Inbox for sticksandbones

[lupusxylem]

I will not make this look pretty later, don't believe me it's all a lie

====

INVENTORY:

-The Punisher: Wolfwood's cross gun, normally covered in wrappings.
INFO from the mods on use so I don't forget: The cross-gun will be able to fire regular bullets (regains of these can be handwaved; silvered bullets can be purchased in the bonus AC store) just fine, without any special nerfs. The laser feature will be usable a max of 3 times a month.

-4 Vials of his Drugs(tm)
Info from the mods on use so I don't forget: Wolfwood can start with up to 5 vials of his Lab Drugs. More of these can be regained for the price of a Small Item (a maximum of 5 at once), but they will not work on other player characters for obvious reasons. Their healing ability will also be slightly nerfed to not heal anything instantaneously, but rather over a few minutes.
3/7: All Vials have been used. Will need to purchase replacements if he wants to use them again.
???: Forgot to put the date here but he's purchased more Vials, one has been used to he has 4 currently.

-A lighter

-A carton of cigarettes, more can be purchased/handwaved

-A winter coat that Heimr bullied him into purchasing

-A matching pair of boots for the coat

-A little knit wolf with sunglasses from Elsword.

-A blanket from Livio.

-A handgun with a wolf engraved on the handle.

-A black husky named Angelina

-A belt pouch to carry his regeneration vials with a cross emblazoned into the leather.

-Authentic rosary beads, with beads made from black glass and a heavy, silver cross pendant

-A black leather choker with a silver cross pendant, similar to the rosary

-A whole church(tm)

-A wool knit cat plushie from Pure Vanilla

-3 tomas chicks that currently live in Kiera's barn

-3 londonites

-Wolf skull shaped cufflinks

-A dagger for his "birthday" from Gnosis

Comments

[lupusxylem]

[It's hard to say whether or not Wolfwood himself realizes that Vash has once again misconstrued everything, but at this point that isn't his problem. If Vash can pull his head out of his own ass and figure it out, then maybe things between them can be fixed.

But as long as Vash is going about fixing them like this, by not even once considering how Wolfwood is feeling in the aftermath of what happened, not pondering that maybe there's a reason he looked so hurt when Vash told him he "didn't know what he was doing" when he kissed him, then MAYBE...

Maybe.

But for now, Wolfwood has nothing more to say. He backs all the way into his room and slams the door in Vash's face.]

packidge

[livlaughlove]

[Wolfwood will, at some point, find that a note and a large package have been dropped off at his door.

Inside is a blanket of decent size and thickness.]

Nicholas,
I'm here if you ever need anything. Stay warm.
I love you.
- Livio

[lupusxylem]

[Ouch. Sounds like they called a dead guy a ghost. Oops.

He's quiet himself for a moment after Kriede says that, glancing off to the side.]

You might be better off asking the other people from your world about it. I know there's a bunch of them here, and they've been here longer than most anyone else. They might know what to do about it.

[dissonanz]

I intend to, yes- and I must inform them of my status, if only so they're aware of the threat it may pose. As they're from Rhodes Island, I can trust them to handle it with grace, at the very least.

( kreide is quiet again before smiling almost sheepishly- )

Sorry. All of that must have been incredibly surprising, to say the least.

[lupusxylem]

That's an understatement.

[Though, he gets why Kreide came here. He must have been extremely confused upon arrival, not to mention distress. Wolfwood doesn't exactly have the tact to make an arrival to a place like this...all that pleasant.]

Well, you ain't the only corrupted one here. [He's not. That's not-] I'm sure you'll fit right in.

[dissonanz]

Isn't that a relief?

( he huffs a laugh, though there's definitely a slight, if not teasing, undertone of 'really, man?' but yeah no his arrival was wild. imagine dying, waking up in a blizzard, finding an inn full of the strangest people he's met- and that's really saying something- and learning that the forest is alive and also a dick, and then someone gets stabbed and outted as a seaborn.


its been a weird week, to say the least. )

... If something else happens, I'd appreciate it if you were up front about it next time. But thank you for humoring me, Wolfwood. I can get out of your hair, now.

[lupusxylem]

[Sorry Kreide Wolfwood has the tact of a brick to the fact sometimes, you'll get used to it.]

Yeah yeah.

[Kreide was a product of unfortunate circumstances. Also, Wolfwood has had...A LOT ON HIS MIND...so just being like "forget I said anything" had been easier than trying to explain, so oopsie.]

Just keep your head down until the snow melts. We're gonna try to figure a way out of here when it warms up.

[dissonanz]

Mm. I hope it works. But until then... well, we'll be neighbors, I suppose.

... I am sorry, about how much I must have stressed you out.

( but, as he said, he'll be getting out of wolfwood's hair now. )

I hope you have a good day. Later, then.

[lupusxylem]

[Stress is a word for it. Honestly though, it's Wolfwood who has caused more stress for Kreide than the other way around. As such, he sort of shakes his head slightly, but doesn't try to argue it either.]

Yeah. I'll be around.

Intermission | January 10th

[lupusxylem]

[Aldric's Grove is calm once more.

Wherever the castle was that kept them all prisoner, whether it was in the Grove itself or elsewhere, now seems as if it were merely a nightmare, or a long forgotten memory. Ice makes for poor souvenirs, after all. It has a habit of melting away without a trace, leaving no evidence it ever existed. Yet, the beauty of it all is somewhat lost when that castle brought with it only death and destruction.

And yet, the Grove has the gall to be calm. Animals, previously seemingly a non-entity in the forest, now exist within its fringes, however strange they appear. So long as they do not get brave and try to attack the residents, though, they may remain as simple reminders that things are changing. Something strange is happening, yet Wolfwood doesn't have the mental bandwidth to think about what that might be right now.

He's up extremely early. So early that the sun has yet to even rise. No one in the Grove should be awake at this hour, and if they are, they'd simply be overlooked by him anyway as he sets off from the house by the river, leaving a peacefully slumbering Vash and Angelina behind. Vash, who had just revived earlier in the week, hadn't fully recovered from his ordeal. Slowly but surely the ice around his heart seemed to be thawing, but it's been made abundantly clear that it will never be as simple as surviving. Reviving. Existing, somehow, undying.

Wolfwood's boots crunch through the snow as he makes his way, Punisher slung over his back. It's been re-wrapped, tied up in cloths and belts to make carrying it on his back easier. He's smoking a cigarette that he seems to have lit sometime earlier, his gaze centered forward as he walks. It seems strange, that he would go for a nightly stroll with his massive cross, but maybe makes a bit more sense when you remember it's his weapon, and that anything can happen out here.

But then...perhaps it makes less sense, now that he has a brand new silver handgun glinting in a holster at his side underneath his blazer, with the other side of his belt holding a pouch with his last three vials inside. Neither of which he draws right now, even as he meanders towards the center of the Grove, past the Inn, the Lab, the Clinic...

He makes it to the forest's edge, and with his enchanted sunglasses, he disappears into it.

Wolfwood isn't thinking about the Forest's dangers right now, not particularly. He has somewhere he wants to be, and the glasses are there to ensure he at least makes it that far without getting lost. He has no interest in getting himself killed necessarily, but he doesn't seem to be acting in his own best interests in that regard, either. No, he simply...goes, the same as he might if he were traveling the sands of No Man's Land. Alone.

In the end though, he doesn't actually get as far as he wanted to.

Even with the permissible paths being lit up for him like beacons, he can't...quite remember the way by himself. He gets turn around constantly, to the point where he begins to notice landmarks that he crosses by two, three, four times as the moon shifts positions in the sky. He isn't sure how many hours he does this, endlessly wandering and avoiding the wall of Fog until it occurs to him that the wall itself has been causing him to chase his own tail the entire time. It's...infuriating.

Eventually, Wolfwood stops in a copse of trees still a considerable distance away from the Grove, far enough that he can't see any of the buildings behind him when he looks. A feeling of bitterness rises up in his chest, foul and angry, that he barely manages to tamp down before he can get the urge to be destructive. The last thing he needs is to rile up something in these woods and invite trouble he wasn't looking for. So, with no desire to keep wandering for nothing, his shoulders go slack as the Punisher slides off his back. He pivots just slightly so he can lift it up, hefting its weight up to his waist before plunging it down into a deep snowbank in the small clearing he's found himself in. In the wood where he can't see, a few deer and a stoat watch him silently as he sinks to his knees.

It isn't the church. But this would do.

With the moon at its zenith in the sky, the light casts long shadows that stretch beyond the confines of this little piece of the woods that Wolfwood has come to rest in, with the shadow from the cross bearing down on him with a sort of otherworldy finality that makes him feel like he's being weighted down. It makes him feel small and insignificant as he folds his hands in front of himself and begins to pray.]

I don't...come here often.

[His shoulders slump. Great start. He clears his throat, readjusting his hands, pressing them a little more firmly together.]

Maybe it's because I gave up asking for anything a long time ago. You sure as hell didn't come through for me when I was a kid, and I didn't have anyone else to turn to. I remember asking, "Why, God? Why is this happening to me? I'm going to die. I don't want to die. Someone, please, save me."

Now look where we are.

[The wind rustles the branches around him as he pauses, feeling the way the ice starts to melt under his knees, seeping into his slacks.]

So. It ain't about me. Guess it's part of the whole M.O. that I'd get an answer over someone else, first. [His brows furrow as another gust of wind causes the straps on the cross to thud against it, flapping in the breeze.] I don't know who...or what is out there, listening. If anything. But if there is a God...thank you. For saving him. I don't...

[...]

I've fucked up. I let this...stupid bastard get into my head. I've fooled myself into believing I love him. Funny, right?

...kinda complicates things. Here...back home. I don't really know what's gonna happen anymore. I can't let him keep fucking me up like this whenever something happens, but I can't help it.

[But it was like that back home too, wasn't it. He just never wanted to admit it. If he ever saw Vash dying there...]

He...needs to be here. Not just here, but here. In the world. I know he's going to do more shit that will almost get him killed. And maybe next time he won't be so lucky. But, just...

Thank you, for this one time. He deserves it...but I don't.

[He bows his head lower.]

Please keep Vash safe. And Livio. ...Elsword. Mizuki. N. Gnosis. Kreide...

[And lower, as he lists off the others living in the Grove that he knows the names of, until he circles to the ones that have been here from the beginning.]

...Ydalir. Heimr. The...Gargoyle. Moder. And Nene. ...and all the ones we haven't found yet.

[...]

...Nai. For his sake.

[After that, Wolfwood stays silent for a long time. It seems like he might get up and leave soon, but he hasn't yet. He merely listens to the sounds of the forest, though there eerily aren't that many.]

This ain't gonna be the last big catastrophe, I know it. Something else is gonna happen and it might be as bad as the castle was, or worse.

[Wolfwood unfolds his hands, and this time, he presses them flat into the snow. He's less bowed in front of the cross at this point and instead is crouched there on his hands and knees, his eyes opening to look into the ice beneath frigid fingers.]

...I always feel like I'm going to die. I've only got so many vials left, and soon enough it's not gonna be enough. So...please.

[His fingers dig into the snow.]

Please, Lord...don't let me die. Not here. I've never been closer to death than I was in that castle, and when it was happening I thought...that I was okay with it, but.

I don't want to die. I don't want to leave them. I have...too much to do. I can't.

Please. You couldn't save me from the Eye. You didn't save Livio, and I don't expect you to listen to me now. So don't...not for me.

Do it for the people who matter.

[And that's all.

Wolfwood finishes his prayer and rights himself, lingering in the snow for a while longer. Perhaps he feels the need to keep a quiet vigil out here as the snow falls and leaves a thin blanket over his neck and shoulders, but the reality is that he just doesn't want to make the long trek back home yet. But if he doesn't now, he won't make it before Vash wakes up and wonders where he's gone.

So, with an arduous effort, he pushes himself upright and pulls the Punisher from the snow, slinging it over his shoulders once more.

Perhaps next time, his prayers will be confined within the walls.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[[Continued from here]]

[Thankfully, Vash manages to not completely eat shit. He even manages to twist the two of them, so that Wolfwood's back is toward the bed. It allows the Independent to hook his leg around the door and gingerly nudge it closed. Thankfully the sound of the door clicking doesn't seem to bother Angelina any.

Satisfied that they were now secure, Vash turns his attention back to Wolfwood once more. His eyes narrow, an almost hungry look passing over his face. He compliments this by licking his lips, dampening them as he slinks forward. His hands settle against Wolfwood's chest, fanning out and stroking over his pecs for a moment. He admires the warm skin beneath his fingers for a second, before finally giving one last shove down onto the bed.]

More like I have you all to myself, Nick.

[Despite it all, Vash's voice comes out in a bright little chirp.]

[lupusxylem]

[Not to worry, now that she's had her treats, she's flat on her back fast asleep in her little puppy bed. They won't have to worry about her for the night.

(At least until like, 3 am, in which she comes to whine at the door until one of them lets her in)

It's not usually like Vash to take charge like this, but it's also not unlike him, either. Suffice it to say, Wolfwood mirrors that look he gives him with one of his own, contemplating taking off his shades before he decides...naah. If Vash wants them off, he'll take them off. He's actually pretty curious to see what he'll do.

And that starts with being shoved unceremoniously down onto their shared bed, sneering as he ends up sprawled flat on his back on the combined mattresses. He could sit up, or get over to the pillows, but he decides instead to stay put, letting Vash manhandle him for the time being.]

Fuck, well. I ain't gonna complain about that. I'm all yours, blondie.

[oleaeuropaea]

[Sprawled out near the end of the bed works just as well for Vash. He inches forward, slotting himself between Wolfwood's legs meticulously. The prosthetic hand is laid on his mostly bare thigh, wrist just barely nudging the fabric of his boxers upward. An affectionate smile almost blooms across his face, save for the fact that Vash very quickly and very deliberately schools it to be more of a smirk.]

You look handsome like this, spread out on your back. But - [He trails his flesh hand upward, so that he can pinch Wolfwood's chin between his thumb and forefinger. There's no real weight behind it — more than anything, he hopes the display is enough.]

Is it too much to ask for you to use my name when I'm puttin' on the moves, Nick? [His thumb shifts just enough to brush over Wolfwood's lips.] Think carefully about your answer.

[lupusxylem]

[Uhhhhhh hot? Hot. Ohhhh my god.

Wolfwood tenses, his eyes widening slightly at the way Vash reaches out and takes hold of his chin. He catches on to what Vash is doing pretty much immediately, and fortunately for Vash, it's going over well. He feels heat pooling in the pit of his stomach, like roiling magma in his gut, which is making it hard for him to focus on anything else. He spreads his legs a little further apart for him even though Vash already has plenty of room, his toes curling a bit into the bed's comforter.

Fuck's sake, Vash.]

Hah...sorry. Kindof a force of habit.

[He leans back a little bit further, his hair in a messy fan underneath his head.]

I think I can be convinced.

[oleaeuropaea]

[It's almost hilarious, how Wolfwood can be so caught up in the exact same sort of thoughts Vash is having. While his partner marvels at the display of dominance, the Independent likewise admires just how lovely the Punisher looks splayed out and vulnerable.

Beautiful. Perfect. His. All those mostly gooey thoughts that Wolfwood would just hate to hear.]

Can you? [A little more weight is pressed to his thumb, enough to briefly trap Wolfwood's lower lip against his teeth. He keeps it there for the space of a breath, before lifting up once more. A brow is lifted expectantly.]

So, what do you have to say for yourself?

[lupusxylem]

[Hahahaha oh no. Vash hasn't forgotten that, has he? The time he fucked Wolfwood's mouth with his fingers and Wolfwood lost his whole entire mind about it, yeah, no, he has not forgotten it. That's made evident by the way he's treating him currently, the weight of his thumb against his lower lip causing the upper to curl reflexively, flashing his teeth briefly before Vash relaxes again.]

...I can. Vash.

[He sure as hell can be convinced, as it turns out.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[The smile that blooms across his face is almost too warm, too delighted to be at place with their current situation. Only Vash the Stampede could beam like the sun when trying to top his boyfriend. No one is really that surprised.]

Good boy. [He takes a moment for just a bit more affectionate staring.] Now, get comfy against the pillows, yeah?

[He releases Wolfwood's face for the time being, and carefully eases himself back away from the bed. Instead, he trots over to the bedside table, where he fiddles around and pulls out a bottle. He sets it against a pillow for the time being, before reaching down to start pulling his shirt off.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood isn't made of stone. The praise sends an embarrassing thrill through him that makes it hard to stay still, which is why he makes use of the movement to get comfortable, as it were. He scoots up along the mattress a bit so he's actually laying on the bed(s) proper as opposed to sprawled horizontally across them. He has to admit, this isn't what he was imagining when Vash coaxed him back to their room. He has to wonder...if this because they couldn't do it in the bath before? Is he making up for that time? Or is it something different?

...then he sees the bottle of lube come out, which neither of them had previously, and yeah. Yep. It's definitely that.]

Oi. Not too fast. [Wolfwood chimes from afar, just as Vash gets his shirt pulled up past his hips.] You gotta give me a proper show, if you're gonna do that.

[He says, as if he's in any position to be making demands here.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[Wolfwood has the right idea, but that isn't all there is to it. The man has been through a lot, worrying over Vash and caring for him in the same breath. The least the Independent can do is help him take a load off for a short while. Especially when he's bound and determined to administer the same level of gentle care that had been afforded to him.

He casts a glance toward Wolfwood, shirt pulled up to his pecs. A lopsided grin splits his face as he lowers the shirt once more. His hips do a little shimmy, entirely exaggerated, before finally a wink is offered.]

Like that? [A laugh leaves him, absolutely smitten.] Or did you want to do the honors?

[lupusxylem]

Pffft. [Vash, why are you like this. Why does he love your stupid ass.] Get over here, dumbass.

[He's gesturing with his hands as he sits up a little because yes, if Vash is offering? He would like to be the one to unwrap him, thank you.]

You're just lucky I had my clothes off already.

[oleaeuropaea]

You love me! [His voice is a delighted chirp as he clambers onto the bed. He settles with his legs on either side of Wolfwood's for the time being, effectively keeping him pinned down. The smile on his lips says it all — he's enjoying this.]

Yeah, I am pretty lucky.

[He traces his hands over the span of Wolfwood's shoulders, then splays them both out over his pecs. The cold metal is pressed just a little harder against his skin, brow playfully quirked as he watches Wolfwood's face.]

[lupusxylem]

[Vash really doesn't realize just how much it means to Wolfwood, getting to see him smile like this. After so many days of uncertainty, dealing with a version of Vash that had been a shell of his former self, it's like a salve on a burn. Everywhere his hands touch, be it flesh or metal, Wolfwood feels his skin prickle pleasantly, a low sigh breathed out through his nose as Vash takes his time to explore. Vash will get exactly what he's looking for as he watches for changes in his expression as the tension he may have been holding there before all but melts away.]

Mmmh...you ever thought about giving massages with that?

[Referring to The Arm, he means.]

[oleaeuropaea]

Nick -

[Vash sounds somewhere between exasperated and deeply amused. Unsatisfied with the reaction, he lifts his hand. It frees his thumb and forefinger up to close around a nipple, pinching down for a split second before pulling back. The laughter that bubbles up on Vash's part doesn't come anywhere near being bitten back.]

I wasn't trying to make you feel good, silly. [Though now that Wolfwood has mentioned it, he presses both hands back in, carefully digging the palms in as he tries to knead the skin.]

[lupusxylem]

[Oop, he had that coming. He just barely manages to bite back a yelp at the way Vash pinches his nipple like that, and he should be proud that he doesn't reach a hand up to swat him away. Instead, he stays put where he is, he's going to behave! He is determined to be good, for Vash, at least until he manages to push one of his Horny Buttons then all bets are off.]

Too late for that, blondie... [Ooooohhh yeah that feels nice. He groans, letting his head and shoulders sink back into the pillows.] I could get used to this.

[oleaeuropaea]

Should be able to. [He sighs almost wistfully. Wolfwood looks cute like this, to a degree that Vash is almost mournful over disturbing. The last thing he wants is to disturb how peaceful he looks. Sure, he knows the man will be all over him the moment he pushes this to the next level, but still. Let them both savor the peaceful moments while they can.]

I think you deserve to be doted on. Hand and foot, even.

[He tips his head down, kissing down the span of his neck. There's a pause as he reaches a spot where his pulse is particularly strong, then nips at it. The "wound" is suckled once, taste of his skin being savored.]