[Aefenglom IC Inbox]

[judgementor]

"Leave a message. If it's important, I'll get back to you."

*beep*

Comments

action; after chatting with dany

[battlebound]

Oi, Red Wine!

[ As ever, Steak's return home is polite and quiet, nothing loud or abrasive about it at all.

He sinks onto the couch as he enters the flat's lounge, waiting for any signs of his housemate's presence to make itself known. ]

[judgementor]

[It is polite and quiet, as far as Steak's entrances go. Red Wine hears him coming in before he even speaks, and rolls his eyes before he moves out of the kitchen to join him.

He doesn't sit on the couch, but stands with his arms loosely folded and a slightly irritated expression on his face.]

What do you want.

action again; a few days after the snow thread

[battlebound]

Red Wine?

[ Steak's voice isn't as abrasive as usual when he knocks on Red Wine's bedroom door. ]

[judgementor]

[Sigh.]

Yes?

[He does not get up to open the door, but it isn't locked.]

text.

[battlebound]

My sword is missing.

[ is he grumpy? yes. ]

[judgementor]

What???

[He has many opinions of Steak, but him being someone who loses track of his weapons isn't one of them.]

you know 1/2

[battlebound]

Oi.
Red Wine.

[battlebound]

I can't sleep.

action; u kno what this is.

[battlebound]

[ It's late, tonight, and Steak is tired after a day of working, but sleep remains elusive right now, while he nurses a (third) glass of scotch in the kitchen.

What is it that bothers him?

... Red Wine.

It's probably Red Wine. That's generally a safe bet, in Steak's experience. He downs the last of the glass and heads upstairs, knocking on a door he knows almost as well as his own. ]

Oi, Red Wine.

[judgementor]

[Ashen-skinned, a little sleep-ruffled, Red Wine answers the door after a short silence and narrows his eyes slightly at his visitor.

The constant throbs and crashing waves of fury are gone from him now - or he's managed to channel them in a way that doesn't affect his bondmate. He's strangely calm, eerily peaceful. Hiding more than one thing. There's a small graze and a cut high up on his left cheekbone, half hidden by his hair and showing barely any sign of bleeding.]

What is it.

[He was just trying to sleep, Steak, what do you think you're doing?]

you asked for this

[battlebound]

[ It's late in the evening when Red Wine's door opens, no knocking or waiting around from Steak — not that that should be particularly surprising to Red Wine.

What is, perhaps, surprising is the intensity of his gaze, fixed entirely on Red Wine as the door swings shut behind him, the wordless way he crosses the space between the door and that frustrating, insufferable man who has ran through his mind continuously. For days. Weeks.

Centuries.

It's hardly the first time Steak has stormed up to Red Wine, looking so serious. He's started many an argument or fight this exact way.

But today, he simply grips Red Wine's shoulders and pulls them flush together, catching Red Wine's lips in a kiss. ]

[judgementor]

[So maybe Steak was right, and maybe Red Wine feels much less like he's constantly on the edge of losing his mind after he started giving this new form the very thing it so painfully craved. It doesn't mean he's happy about it, but if he frames it in his mind as a way of at least having some control over his urges, it makes things easier to deal with.

But to say things have been 'awkward' between he and Steak would be an understatement. They still bicker, argue, fight, but something feels different about it since... that night, and Red Wine would be lying should he say that he had never thought about Steak's weight pressing him down into the mattress and the warmth of his mouth. He had thought about it often... and of course he would lie about it.

To Red Wine's knowledge he has done nothing to provoke Steak this time - a rarity, but he's sure of it - and he is instantly on the irritated defensive the moment he walks in with that look on his face.

And then--

Then Steak does something entirely unexpected, and Red Wine immediately grips his upper arms tightly without pushing him away, without pulling away. At least for those first few shocked seconds before he's firmly putting two inches of space between them and looking at the other Soul with clear exasperation.]

Just what do you think you're doing?

ITS NOT STEAK > Action. Some time in July

[quintessent]

[Leave it to Steak to leave part of his uniform at work. How does this even happen? She could just send him a message to come get his stuff, but it's unseasonably cool out when she leaves work, the sun disappearing behind some dark clouds for a brief reprieve from the summer heat, and she makes up her mind to go deliver it directly.

Unfortunately, dark clouds and dipping temperatures spells rain, and the last leg of her trip is spent running, holding the package of goods above her head to shield from the sudden downpour, and when she knocks on the door of his house, it's with an urgency.]

Leave it to Steak to not be home right now.

[judgementor]

[Steak might not be home but, luckily for Allura, someone else is. Red Wine opens the door with the mildest expression of surprise on seeing who is standing bedraggled on the doorstep, and he immediately steps back with a small gesture to suggest that she come indoors.]

I assume you're looking for Steak.

[He recognises her, but just for the moment her name is eluding him.]

He isn't here.

text; un: cherrypit

[polterguide]

[Bailey doesn't know Red Wine all that well - they know he plays the piano, and they know he had an odd relationship with Steak that, somehow, involved challenging each other who can plan the best date.

And now Steak is gone. They saw the post, and they waffled for a moment on whether or not to say anything or not. Eventually, their need to meddle and make sure people are okay takes over, and in the middle of the night they text him.]

Hey, it's Bailey. We met in the music store?

I just... Wanted to see how you were doing, what you're up to right now. I know it's late, so if you don't see this until the morning that's ok!

[judgementor]

[It's not a message he expects to get. Or rather, it's not a person he expects to get a message from. The soft-voiced individual he had met in the music shop stuck in his mind mainly because their manner reminded him of someone else...

It isn't a message he expects, but he doesn't ignore it.]

I remember you.
I'm at home at the moment, though as a vampire I tend to be awake through the night regardless.

Is something keeping you awake?

voice;

[clickclickbang]

Hey.

[A beat.]

Noct's gone.

[judgementor]

[He hears that, and immediately utters a word he never normally says in polite company.]

Shit.

[Then he quiets for a moment, the back of his jaw clenching painfully.]

What can I do?

text; a week or so after You Know

[polterguide]

[Okay.

Okay, so.

So maybe has been avoiding this conversation - not entirely intentionally, but. They've been avoiding it. They've spent the past week just... Well. They can't believe that happened. They can't believe they just... Did that. That happened. That happened and now they have to be an adult and, you know, not just let things be terrible and awkward and they probably shouldn't have taken so long to have this conversation considering Red Wine is - is mourning someone? Grieving? It doesn't seem like the right word, but...

Ugh.

It's complicated.]

Hey, it's Bailey again!! Are you busy today?

You Know...

[judgementor]

[So it isn't that he's been avoiding Bailey, because... well, he hasn't, and there's been nothing in particular to avoid given they haven't crossed paths and the faun hadn't reached out theirself and it was... fine. Nothing had happened that needed any kind of follow-up if that was what was wanted.

He hadn't thought too much about it, and the text comes as a slight surprise.]

No, I'm not busy.

text.

[battlebound]

why did i listen to that nonsense again?

( yo. )

[judgementor]

[There isn't a word in any language Red Wine knows to explain the drop in the pit of his stomach when he sees that name. Like something painful. The jerking motion of a carpet being yanked out from under his feet.

Oh, he knows that people come back. But--]

This isn't funny.

[polterguide]

[The morning after the full moon, Bailey still feels jittery and wired and needy, but they know the feeling will fade as they wake up and get back to their day to day life.

Still, the feeling as soon as they wake up, alone, has them... Curious.]

Hey, is everything alright?

[judgementor]

[Red Wine has just stumbled into bed after an impromptu meeting with one Klaus Hargreaves when his device goes off. There is only a small number of people he wouldn't outright ignore under the circumstances, and Bailey is one of them.

Grimacing with how the movement makes his joints ache, he picks up the dratted thing and rolls over.]

Fine, why do you ask?

text. you know what this is. my brain is dead and this is all i can manage.

[battlebound]

red wine.

( oh boy this is gonna be... interesting. )

i think i have magic.

[judgementor]

[He doesn't reply immediately, but when he does...]

What.

text

[clickclickbang]

hey dude, you okay?

[Sure, it's not like Red Wine is very boisterous or anything to begin with, but he's clearly more quiet lately and look, you have a few deep conversations with a guy, you start to worry about that guy!]

[judgementor]

[It's good of him to worry. Red Wine has been more quiet lately, and though his general mood swings go either unnoticed or unremarked upon by most, he isn't entirely surprised that Prompto noticed.]

I'm fine.
That is, I'm not unwell.

I received something in the latest Mirror mishaps that has been provoking some thought.

[beariot]

A care package, tons of candies, sweets, and small charms made by the students, and a coffee blend that Ursula had made herself. A note of season's greetings is attached, with each student having signed their name, and a picture of all of them, along with Ursula and Monika standing behind them, grinning and waving. The picture animates, slightly. An additional note from Ursula;

"As this year closes, I want you to know how much it means to me to have had your help all this time. The students love you, and we hope next year is just as fruitful as the last!"

Modranicht gift

[thejoyrider]

[On the day of the holiday, a plate of homemade cookies and a sample of herbal tea mysteriously appears on his doorstep. The wrapping is decorated with a fresh lily flower (actually a Fae magic product, designed to fade away from existence in a few hours) and a ribbon. The attached handwritten note reads as follows:]

Happy Modranicht! Let’s have another great year here in Aefenglom!

M⚜️

happy 2021

[polterguide]

[It’s the start of a new year, apparently - Bailey’s been here for quite a few months now, and they have to admit it’s been nothing at all like they expected. Even turning into a monster hasn’t gone how they wanted to.

The biggest surprise so far has been Red Wine, though. They hadn’t expected that after meeting him in the music shop things would have ended up like this, in one of the oddest relationships Bailey’s ever had. Not that they’ve had many relationships before this one, but still.

They think it might be the pervasive festive feeling coupled with how much time they’ve spent together, but Bailey... Would like to see Red Wine today. They grab a bag, packing it with snacks and things they think they might need - bandages and the like - and they really hope he’s home as they make their way across the city.

They knock on the door, waiting patiently. It’s close to dusk, so hopefully he’s already awake.]

[judgementor]

[He's home. Red Wine is used to Bailey asking before the come over, but that doesn't mean their visit isn't an entirely welcome surprise. He smiles when he answers the door, looking far comfortable and brighter than he had some months previously, and he doesn't waste any time in giving the faun a quick kiss in greeting.]

I wasn't expecting you.

[And with the full moon recently over with, he's at the best he's going to be for the next few weeks... give or take a few twinges in a few muscles.]

Come in. [And he snags Bailey's hand quite gently in his own, drawing them into the house and then closing the door behind them. He gives another, smaller smile, his eyes bright and a deep, blood red that he's become used to in the year since they changed.

His head tips, body tilting slightly as he peers down at the bag in the faun's hand.]

What did you bring?

text;

[battlebound]

some of those kidnappers are heading towards the harbour
get over there

[judgementor]

I'm already here. And where are you?

oh u kno

[polterguide]

[By now, Bailey is used to spending the full moon with Red nowhere to be seen. He's not sure what the vampire does and they don't plan to pry - if Red wants to tell them, he will. It's just one of those things that he keeps close to his chest, and they're not so bothered by it to be upset.

Still, once the sun rises and they feel like themself again, they're barging into Red's home. Well, okay, they're there often enough they get let in without needing to say anything, but they still make a beeline right to Red's room and collapse onto his bed. They're still tired after running around during the full moon, but more than that they want to see him.]

Red. Are you awake?

[As if he could have slept through the abrupt appearance of the faun...]

[judgementor]

[Full moons haven't grown any easier even with Red Wine's slow acceptance of many other unavoidable aspects of his vampirism. He spends the few days beforehand becoming increasingly more agitated and waspish, then disappears for the entire night the full moon is up.

When Bailey makes their entrance into his room he isn't quite asleep, though he is on his way to it. A few scrapes across the ashen skin of his shoulders are the only indication of the kind of night he had.]

No. [He mumbles, and without lifting his head up off the pillows he reaches out a grasping hand towards the sound of Bailey's voice.]