closed-ish, hmu if you want additional starters

[afoolsgold]

Characters: The Fool, Devin, Zephyr, Rutile + ???
Date: Mid-January.
Location: Throughout Aifaran in the aftermath of the storm.
Situation: Still reeling from the effects the peculiar eddies had on him during the storm, the Fool ventures out into the city again.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will update as needed.
Notes: All starters are closed, but please hmu if you’d like one!



I. Playing House (closed to Devin)

The apartment is spare in a way that speaks more to the demons that plague Devin’s heart than they do to his aesthetic preferences. The Fool is hardly one to criticize--especially being that he is the recipient of his partner’s kindness and generosity until his own living space can be salvaged. (If it can be salvaged.)

Some evening after Devin returns home from supporting the recovery efforts, he’ll find the Fool--with Holly perched upon his shoulder--listening to the latest news reports on the radio with a grave expression on his face. He glances up from where he sits to greet Devin with a wan smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Understandably, one hopes. He’s been loathe to leave the apartment for very long after his experience during the storm.


II. Homeward Bound, The Incredulous Journey (closed to Zephyr)

One cannot avoid the world forever, and the Fool has never been one for remaining cooped up indoors for long. Besides, his (morbid) curiosity has gotten the better of him, and he is determined to see what has become of Die Rosa Tulpe--and his apartment. This excursion seems as good a reason as any to text Zephyr on his (newly acquired) yimo, to ask for a bit of help sorting through what’s left of his home.

“What’s left” turns out to be “drowned.” And inaccessible.

The Sentry won’t let him inside the strangely flooded building, but if nothing else, they are letting him close enough to it to see with his own eyes the state of the place. He’s left to stand staring at it in silent, wide-eyed awe.


III. Peculiar Derailment (closed to Rutile)

The copse of other-worldly trees that have sprouted up in the middle of the Skyway throw a wrench into the gears of the Fool’s plans to journey to the turtle’s head for a much-needed respite through meditation. The detour en route lets him disembark from the train a stop or so ahead of the closed section of track… and of course, curiosity gets the better of him.

He ventures towards it and stands just below the elevated tracks, lifting his eyes up to shield them from the sun as he takes in the strange qualities of the gnarled roots that protrude out into the open air.

Comments

[annihilist]

The duffel no doubt carries a multitude of sensory intrigue for the little batkitten. Luthien is somewhat more interested in Devin's legs, nudging at him affectionately.

"There's not much that's new," Devin agrees, switching off the radio and sitting next to the Fool. Immediately, Luthien takes this opportunity to occupy his lap as a perch to watch Holly from. The vampire smiles again, a little uncertainly this time. But there's an edge of sly pride in the curve of his mouth, too.

"Call it a housewarming present," he answers, deliberately vague. He leans around Luthien, who doesn't seem to mind being sandwiched for a moment, and unzips the bag. Loose fabric is what's visible at first, most of it roughly cut but far more colorful than anything in either the apartment or Devin's wardrobe. The pieces aren't large enough for individual garments, but they're in good condition otherwise. Beneath that is a curtain the shade of new leaves in spring with a plain pattern woven into it.

At the bottom of the bag, there are pieces of wood wrapped in canvas to prevent splinters from being a problem. Some are stained or decorated and some not. Tucked at one end are several rolls of cord and a few small, mismatched pots of paint that escaped the flooding. The paint has obviously been used by someone, but there would be no way to determine who their owner was.

"I asked permission to do a little salvage while I was helping out with repairs," Devin explains, quieter than average. "We don't know how long the cafe will be uninhabitable, and this--" He gestures around to his relatively bare apartment. "--is safe, but not exactly a haven for you. So I thought I would offer you free reign to redecorate."

[afoolsgold]

"Oh--" the Fool exclaims at the first sign of the colourful fabrics hidden in the duffel bag, and lifts a hand up to cover his mouth. The next treasures that are revealed bring a startled smile to his lips; he reaches out to tenderly collect the pieces of wood, brushes his fingertips across the paint. (Deciding that none of this is as interesting as she'd hoped it would be, Holly trots off with her tail up in search of other mischief.)

"We don't know how long the cafe will be uninhabitable, and this--is safe, but not exactly a haven for you. So I thought I would offer you free reign to redecorate."

"Thank you." Still cradling the wood in his lap, the Fool turns to look up at Devin beside him and regards him with earnest affection. "You have been--'generous' seems such an insignificant word, but how else can I describe it?" He reaches up to touch his partner's pale cheek and, smiling wryly, says, "I think you leave me no choice but to call you my hero."

[annihilist]

Luthien takes advantage of items being removed from the bag to hop inside, head disappearing as she sniffs curiously around the corners. There must be a multitude of interesting smells he's brought back.

Devin's huff of laughter at my hero is less scornful than it would be with anyone else, and he takes the Fool's hand from his cheek to brush a kiss over his knuckles. "I would hope simple decency isn't so rare as to be considered heroic," he teases softly. A breath, and his expression grows more contemplative. "You opened your home to me," Devin reminds his partner, lacing their fingers together. "As much as I'm still getting used to sharing a space - any space - I'd be remiss if I didn't do the same when you needed it. And it is nice having you here, even if it was prompted by necessity."

Notably, Devin rarely refers to this apartment as 'home'. It's where he lives. He's beginning to suspect that 'home', if he can let himself have one at all, is wherever the Fool is. When they had lost contact during the storm-- well, that's over now, at least. They're both fine, and they're together, and that's more important.

[afoolsgold]

The events of the storm continue to weigh on the Fool's mind, but it is... easier than it once was to let those thoughts simply be as they are, and not regard them as some grim portent. (For a time, at least.)

"...And it is nice having you here, even if it was prompted by necessity."

"I cannot imagine you are much accustomed to having company here," the Fool tells him, somehow managing to inject both affection and some gentle needling into his tone of voice. He leans gently into Devin's side, mindful of the pieces of wood he still holds (really, he should find a place for them soon), and rests his cheek against his shoulder. "I will not be offended, if you've a need for some privacy from time to time."

[annihilist]

Devin tilts his head against the Fool's, silent for a few breaths while he thinks about this. True, he's lived alone most of his life, interspersed with travel and military service. Privacy has its place and its value, but sequestering himself at the estate wasn't privacy, not really. It was isolation, and self-imposed at that.

"I appreciate that," he still says, and he does. "And I'll let you know if I do. But... seclusion isn't so much a preference for me as a tool. A habit." A punishment. Devin rubs a circle against his partner's hand, contemplative. "I told you I have a rule about attachments. Had," he amends a moment after. His tone has taken on that of quiet confession. "I wouldn't have needed that rule if I were as solitary a creature as I pretend to be."

He is built to be with people, and has been denying that part of his nature for too long.

[afoolsgold]

A punishment indeed. Devin doesn't need to say the word aloud for the Fool to hear it in the timbre of his voice. He listens quietly as Devin continues: "I wouldn't have needed that rule if I were as solitary a creature as I pretend to be."

"I know what it means to wear a mask so often it becomes your own skin." After a moment, he lifts his cheek from Devin's shoulder and turns just enough so that he can frame his partner's face with both of his hands. Gently, he brushes some hair back from Devin's eyes. "I am humbled that you set that mask aside for me."