maybe his dad wouldn't have been such a piece of shit.
"Pfft, remember what I said? Poison's just a good time, now." Damian settles on leaning in, now fully tucked inside of Sebastian's bubble. He plants his hand on the other side of Sebastian without thinking, caging in his waist. His mouth feels like it's tingling, curling into a self-satisfied smile. "And I'm all about that good time."
no subject
He shrinks back and cringes slightly at the caging of his waist, starting to feel a little like a cornered animal, but he tries to keep his head.
"Alright, settle down there, Private," he mutters stiffly, raising a hand between them in a stopping motion.
"I know you want a good time, but I can't just fall into bed with someone so easily. I like you, but..."
He nearly gets tongue-tied, his heart beating fast, but pushes through it, wanting to make himself clear.
"I need a lot more time."
no subject
Damian blinks, eyes dropping down to Sebastian's hand like he's seeing it for the first time. It takes a moment for his gaze to drift back up, lingering at the man's mouth and then those bandages around his eyes. It takes even longer for the words to breach that nice little fuzz to his thoughts.
"Oh. Hah. Yeah, no, I wasn't expecting to fuck, babe, no worrrrwait." I like you. I need time. His brows raise. Sink and pinch. He's got an expression on like he's trying to do some mental math, mouth twisting. "You're not straight?"
cw EXTREME homophobia/violence
To the direct question of his sexuality, he flushes red again and looks sheepish.
"I mean, I..." He stalls. Admitting to this is blasphemy. Same-sex sexual behaviour is punishable by isolation, starvation, humiliation, or some combination of those things. Weeks of labour and daily repentance, reciting prayers hundreds of times in the Hall of Progress.
"I... I don't know. I've had some... Thoughts... Before..."
He looks incredibly ashamed to admit this, physically shrinking in on himself, forcing the words out of his mouth like they really want to stay in there at all costs. His heart races as though someone is going to burst into the room and catch them.
"About men," he finishes, quietly.
no subject
His home isn't just conservative. It's conservative conservative. Shit.
Damian does the mental equivalent of sucking air in between his teeth. He hasn't moved from his place in Sebastian's bubble, and it doesn't really occur to him to.
"S'fine, man, you're in good company. Like I'm in any position to judge you - my dating history is as colorful as my hair." Yeah, he sucks at comfort, but! He is trying! "And I'm pretty sure you're good in this world, too. Wolfmen making out in the corner, remember?"
no subject
"There aren't really wolfmen doing that, are there?" He asks this in the same hushed, sheepish tone; he's genuinely seeking reassurance about the rules here.
"I shouldn't... Can't..." What if there are cameras? What if word gets out? What if...?
no subject
He sighs through his nose.
"...nah. No wolfmen. Made it up to make you feel better. Did see some guys holding hands across a table, though." He taps his knuckles against Sebastian's shoulder in what he thinks is a reassuring gesture. "If it stresses you out, babe, don't worry about it too much. Take all the baby steps you want, yeah? People aren't entitled to whatever you do behind closed doors."
no subject
"... They blinded me because I had a relationship with an outsider. A surface girl. It was strictly forbidden to get entangled with anyone outside of the commune, especially those on the surface. We thought we were alone, but someone must have been spying on us while we spent time in her house."
Once he lets that sink in, he adds:
"So forgive me for being paranoid, but can you lock your door? Are there any cameras, or places to peek into the room?"
no subject
"...fucking hell." Apparently not eloquently. He pulls away from Sebastian, rolling off the bed to stand. "Yeah, I can lock it, but I don't think you have to worry about cameras. Fucking fantasy boonies out there."
He hasn't let himself dwell on that too much just yet. When it does, he'll probably have a breakdown, but hey! That's a problem for future Damian.
"I didn't get a window," he continues, taking the key out of his pocket and locking the door, "so I think we're pretty safe there, too. Good thing for all those medieval Joes out there; I sleep with the ass out."
no subject
He listens carefully, and does hear Damian lock the door, which is a relief, as is his insistence on a lack of cameras or windows. He doesn't think Damian is lying this time.
"Good thing? Is your ass... Not very good, or something?" He's trying to do a humour thing. Lighten the mood. Is it working. "Weird birthmark?"
no subject
"My ass is impeccable, thank you very much." Some people would say slightly above average. Those same people are also hater losers. "But I don't think these people will appreciate the dick that comes with it. Something something public indecency, even though they're the ones looking through my window."
He's returned to the bed now, scooting back next to Sebastian and crossing his ankles. "But if you want more than my word, all you gotta do is ask, lean and green."
no subject
He relaxes again somewhat as Damian sits next to him, no longer too perturbed by his flirting.
"I know, bud. You've made that very clear." He brings the mug of alcohol to his nose and sniffs.
"Does this stuff have any weird effect?"
no subject
He gives no time to dwell on that, stretching his arms above his head with a soft groan.
"Not that I could tell. Just had a nice little kick to it. Settled in warm, you know? Good shit."
no subject
"Are you famous, or something?" He doesn't know what paparazzi is, but he does know something about obsessively adoring public.
Sebastian feels just trusting enough of Damian by now to believe that the drink doesn't have some terrible effect. They're alike, biologically anyway, so it should have a similar effect on each of them, and Damian hasn't fallen on the floor. He shrugs and takes a sip. It does have the bitter zing of something mildly toxic, which Sebastian doesn't particularly enjoy.
no subject
It's... pretty nice, actually. Means there aren't any expectations of him outside of the fantasy BS.
"...kinda pissed they took my fucking guitar, though." He can feel it lingering around here somewhere, you all aren't slick. "Like? Who does that? Separates a musician from his baby?"
no subject
"Well, you'll have fewer stalkers here, at least." He takes another sip of the drink. Mmm, no, he's not a fan. He passes it back to Damian.
"Did they? That's too bad. I'd like to hear it sometime. Did you ask the tavernkeeper about it?"
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He tips over, cheek smooshing onto Sebastian's shoulder as warmth blooms in his chest. God, Sebastian has such nice shoulders. How dare he be no-homo-but-maybe-homo. How dare he.
"Whenever they decide I've fucking. Bent over backwards enough to earn it back, I'll play you a song."
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Oddly, the cheek on his shoulder feels nice, and he settles down further in the bed, leaning slightly against Damian in return. He is a bit cold... He's only wearing a hospital gown, underwear, and socks, after all.
"How do they want you to earn it?"
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He smooshes further into Sebastian's side, turning his face up so that his chin rests on Sebastian's shoulder. His eyes flicker down to his mouth.
Now, some part of Damian's hindbrain recognizes that, whoa, he is being way too forward with the man who got blinded for just being in a het relationship. That maybe he should pull it back because something is a little wrong here.
Too bad for both of them that it's buried under all that feel good swimming in Damian's head right now.
"Ssssso... you ever poison someone with a kiss, lean and green? Asking for a friend."
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cw dub/noncon
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cw noncon, sexual trauma
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nsfw lol
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