daybreakacademy | ~ open/closed prompts ~

Entry tags:

~ open/closed prompts ~

WHO: Toki, Adelaide, Valvatorez, Orihime, Jolyne, Jail + open
WHERE: various locations
WHEN: May
WHAT: Vampires! Apologies! Awkwardness! Mentoring! Dogs? Tea! Exploration!
WARNINGS: self-harm and gore mentions likely, potential RNG seizure visions, FEELS

CLOSED PROMPTS:

a; {Adelaide} - early May, edge of the woods on campus

[Toki hadn't been exactly avoiding Adelaide after the incident, but it seems that way. He had so many things going on the following weeks; worrying over Maverick's contract, confronting Wist about Kano's state of existence, continuing dreams and visions that were taking their toll on his mental state. Adelaide, and confronting what happened between them, had somehow been pushed to the back of it all. Now, he wonders if it's too late to have the discussion, too late to tell her he doesn't hate her, and never could.

He sent a text to Adelaide only this morning, a time and a place to meet. Toki's not sure if she'll show up at all. He doesn't know how she feels, and he should. He should have talked to her earlier. He sits on a fallen log near the edge of the woods. A quiet place that he doesn't particularly get comfort from, but he thinks Adelaide will. No one around to hear them. He'd chosen later in the evening; it's still light enough to see everything, but he doesn't know how the sunlight affects her; if it hurts to be outside during the day and she just doesn't show it.]

b; {Valvatorez} - early May, Val's office

[He's waited a while to apologize. It's not that he's afraid of Valvatorez per se, because Ekkehardt was probably right. It was all in the past, everything Toki saw. Yet, he's still apprehensive as he approaches the professor's office. He apologies a lot, but he's never been particularly good or dignified at it; usually devolving into tears early on, or not quite understanding why he's apologizing beyond making someone upset somehow. Right now, he does know. He knows what he did was wrong, and an overreaction, but in the moment he did it, it seemed the only option and very logical. Toki knocks on the door softly, or softly for him anyway.]

Professor Valvatorez?

c; {Orihime and/or Jolyne} - whenever in May, Aube 405

[Toki hasn't seen Orihime since the end of February. He hasn't contacted her at all, and she hasn't reached out to him either. Or, if she has, he doesn't know about it. He did go through four new phones in the last two months, and though he's still on the network with an updated number, Orihime could have assumed her unanswered messages were him ignoring her. He's on some kind of reconciliation streak at the moment, not formally or for any reason; things just happened that way. So, today, he's going to talk to her.

The last time he saw her was in the first floor common room in Aube. It was late at night, maybe early in the morning. He'd had a vision about her. One where she died, where she was a rotting corpse and her spirit had been claimed by a snake-man of sorts. A snake-man that, for some reason, Orihime thought represented her brother. Of course, Toki doesn't know what happened with that. He knows she's alive, but that's it really. Sometimes he feels like everything would be less awkward, less confusing, if people would clue him in a bit more on things. He understands why they don't; like Orihime hadn't. He's too easily disturbed and frightened and panicked and he'll just get in the way if he knows.

She probably doesn't want to see him, and that's okay. He's prepared for that outcome. He almost texted her, fingers hovering over her robot network icon, but what would he say? A simple "how are you?" after two months of silence? He couldn't do that, though maybe he should have. He was prepared and calm and everything when he knocked on the door of Aube 101, only to be met by some guy he'd talked to once when the kids were hanging around. Orihime had changed rooms. Now, he's here in front of 405. In this hallway where he'd been several times on his way to visit Adelaide and the fish. He had no idea Orihime was right there.

Toki hesitates before knocking. He wants to make this easy for her if she just doesn't want to speak to him again. Okay. He's ready. He knocks loudly and rapidly on the door, intent on appearing cheerful and happy no matter what happens.]

d; {Jail} - beginning late April, Jail's office
-continuation from here-

[Toki was taking a shower when the text arrived, and he never looked at it until someone else texted him several hours later. The ghost line sends him off on thought tangents regarding if there are any ghost students at Daybreak he doesn't know about, then onto whether or not he's already dead and a ghost himself, and it's another several hours before he remembers to write down the appointment time.

The next day, when he checks his scrawled down reminder, he reads it as 8PM. At 3:30, when he looks the map for where her office is, he sees the actual meeting time. It's almost 4:00 before he shows up to knock on the door.]

OPEN PROMPTS:

e; Network

i am seeking recommendations!
give me your choices for service animals that are NOT dogs!
small cute dogs are POSSIBLE or maybe a dalmatian,
BUT i have preference for non-dogs!

f; Cafe de la Lune

[Toki has a table by himself near the front door. His usual cafe companion Kuroko is nowhere in sight. He's also switched from coffee to tea. He examines the contents of the cup every time he take a hesitant sip. He has a notebook and a large old tome spread out on the table in front of him. The cafe is crowded today, and as someone approaches, he slides everything out of the way.]

You can sit here! I'm taking up too much space!

g; The Citadel

[Generally followed by a guard or two, Toki has found ways of escaping them for a few hours at a time. He usually gets different people; no one can stand him two days in a row. That's mostly why they sometimes overlook it when he speeds off before they can catch him. As long as he doesn't leave the school grounds, they haven't seemed to care much.

After having been in the Citadel several times for Cassandra and mission control, Toki's fairly certain he can just walk in there at any time and no one's going to be suspicious. Which is exactly what he's doing. It's a day for exploration and knowledge gathering. The hangar has no interest for him, but he has to bypass it to get to where he wants to be; inspecting Ouroboros and more importantly, Cassandra.]

h; Wildcard
Anything, anywhere~!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Toki stares blankly while Valvatorez talks about weird time zones or atomic watches or uncoordinated particles or whatever. It's not important.]

Maybe I set my watch wrong, then! A simple mistake! Thank you for allowing me to accompany you anyway~! This will be a delightful experience~!

[Even if Ekkehardt's going.]

I did warn you to keep your expectations in check. "Delightful" might be... generous. Still, you are welcome.

[It's cryptic, but he doesn't bother talking about why beyond that. He hastened his pace toward the hangar, in a hurry to get liftoff and be on their way.

Off to the hangar, and off to meet up with Ekkehardt.]

[ Ekkehardt is already there, waiting. He'd been surprised to be asked along for this little excursion, but he's certainly not going to hold anything up if Valvatorez is asking him along.

He just gives the both of them a slight nod in greeting. ]

Ready to depart?

[Toki unfortunately will hold things up, for a minute at least. He waves at Ekkehardt, but doesn't get to verbally greet him, and visions have absolutely horrible timing this month. Toki drops half on one of the seats and half on the floor and start convulsing...

He walks down the path diverging from the road to Soleil. He's holding someone's hand, but he can't look back at them. Their footsteps make no noise. In the clearing, as the trees part, the sky is red. Black stars. Now he can see her; the woman whose hand he's holding. She's a kitsune. Taller than him, long bright purple hair with many combs. A red and pink kimono with flames at the bottom. She smiles and lets go of his hand, walking to the center of the clearing. Eight enormous fluffy fox tails fan out behind her. She dances in the field, green smoke trailing from the long pipe she holds. The sky flickers like flames and the stars fall. Foxes emerge from the woods surrounding the clearing. They look up at her and scream.

... He screams with the foxes for a second before he realizes where he is.]

E-ekkhardt. Hello.

Naturally. Thank you for making time for this, I know how busy your schedule is.

[Val responded, before Toki half-collapsed with a vision. Remaining calm and cool, Valvatorez only watched to make sure the boy's convulsing didn't hurt him. He wouldn't call any other attention to the vision than that, knowing by now it was just something the lad couldn't help.

Once Toki pulled himself back together, he took a seat, ready for the vehicle to take off.]

The good thing is this is something of a puddle-jump. Easier to do it this way than flying commercially.

[And with that, the pilot of the rune-wing boarded, and headed for the cockpit. It wouldn't be long before liftoff.]

I can make time. It's not a problem.

[ Ekkehardt mentally notes that Toki probably needs to get a helmet. Maybe he should suggest one. If the boy doesn't forget.

He just helps Toki up and makes sure he gets into a seat properly before settling down himself. ]

Mm. It would be more inconvenient to do it the long way, especially for something personal like this.

[ He's traveled enough commercially, sometimes alongside Valvatorez, to make his clear disdain for modern airline security markedly clear. What hasn't been made clear is exactly why. He has his reasons, though. ]

[Toki has luckily come to the same conclusion as Ekkehardt and will obtain said helmet in the near future. He tries to follow the conversation, but he has a question.]

What's a puddle-jump!?

[And it's "personal". It's definitely a romance situation.]

So, you know who she is, Ekkehardt~!?

It just means a short flight using a small, light aircraft. I think the Americans like to use that phrase, admittedly.

[Valvatorez ignores that Toki is asking such a question in front of him, instead opting to put his head back against the seat. In a mere moment, the Rune Wing accelerates and lifts off into the air.]

[ Rather than answer right away, Ekkehardt glances at Valvatorez. He takes his cues from the other man; he opts to look out the window instead, as the plane takes off. ]

You should time your questions better, Mr Rikugou.

[ And that's all he has to say about that. ]

Edited 2019-05-15 01:07 (UTC)

[Something's going on here, but he doesn't know what. He shouldn't have come. Toki looks out the window as well, hoping the "puddle jump" will be short enough that he isn't compelled to start another conversation.]

[Valvatorez remains quiet and... oddly peaceful looking and comfortable for most of the trip. It only took about 35 minutes before the Rune-Wing slowed down and descended to a lower altitude, making a vertical landing straight down into.... an open field? Of all places?

After a moment of the Rune Wing settling down, the pilot came back into the passenger's compartment, a man who removed his flight helmet, which was emblazoned with a Death-like specter wielding a sword. The man's eyes were sharp and blue, and he wore a leather jacket; not exactly a civilian looking pilot.]

We're here, Professor Valvatorez. Like normal, you've got two hours before we gotta head back, but we can roll out whenever you're ready before that.

Thank you, Mr. Vaeris. I appreciate you doing this again.

[The pilot gave a thumbs up briefly to the professor, and a nod to both Ekkehardt and Toki, before heading back to the cockpit. Valvatorez removed his seat belt, stood up, and fetched a duffel bag from an overhead storage compartment. The bag rattled and rustled a bit, but ]

All right then! It'll be a short walk before we get there, but I trust you both wouldn't mind a scenic walk through a German forest? ...And no, it's not spooky, before you ask.

[With that, he disembarked the plane, and fortunately, the weather here was nice, with pleasant sunshine and a gentle breeze among the tall trees in this very old forest. There was a small path leading into the forest, and it was that which Valvatorez followed, bag over his shoulder.

There didn't even seem to be a soul around; sure, wild animals and birds, but no other humans within some good distance.]

I'll have you know... you two are the first I've brought with me to go meet her directly in quite a long time.

Edited 2019-05-15 03:23 (UTC)

[ He simply nods back at the pilot. It had been a smooth flight; he'd done a good job.

He smiles a little, at the mention of the walk. ]

I've certainly walked through worse.

[ He remains silent, not finding it necessary to speak until Valvatorez does. He is, in truth, still surprised that he would be asked to something as personal as this, but he certainly won't argue with it. ]

Is that so? I feel privileged, then.

[Toki has managed not to say anything for the entire flight. He has some remarks about the pilot, but he doesn't make them. Walking through the woods, he has no problem with. Only if something weird happens; but the forest itself is... peaceful, somehow.

He's confused as to why Valvatorez would bring him along if the vampire usually goes alone. He mutters a questioned "thank you" in response and stays close to Ekkehardt. He feels like he shouldn't be here.]

[Valvatorez had noted that Toki had been unusually quiet for most of the trip, but by and large kept quiet about it himself, as to not unbalance the lad. After all, he knew what was at the end of this... that in itself would require plenty of talking on his own part, as he figured.

Still, he continued speaking nonetheless, even knowing he'd be doing a lot of it. ...Especially as they go deeper into the forest.]

Yes. Well. While I wouldn't normally do this... I feel like now is as good a time as any to put it out there. To you two, at least.

[He had his reasons. He trusted Ekkehardt well enough to know he wouldn't speak of it, and while Toki was a bigger wildcard about that, he'd already seen her through his visions, so the cat was well out of the bag with him anyway.

A few moments later, they would emerge into a field; a clearing, encircled by trees. A place that clearly wasn't natural, as the trees seemed to stop growing within the field itself. The field was wide enough that the sunlight from above could spill into the clearing, though not so wide the branches of the large trees couldn't cast shade into it. In fact, the path seemed to simply go right into the center of the clearing.

In the center of the clearing was a small patch of flowers; modest, but attractive without being grandiose. The ring of plants, though, surrounded a gravestone, standing about three feet tall, hewn to look like a cross... though no name was etched onto the stone, nor were there dates on it. The stone itself looked... surprisingly well kept, though it was also clear it was very old.

Valvatorez led them both up to it, and stopped. He was... quiet, for a moment, pensive and reflective, before he finally spoke.]

Here we are. Gentlemen, this is... Artina. Or, where her final resting place is. However you would prefer to think of it. [He wasn't really sure how he felt about it either, but he sat down the bag from his shoulder, and opened it up. Inside were... simply cleaning tools, meant for stonework.] ...I take time to come out here to make sure this place is... kept.

[ The grave is clean and well-kept, though he really wouldn't have expected much else from Valvatorez. He looks around and up, noting how crafted the clearing is.

It's one thing to hear the admittance of how important someone was; it's another thing entirely to see that care in action. Even without the context, if he'd simply come across this place, he'd understand its significance immediately. ]

It's a good place to rest. Peaceful. [ He smiles, a little. It's small and awkward, but genuine. ] I'm sure she'd be happy to know you were still maintaining it, even after all this time.

[She's dead. He somewhat expected this by the time they arrived at the gravesite. It's proof his visions did reflect the past, but proof he didn't really want to see. Valvatorez loved her so much, still loves her even now, obvious in how Artina's resting place has been so well cared for.

Toki doesn't know what to do here, so he settles on an awkward respectful bow and... talks to her.]

Hello, Artina~! It's a pleasure to meet you!

[And of course, Toki's intuitions are right, even if Valvatorez would deny all of that. Somewhat ironically, the boy had read Valvatorez better than he could read himself.

Still, his expression remains fairly neutral, though quietly pleased at both Ekkehardt's compliment and Toki's introduction to her, even if it was obvious that Artina couldn't answer back.]

I'm sure she would be happy to meet you too, lad.

[He seemed to be taking it well, even if he was a little awkward, which was a great relief, in all honesty. Enough that he started reaching into the bag and start work on taking care of the grave marker.]

She died many generations ago, as far as humans go. It sometimes doesn't feel like it's been as long as it has. [And sometimes... sometimes it felt even longer.] ...It's been over 400 years now since she was killed.

...And it's because of a promise to her that I stopped drinking human blood, and ceased to be the feared Tyrant I once was.

[ He doesn't see the need to speak at first, nor to offer help. This is clearly a personal ritual for the other man, cleaning and maintaining the grave of someone he loved deeply.

Watching him, his smile is faint, a little sad. ]

You touched briefly on the circumstances of her life and death, the last time we spoke. Perhaps now would be a good time to speak more of it?

[ The 'only if you're willing' is unspoken, but there. He'll understand, if Valvatorez doesn't want to. ]

[Over 400 years, and Valvatorez still visits her... and a promise made had to have been that long ago too. Anything Toki had seen of the Tyrant Valvatorez had happened so far in the past it was hard to understand why that's what he'd been shown.

Perhaps it was to give context to Valvatorez's presence here; to his choices of fighting against Nightfall, of living along side humans. He'll figure it out eventually, but right now Toki is somewhat overwhelmed by all this and he feels like crying. He says nothing, watching Valvatorez begin his care-taking. Ekkehardt voices what he can't, though, in better terms than Toki could put together.]

I trust you've heard of the Gustark-Rekidona War, Ekkehardt?

[He figured Toki hadn't, considering that was the one class he happened to skip to investigate his office. So he would explain it anyway... but Ekkehardt may or may not recognize the name "Artina" if he was familiar with it.]

More than four centuries ago there were two provinces near the Holy Roman Empire in modern Germany called Gustark and Rekidona. The two provinces were always at each others' throats... and that eventually escalated into war. A brutal, bloody war that lasted over 20 years. The cost of human life and materiel was staggering during the course of the conflict, and the two sides eventually resorted to clandestine use of magic, daemon summoning, and forbidden techniques to wage war on one another. This caught my personal attention, so I traveled there with the intent to punish and terrify the people using daemons for their own ends.

[After all, he could not allow humanity to start recklessly summon daemons with the risk of eventually learning to fully control them.]

...Artina was from Gustark. She was a nun. And she wanted the war to end, to stop the death, the suffering, and the misery caused by it. But she was no warrior, no fighter. Hurting people... wasn't really in her nature. Instead, she treated the wounded in her small chapel, and it didn't matter where they were from. She would rescue the wounded and treat them, no questions asked, and would never ask for a single cent in return. She lived a poor, humble life, and would go without to make sure her patients survived.

But make no mistake. Though she wouldn't harm a fly, her spirit was stronger than any human I had ever seen. She was audacious and utterly dauntless in the face of death itself.

[He set down one of the brushes he was using to scrape away the moss on the stone, swapping it out for another brush, which he sprayed with a solution to clean the surface.]

...She was not afraid of me. When I demanded the blood of a soldier that tried to attack me, she refused, and offered her blood in his stead. Without fear, without hesitation, and without a way to stop me from taking what I wanted. And she did it out of pity not just for the wounded man, but... for me as well. And I was insulted.

[He pauses for a moment, a small, bemused smirk crossing his lips.]

Imagine it. Someone feeling pity for a Tyrant that could crush armies without a second thought. I was too proud to take her offer. So instead, I promised her I wouldn't drink blood until I showed her real fear. Until I saw real terror in her eyes. Only then would I take her blood. ...Naturally, with the war going on, I knew there was a good chance she would be in constant danger, so I stayed with her with the intent to keep her alive, constantly scheming and executing ways to show her real fear.

[He closed his eyes and paused his work for a long moment, before he continued.]

...Couldn't even get so much as a tremble from her.

But eventually, Artina's activities in rescuing soldiers from both sides got noticed. After she had rescued and treated a Rekidonian officer, a very large group of Gustark soldiers showed up at her chapel, called her a traitor and demanded her to hand over the officer. She steadfastly refused... and they tried to take her by force.

As you can imagine... I took umbrage with that. When they marched into her chapel after her, I cut through their brigade without mercy or hesitation. I thought I slew them to a man. The overwhelming stench of their blood left me unable to notice that one of them had hidden and played dead between the pews. In my hubris and carelessness, I didn't check. When the battle was over and the soldier saw an opportunity... he leapt to his feet and ran Artina through, crowing in victory that he got the traitor before running for his very life.

...She passed in my arms. Even in death, she showed no fear or regret.

[He hesitated again, and started scrubbing harder at the stone. His expression looked impassive, but there was an unmistakable pain and impotent anger in his eyes for what he was about to say next.]

Her name went down in history as a traitor, blackened, spat upon, vilified. She was called a witch, a murderer, a heretic, and so much more than that, by both sides. Scapegoated conveniently as a daemon-summoner and worse, to hide the actions of the worst of both sides. Her chapel was burned to the ground, her message ignored, and many more lives destroyed before both nations were themselves by opportunistic lords in the Holy Roman Empire.

...And I, the most powerful daemon in the Human World at the time, failed to protect her. Because I did not show her fear, I could not take her blood... or anyone else's.

I see. So that's why you chose this path.

[ He doesn't say 'I'm sorry' because he doesn't see the point in it. It's been 400 years, after all. Valvatorez has probably had plenty of time to feel sorry enough for himself already.

He does recognise the name Artina, though perhaps for less conventional reasons than a history book.

(The centuries-old bloodline that had eventually become House Gehring had come from humble roots, enduring conflicts that other families fell to and taking in those who fled other wars, looking for a place to belong.

Though her message and chapel had been destroyed by history, some part of her ideals had been preserved through some of the people she showed unconditional kindness to.)

"We don't offer prayers to her," his master had said, once. "But through our actions as healers, we honor her memory.

She was a rare person, able to exist without the desire or need to harm others in any way. The least we can do is strive to keep her ideals alive where history failed her."

He kneels at the grave, just watching. When he speaks again, his tone is mild. ]

You might be interested to know that her ideals and history were passed down through survivors that she helped. Some fled their home nations and found shelter elsewhere...

We weren't able to be as selfless as her, nor as peaceful.

[ And with the amount of blood he has on his hands, well...there was no chance of that for him. Perhaps for his previous self, but death was death, and death had changed him too much to ever go back. ]

But part of her legacy still exists in the house I serve, if that brings you any comfort at all.

[ He hadn't really thought to mention it before now, because he hadn't connected Valvatorez and the subject of his promise, the person he clearly loved, with the woman whose name had been blackened by history. But here they are, regardless.

What a coincidence. ]

[Toki didn't know anything about the Gustark-Rekidona War, as expected. He tries to follow along, but ultimately Valvatorez's story just comes through in pieces. That's probably fine, as it seems the remembrance is half for Valvatorez himself; a chance to talk about her aloud, what she meant to him and her tragic end. Her legacy tainted, because history was never written in absolute facts.

When Ekkehardt speaks, Toki wonders if he was one of those survivors' descendants. It seems so, but he doesn't ask for clarification. He has nothing to contribute and he'll only ruin this moment between them if he tries. He might be doing that anyway, as he digs his phone out of his pocket to take a picture of Valvatorez by the grave. To remember later.]

[Valvatorez couldn't hide his surprise when Ekkehardt spoke to him. He actually looked taken aback, and surprisingly disarmed.]

I had not realized there were survivors from her care that escaped the conflict. With how bad the conflict became... I thought surely most of them were killed, went missing, or worse. ...I even heard stories of those she treated being executed. ...And I never did learn the fate of the Rekidonian officer she treated before her death. ...I never got his name.

To think... someone else out there knew. That I had not predicted. Some other family trying to do right by her example, however imperfect they might be. Kindred spirits in that.

[The vampire reached under the overhang of the cross, to scrub beneath that too. Even despite the surprise and the swirl of mixed feelings in his chest, he remained dedicated to his work here.]

...It is nice to know that there are a few others who know the truth about her. Or close enough to it. ...That is part of why I wanted to show and tell you both.

[After finishing both sides underneath the cross, he stood back up, and looked between the two of them, and finished by looking over to Toki. His voice is actually quite calm and almost languid.]

You'd already seen some of it, Toki. I figured telling you the whole truth might set your mind at ease about me and my intentions. Even if you didn't doubt me, I hoped a little context to what you saw would help. I will not deny the past and the things I did as a Tyrant. And I will not apologize for them either. I am a proud daemon, after all. But world views can change, and with it, the course of one's life.

I will not allow humankind to fall to daemons, supernatural threats, or to their own self-destructive tendencies. I can do my best to prevent it, and I can teach others, my students, you, to do the same. That's how I have chosen to live my life now, and a value I hope to instill in those I teach. It doesn't matter what gifts they have, how strong they are... nothing so fleeting. In the right place, anyone can make all the difference if they rise to the occasion.

...That is what I believe. All I can do is help my students be ready for that moment when it comes.

[ He just nods; preferring silence over words, as ever, when it comes to things like this.

While Valvatorez addresses Toki directly, he bows his head and speaks almost inaudibly, so his own words don't interfere with Valvatorez's. It's not a prayer, not in the conventional sense; it's not addressed to a god or higher power.

It is a reassurance to the dead. That they are still remembered, what little of them that remains left undisturbed, that they find no reason to wake from their final journey, their endless sleep, because they felt unloved or felt their task unfinished.

In speech and action, in song and silence, we preserve your history...

Remembrance is, after all, the burden - and blessing - of the living. Those who have moved onto the afterlife go, presumably, where those things no longer matter as they once did. ]

...in thought and in deed, in memory, you are held as you were.

May you always be content.

[ He finishes his litany and stands, looking to Valvatorez for further instruction. He doesn't have much else to say, it seems. ]

Edited 2019-05-25 15:39 (UTC)

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yokeye - 2019-05-25 15:53 (UTC) - Expand

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