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 Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:06 pm
Trigger warning!!! The thread as follows will contain graphic descriptions of violence!!! The mention and use of knives, murderous attempts, gore and personal trauma will follow. Please proceed with caution!! Priam and Yu had spent the early part of the morning in a practice spar on Sterling’s home world. They’d returned tired, a little bruised but happy in that small exchange. Soon, it wouldn’t be risky for them all to train together in uniform. It almost felt like a good day, a normal day that they could build on moving forward. Yu was just stepping out of a shower, Priam, freshly showered now sitting at the kitchen table with Sterling. Karone was out and about - between paling the last of her things and pricking out things she wanted to make it a proper home for herself she’d likely be a while. That made it more surprising to hear the knock at the door, no one expected and no one had called. If it was anyone, surely it would be Karone returning with armloads of packages, sheets and pictures and the like.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:24 pm
They had to get Karone a key, and it was on the list, but everything was happening so quickly it kept getting moved further and further down the list. Though, why she wasn’t just teleporting in here like normal didn’t really cross his mind and Sterling dropped a kiss on Priam’s cheek before padding over to the door, a smile on his face. “Welcome ho--oh! Roger!”
He hadn’t seen his friend for a while, and it was just good to see him again. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” There was a little worry, but it didn’t take away the joy he felt at seeing the other male. “Do you want to come in for a bit? We can chat, I want to show you the little library I built for Praim, and you need to see the new oven we got!”
He was excited. He felt excited. This was easy this was someone who didn’t have anything to do with…anything. Someone who was simply a friend.
It was wonderful.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:35 pm
Roger beamed, that wide friendly smile that he was so good at for all that he could be so awkward about the strangest things. “I’m so sorry, I found something while I was trolling the Book Cave, and I know you must have already celebrated but… I really thought you’d all enjoy this little addition to the collection you were building! Consider it me doing a surprise gift!” He offered with a small shrug. “I’d absolutely love to see the Library and the kitchen!” He added looking, honestly enthused about the idea. “Goodness, it sounds like it was a very exciting holiday indeed!” “I’m so happy for you! It means so much to have a good holiday!”
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:49 pm
Sterling nodded. “It was. A little rocky at first but...it’s ended well. And everyone’s happy now, so that’s all that matters. What is it that you found?” He looked eager, gesturing for Roger to follow him. “I’ll show you the library first, and that book cave...that place is utterly amazing. Thank you again for telling me about it. I found so many good things.”
He knew that he should take his friend to the kitchen, but he went over to the closet that he had turned into a library for Priam and opened the door, gesturing. “Ta-da! I think it turned out really well. It was kind of fun to build something. I never realized I would like doing that.”
Even though building was a bit of a stretch...still. The outcome of the project had been perfection. “How was your holiday? Did you do anything special?”
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:04 pm
“Oh! I had a very nice holiday- I spent some time looking up an old friend. It’s been... so much more meaningful than I thought it would be. “ He looked thoughtful and pleased. “I’ve got a surprise to send them too, but I’m waiting for a good time. After so long, things just have to be done right I guess.” He mused. “But as for what I brought, I found this book in German. It’s got these beautiful old lithograph prints in it, it needs some repair mind you, I may have grabbed it before they finished that because someone else would have snatched it up if I left it. We can lay it out on a table if you want to see! You wanted to show me the kitchen anyhow yeah?”
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:14 pm
“That sounds great!” Sterling nodded towards the kitchen and closed the door to the library. “If you need any help with the surprise, I’m happy to do whatever! It’s always nice to reconnect with old friends.” Not that he had any old friends to connect with...but...Ilya counted, he supposed. Getting him back into his life had been quite nice.
“Let me introduce you to Priam, one of my boyfriends.” He laughed softly, cheeks turning pink. “Yu will be in soon, I’m sure. He’s the other one.” He walked to the kitchen and looked at Priam, grinning. “Hey! It’s my friend Roger, he wanted to stop by and say hello, he’s how I was able to find a lot of the books for your library, love. Roger, this is Priam. I hope we can all be friends.”
Nice, normal friends.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:06 am
Priam was still sitting in the kitchen, sipping warm tea and basking in the pleasant warmth of a good day after too many bad ones. His hands were wrapped around the mug and he was comfortable in his slightly oversized sweater, thinking about laying on the couch for a bit--tucked under Yu's blanket, reading a book from the library.
Taking it easy, just for a little bit.
Until they could figure out what their next course of action was.
Sterling bringing a friend over didn't seem so uncommon, and while Priam was a bit on edge, today was supposed to be a good day. So, he relaxed. He accepted it.
He smiled and raised a hand in polite greeting. "Hello, Roger. It's nice to meet you. I haven't had a chance to go over all of the books in there, but I can't get over how beautiful the binding is on some of the older volumes. Thank you."
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:26 am
“Oh, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.” He said with an almost angelic smile. There was something not -quite- angelic about it, more… wicked somehow. Maybe it was just because he had one of those exceptionally beautiful faces, and people like that had to know on some level just how pretty they were to the world. In the hall, the door to the bathroom swung open with a gust of steam and Yu stepped out, having dressed within as he so frequently did. Shuffling down the hall with a towel still trying to reduce the drip factor from his long hair, barefoot and distracted… He made it to the door of the kitchen where Roger was laying out a very old book indeed, it’s woven cover dulled with age and the gold detailing having long since started to flake, the title even hard to read because there had been so many hands lovingly turning its antiquated pages. Nothing could have been wrong at that moment, a meeting of friends, over something beautiful. Except, the expression on Yu’s face. He went from smiling and curious to so pale that his freckles stood out on his cheeks like they were drawn in pen. The moment of pure panic on his face as he immediately glanced towards the knives, started to open his mouth in warning… But the only thing he managed to say was … “Michael…” Not Roger… Michael. ‘Roger’ paused, and smiled like he’d just stolen something delicious. The angelic appearance only made that smile more terrible. “Hello Yu, I think I told you… not to come back here, I think that was a very clear part of my instructions.” And then he was in a uniform, Dark grey, and rich greens an almost terrible echo of Parisite’s own uniform, though perhaps more traditionally European. That moment of shock gave him enough time to turn and take up one of their own kitchen knives, left on the counter in the middle of preparing soup stock, and was pointing it dangerously close to Sterling’s throat. “Now… what did I say the consequences might be.” He mused, almost a purr.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:00 pm
The book was every bit as beautiful as Roger had said it would be, and Sterling reached out a hand, touching it gently and looking so happy.
At least...at least until Yu came in. Until he saw his boyfriend go pale as death, heart him utter the name ‘Michael’, and a sense of dread filled him. This...His eyes flickered to Roger, to his friend, and when he heard what the male said, horror began to wash over him. “What--no.”
And then there was a knife, and Sterling saw Rogers outfit change. He powered up to Qingcheng without a thought and elbowed the Captain in the ribs, shaking his head in utter horror.
“You...you lied to me? This whole time? I thought...I thought we were friends? You’re the one who threw Priam off the roof? Who…”
God, his outfit even looked like Yu’s. No wonder he had taken his name. No wonder he had gotten away with this for so long. “What the hell, Roger...Michael. Whoever you are!”
The knife didn’t seem as scary when he was powered up, but to be honest, the shock coursing through him made it hard to focus on much of anything.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:30 pm
The warmth left his body immediately, replaced with a cold so painful he felt it creep through his blood, into each capillary and cell.
Everything both clicked and fell apart simultaneously.
Roger. Michael. A Negaverse agent powered up in their kitchen, assaulting Sterling and threatening Yu.
Even if he hadn't intended to power up, there was no way of stopping it. There was no plan of action, but Sterling and Yu were in trouble and his body went into autopilot. He didn't care that this was the man who threw him off the roof, this wasn't about revenge.
It was about making sure he didn't touch any of them ever again.
He powered up, because what was the point of having a secret identity if you didn't have the power when you needed it--and right now, this Negaverse agent had come here, threatening them, attacking them. He wasn't going to just leave them be, this wasn't going to just go away.
He'd rather out his identity than lose either of them.
"Leave him alone!" he commanded, and wanted to move in, to hit him, to do something, but aside from rushing closer to help, he was too afraid of getting in Qingcheng's way while he tried to break free.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:47 pm
TRIGGER warning starts in the following posts - Please read with caution!! Blood, knives and other triggers follow. “Oh…. Sterling, or… mmm… whatever delightfully ridiculous name you go by like this. I think if I were you, I’d be so much less worried about where I mislead you, and would be VERY concerned about what I was Honest About.” As Priam too shifted into Nalanda, Roger… no, Michael grinned, wide and delighted. “Oh… delicious. I might even be made stronger for this, and I’ll make good on my promises too!” He cooed, eyes drifting back towards Yu who shifted forward by a fraction only to draw back when eyes fell back on him, afraid to trigger - exactly what happened next. The knife pressed, that fraction of a moment before flesh parted and everything beneath it followed under the inhuman strength of an officer of the Dark Kingdom. The knife was discarded almost as soon as he had cut the vital and vulnerable curve of Qingcheng’s throat, clattering to the floor as Blivitite summoned his true weapon, the sword swinging to bite deep into Nalanda’s arm, this cut jarring against wrist bone and dragging upward towards the elbow in a curving cut to the sound of ‘Michael’s’ Laughter. “No wonder you were so DAMN resilient, I thought for sure you’d just pass on my message and do the sensible thing, die I mean. This sniveling rat wearing a man suit is just…SO GOOD at bringing tragedy down on his own HEAD!” Blivitite crowed eyes sparking towards Yu, who’s exclamation of horror was the prelude to his own shift to his Uniform, lunging towards Qingcheng to try and catch him before he fell. “Aww…. so sentimental. I’ll give you …mmm… 5 minutes. I’d like a little more room to -swing. Find me where you got recruited, you sentimental sap. I’ll show what we do to traitors to the cause, and I’ll finally be done with you.” And then he vanished.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:00 pm
At first, Qingcheng was confused, with everything happening so quickly, he couldn’t keep up. The officer did something, and at first, nothing really registered. Nothing made sense, but there was blood in his mouth. He coughed, blood spattering and for a long, long moment he was confused, choking on the stuff.
It was hard--impossible to draw in a breath, and when Roger--Michael...whoever he was let him go to lunge at Priam...Nalanda…
Qingcheng sank to the ground, his hands reaching up to clutch at his throat, confusion swiftly turning to panic as they were coated in warmth.
Warmth...but he...he was so cold. Maybe the heat was broken...maybe…
Oh. He really ******** this one up, didn’t he? He…
The room began to swim around the Squire as his gasping grew more faint, a soft, unpleasant gurgling coming from his throat now, even as he tried, uselessly to close the wound. He was going to die. Here. In their kitchen.
And it was all his fault. What an idiot he was.
Normal friendships? What a ******** joke.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:31 pm
Nalanda felt nothing. He saw what this man, this monster, did. He heard what he said, but he felt nothing, except crippling fear. The blood drenched the front of Qingcheng's uniform with such haste that it felt like between one blink and the next it went from white to red.
He reached for him, but his arm didn't move. He thought he imagined the red on his own limb when he saw it out of the corner of his eye, but like Qingcheng, one blink nothing and the next, red.
Faintly, the sensation of his heartbeat, in his chest, his throat, his ears. His eyes, his tongue, his teeth, his fingernails.
What. Had he. Cut.
He wanted to vomit. This wasn't supposed to happen like this, what was the point of getting stronger if it took a single split second to take down both of them?
He suddenly had no concept of his own weight, of time, of momentum. He saw Qingcheng fall, saw Yu move. He was moving too, clumsily and desperately, like somehow if he closed the distance between himself and Qingcheng, the blood would just stop flowing. Like, maybe he'd snap awake from this bad dream, tucked under Yu's blanket, listening to them talk in the kitchen.
But, he was still awake. This was still happening.
The wrist injury wasn't the worst. People lived from those all the time. It was bleeding but the uncooperating fingers were the greater issue. He didn't even try to wrap his bleeding limb and instead reached his good hand to sterling, trying to brush his hair away desperately to see the damage, like he could fix it by looking at it. Like he was going to some how stop this. His mind was racing; he was a doctor. He could tell himself a thousand lies, tell himself he could fix this, this was nothing.
The faster his heart beat, the more blood he lost.
Each new, rapid pump was a whisper of failure.
Each heartbeat was one second closer to losing everything.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:42 pm
“Nononononononono” The word ran together into a mantra, a chant of denial as he fumbled, pressing a hand to the wound, slick under his hand, the fluttering heartbeat, the thick wet -sound- of it that he thought would haunt him forever no matter what else he forgot. He almost didn’t remember… But he fumbled then, the red smear lost on most of his uniform, a thin train against his own exposed skin and the white stone of the necklace of his uniform as he fumbled to free an old bone. The most terrible sliver of hope he could think of, an old bone, an old damn chicken bone that he could only pray worked like Cavansite hoped it would. “It's okay-It’sokay-It’sokay” He changed almost dropping the bone, caught it, snapped it hard enough that he thought maybe he’d sliced his finger on the bone and…. It smoked, it hissed forth there as close as he could put it to Sterling’s face, praying that he was doing it right because god, he wasn’t remotely sure. “It…this… ********!” He swore. Because it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, and it was all… his ….fault. If he’d stayed away, just a little longer. His eyes burned and his hands shook. <********” He swore again. “It’s supposed to help… it’s supposed to help… I… “ He glanced at the long cut on Nalanda’s arm and almost swore again, grabbed a dish towel and hastily wrapped it -hard- around it, he thought he’d seen the particular texture of exposed bone there, thought shock had them all too stunned to register the depth of the trouble they were in. Please…please god, let Sterling be okay. There was… only one thing he COULD do. “I’m going to kill him.” He said to Nalanda…. “Call the Hospital….ca-Call Ilya… I’m going to find him. I’m going to KILL him!”
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:44 pm
The feeling of Roger. Of the Negaverse Captain vanished, but Qingcheng couldn’t focus on that. His eyes were fluttering and he pressed against the wound in his throat again. God.
But, there was Yu, coming to him. And Priam. Nalanda.
At least the three of them were together...and they could take care of each other...they could...they wouldn’t have to be alone…
Something snapped near his face, and there was suddenly a strange purple haze in front of his foggy vision.
Again, he tried to draw in a breath, to stop the blood. To say his goodbyes. To do anything.
Suddenly there was a sharp, overwhelming pain in his neck and Qingcheng gave a cry, choking and coughing on the blood in his mouth, and inhaling more of the strange purple haze. Oh. God this was it then. He tried to spit the blood and wanted to force his eyes open. To look at them both once more but...god it hurt.
It was strange though, it seemed like the blood wasn’t pouring from his neck as badly anymore...though...perhaps he was simply...running out of it...
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