TDM #10

[calderaevents]

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:

"The Tavernkeeper is awaiting your arrival downstairs."

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!

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY

As the effects of your drink wear off, the Tavernkeeper speaks once more:

"It is time, my friends, for you to find your new homes."

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Comments

[wastedcreation]

"Drama queen," Seb chides, though he's actually thinking more about these boots. He wonders what they look like.

... Aaaand Damian is up close to him again. There's no point in fighting it, it seems, and his will to fight it is rapidly declining, anyway.

He likes to cuddle. The drink amplifies this urge. He settles in further, feeling warmer.

"Ah..." A hesitation, like he's recalling something. "Not... On purpose..."

[lickmeimtoxic]

He is a drama queen, thank you! The most dramatic of them. It's why he has no qualms about draping himself over Sebastian like a Victorian on a chaise longue. It helps that Sebastian isn't pushing him off. (And the magic mead, of course.)

"Mmmm, would you like to try?" He is going to sail right on by that not on purpose. Damian gives the bad vibes a little wave from his mind boat. "Not gonna find yourself a more enthusiastic volunteer. Call it professional curiousity from a poison connoisseur."

He presses his luck a little, walking his fingers slow up Sebastian's chest. "I'll even be good boy after and keep my hands to myself."

[wastedcreation]

Probably best to sail by it if you don't want a sad wet Sebastian on your hands. Yes... He can get wetter, believe it or not.

He knows he should stop it, but the touching feels good. The warmth of Damian against him, the fingertips on his chest. It reminds him that he's real. It makes him feel more like a person.

"Not right now." He doesn't want to kiss anyone at the moment, and though the chances of him actually making Damian ill are low, it would be a nightmare for Seb if it did happen.

"But..." He wraps an arm around Damian's shoulders. "I like this."

He's quiet for a few moments.

"Would you mind if I... Touched you more? It might sound weird, but since I can't see you, I sort of want to get to know you... With my hands?" He cringes slightly at himself, his cheeks going red again.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Not right now, huh? Damian will take it happily - after all, not right now doesn't mean never. As Sebastian puts his arm around Damian's shoulders, he gives the mental equivalent of an ugly, gremlin laugh, because see?? See?? Being obnoxiously, dramatically charming does have its uses!

"Pffft. You can get to know me all you like, babe - I won't say no to a man's hands on me." Not entirely true, that; Damian does have his standards, but. Eh. He does it for the bit. Sebastian's cute for asking, though. "Fair warning, though; if you get close to my mouth, I won't be able to resist licking you."

Look. Look. At least he's giving a heads up, okay??

Damian gets comfy into Sebastian's side, feeling all nice and warm and snug. It's not often he just gets to cuddle.

[wastedcreation]

Charming is one word for it.

He predicted that Damian wouldn't mind being touched, given... Well, this entire interaction thus far, which is the only way Seb was even bold enough to ask for this. He wants to touch people far more often now than he used to, because it gives him information, and can ground and tether him in a crowded environment.

He was always tactile, but before, he didn't allow himself to be. Now he has an excuse.

"Uh..." He hesitates, then laughs. "Noted."

He starts with Damian's hair, touching it carefully, feeling down the length of it with both hands. It's longer than he's used to a man's hair being- military man as he is. One of his hands is metal, but he can still 'feel' with it, to an extent. Thankfully, it doesn't catch on Damian's hair.

"What colour is it?" Damian had said it was bright, or something.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Aw, look at him being careful. For such a fit guy, he's kind of a softie, huh? Well, that's fine, Damian doesn't mind. He even manages to reel in the urge to tell Sebastian to pull. Yes, please, hold your applause, you're very much welcome.

His eyes follow Sebastian's fingers, taking in the joints of his metal ones. Yeah, there are no innocent inquiries about those rattling around in his head. Best for the both of them if he moves along.

"It's pink. Like a pastel pink. Goes purple towards the ends. And before you ask, yeah, I know, it's entirely natural." Pink from his mom and purple from his dad. Thank god the dominant color is from his favorite parent. He follows that up with a careless wave of his hand. "Something something carpet matches the curtains, or however it goes."

[wastedcreation]

Sebastian hums.

"It sounds pretty." And it feels nice against his fingers. Curling in odd ways, but soft.

"This is my natural hair colour, too. I passed it on to my dau--" the word dies on his lips and his cheeks go pink again, as though he just said something embarrassing. Something wrong.

"Well, you know. Genetics," he finishes awkwardly. His hands run down Damian's arms toward his hands.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Damian's eyebrows slide up, a not-so-PG smile curling at his mouth.

"Uh-huh. Genetics." Sebastian will feel a stretch of long sleeves before reaching Damian's hands. Feeling them over will tell him that Damian's fingers are long, a little slender, with calluses and some scar lines from guitar work and other instruments he's played in the past. He's wearing a few ring bands, all of them on the cheaper side of jewelry. "So should I call you Daddy, then, Daddy Green?"

There's definitely a brow waggle to his voice, but in his defense, can you really expect him to resist the low hanging fruit?

[wastedcreation]

"What?"

Sebastian's hands reel away in shock, and his cheeks redden deeper.

"No, it's not like that-" He's defensive and distinctly offended, in a far deeper way than Damian's words really call for. As though Damian just called him a slur.

It might as well be a slur, where he's from, and especially after slipping and calling Eve his daughter, he feels like he's being teased in a nasty way. He also has no idea what a daddy kink is. He withdraws further away from Damian.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Whoa, okay, this is not what he expected.

Damian blinks, caught off guard by the sudden retreat. He'd thought Sebastian would have just brushed it off like he had with everything else, but apparently not. His hand goes to follow, but it stops to hang in the air between.

"Wh - hey, no, I was just teasing, lean and green." Is this another fucked up home world thing? Are daddy kinks taboo where he's from?? It truly sounds like hell the more Damian hears of it. "I get it, yeah? Daddy kinks are off the table. Message received."

[wastedcreation]

Seb's mouth is pressed into a tight line, and the brooding is wafting off of him like stink lines, his mood incredibly soured.

"Daddy... Kinks. What is that," he mutters, as though he doesn't really want to know the answer, and doesn't want to keep talking to Damian, but part of him does recognize this could be some sort of misunderstanding between worlds.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Oh no. Ohhhhh no. Is he. Is he going to have to explain what a daddy kink is here? Really?

He pinches the bridge of his nose before tipping his head back. Truly, this fantasy bullshit world is having a time tormenting him.

"It's. It's a thing." Yeah, he's off to a great start. "Like a - a..." His hand is going wild as he tries to think. "A dude that gets off by taking a father role in the bedroom? Like dom and sub shit. It's a common roleplay thing."

That's easy enough to follow, right?

"If I'd known it was going to get under your skin so much, I wouldn't have said it."

[wastedcreation]

"It's... A sex thing." It's a question, but with no inflection, because he's already disgusted by the notion. "Who is turned on by the thought of fucking their child?" Yeah, Seb knows little of kink. Or at least, he doesn't know the words for it.

Of course he's been pegged, that goes without saying, but he wouldn't know what to call it.

[lickmeimtoxic]

Damian makes a helpless sound at the back of his throat, He's staring up at the ceiling a little vacantly, wondering what life choices brought him here.

"It's pretend, babe. Roles in a story. Some people like their shit vanilla, some people just wanna go 'oh, daddy, I've been a naughty boy, please don't punish me with your dick, oh noooo.'" Is he talking from experience? ...maybe, shut up. "Like. It's not about actual incest, man. It's fucking roleplay."

cw dub/noncon

[wastedcreation]

"Okay, well, I'm sorry, but I don't know about any of that stuff." His tone is still defensive, irritated. Like, what the hell is Damian talking about and why is Sebastian the weird one for not getting it? "All the sex where I'm from is for a specific purpose. There's no... Stories or roles."

And the only thing they're pretending is that they want to be doing it when they actually don't.

[lickmeimtoxic]

"...ah." That makes a whole lot of sense now. Honestly, he should have gotten that there's no fun allowed on the "you can't bang whoever you want" train, but eh. He's only a genius in music. "Right. Okay."

It takes a lot of the energy out of him. There's a rake of his teeth over his lip, and not in the good way.

"So back where you're from, it's conservative vanilla all the way, huh." He closes his eyes, all that lovely warmth from earlier souring. "The default stuff, I mean. Where I'm from there's a lot more freedom to it."

cw noncon, sexual trauma

[wastedcreation]

"It's..."

He leans forward over his knees, pushing his hands back through his own hair. This is hard to talk about, especially with someone he just met, but since sex seems to be a prominent thing in Damian's mind, maybe it's best to set the record straight.

"It's the opposite of freedom. We're put in a facility and forced to do it. For procreation, to make new soldiers."

He's not sure whether the implications of that go without saying, but just in case:

"So... If I'm not comfortable with the sexual stuff you're doing or talking about, that's why. And if sex is the only thing you want from me, then I'd rather we just... Didn't do this."

[lickmeimtoxic]

... how the fuck is anyone supposed to reply to something like that? Damian sure as hell doesn't know. The people he's drifted through in his life don't really share all those lifetime scars they've collected over the years. He certainly hasn't. He'd rather keep all those little issues buried where he won't have to think about them.

But he's also not an asshole. Well. Not that kind of asshole.

His hand lifts, clasping at Sebastian's shoulder - that's how bros support each other or whatever, right? - before his mouth twists.

"That's seriously fucked up." Yes, his voice is serious, yes, this is him trying. "Like? So fucked up."

Is that why he reacted that way to being called daddy?? Augh, now Damian feels bad.

Be casual, you fucking idiot.

"Yeah, no, I'm down to chill. It's not every day I get to meet someone like me, you know?"

[wastedcreation]

Well, it's going to come up sooner or later, if Damian keeps trying to get in his pants, so he figured he might as well.

It's somewhat relieving to hear an outside perspective on the whole thing, one other than Juno's. Apparently more than one person thinks what he went through is fucked up, which makes him feel less bad about being an utter failure at the Factory.

So Damian likes him because he's poisonous and wants to have sex with him. Cool. Figures.

"I can't deliver on what you want from me, and I'm not any fun anyway. I should probably just go."

[lickmeimtoxic]

Damian rolls his eyes, reaching out to tug on Sebastian's gown and try to coax him back.

"Come on, lean and green. You make it sound like I'm going to die if I don't get ass. I'm not that much of a slut, okay? I'm perfectly fine with being friends." His hand slides down, curling around his elbow. Another tug, this one more direct. "So get back over here, get comfortable, and do your hand thing again."

[wastedcreation]

Seb sighs and lays back down again next to Damian. He turns to face the other man. For a moment, he just focuses on the feeling of the bed as he tries to let his bad mood dissipate.

Finally, he tentatively reach out a hand for Damian's shoulder.

"I want to touch your clothes, and your boots. Is that okay?"

[lickmeimtoxic]

Oh, thank god, Sebastian's actually trying to relax. Damian finds himself relaxing in turn, relief at not having to push or, hell, talk more about this heavy stuff settling in.

"Yeah, it's fine." Damian leans, meeting Sebastian's hand a little bit of the way. "Want me to describe them, too?"

[wastedcreation]

"Yes, please." He's always been interested in fashion, though he would never admit that out loud. And what does it matter now, if he can't see it?

He starts with Damian's shirt, running his flesh hand along his shoulder, then his chest, then his side. It may feel a little like being felt up, but Sebastian mostly takes interest in the textures of the clothing, catching on bits of it that he rubs between his fingertips.

[lickmeimtoxic]

"Mm. It's a sleeveless jacket over a long sleeved tee," Damian says as Sebastian's fingers run along the fabric. It feels - nice? If not a little strange that it's not a build up for something more. "Concert dress, yeah? Guess I passed out in it when this place plucked me out of my bed."

He doesn't watch Sebastian's hands, more fixed on watching the twitch of his mouth and nose.

"Jacket's black on the outside, a dark wine color on the inside. Skull and crossbones printed on the back in a lighter wine, because a neon would really fucking clash with my hair. That's what Adam says, anyway." A hum. "The long sleeve has stripes on the arms, black and dark gray."

He's... not sure if he's doing a great job, but he's trying.

[wastedcreation]

He feels down the notched ridge of the zipper, the weight of the pull at the end of it. The leather of the jacket, the feeling of the liner on the inside. He hums as Damian paints a picture of it in his mind.

"Isn't a sleeveless jacket just a vest?"

He touches the sleeve— surprisingly soft, imagining the stripes on it— before reaching over to touch Damian's back. He feels around for the skull and crossbones, wondering how it's printed there. Embroidered? Painted? Studded?

"Who's Adam?"