sticksandbones | MATTERS OF THE HEART

Entry tags:

MATTERS OF THE HEART

Who: Livio, Wolfwood, Elsword, Mizuki, Add, Heimr
What: heimrquest
When: several days after the bar is built, late in the evening
Where: ???????
Warnings: mentioned child death, mentions of plague, paranoia, supernatural-driven insanity, survivor's guilt, death, possession, impersonation, body horror. more will be added as needed.

The General Store isn't always the most bustling place, least of all in a small make-shift town of only a handful of people, each one more troubled than the last. But at some point, each and every one of you has needed something from Heimr today. Maybe it was just a bag of candy. Maybe it was something more pressing, or some groceries. Regardless, one by one he's tended to your needs, and you leave the store with little fanfare save for the fact that it's unusually foggy out this evening- not enough that you can't see other buildings...

Until you can't.

All around you is a heavy mist, and the scent of a wood fire and warm spices floats through the air. There's no turning back, so all you can do is move forward.

On an OOC note, the Choose Your Own Adventure threads will eventually merge into one group thread. Once this occurs, mod tags will occur after each involved character has tagged, or after 24 hours have passed. That said, if it looks like good banter or development is happening, the Mod will hold off a bit or until dramatic irony strikes.

LIVIO | WOLFWOOD | ELSWORD | MIZUKI | ADD
LAYER ONE
LAYER TWO
LAYER THREE
LAYER FOUR
LAYER FIVE

FIN?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I know. You're a good kid. ... Seriously though if you see anyone pointing a gun at anyone? Tell me. I'll set them right."

By which he means bonk the shit out of them. At best.

Once he's sure that Livio's calmed down, he'll walk back over to the tree he'd laid the guns against, hoisting a rifle up. It's lighter than he expected, and Livio can once again see that these are very old, basic firearms.

The forest is warm and serene, unlike the twisted woods of the present. If he looks around, he can see Felicity, younger, coming back with a basket of flowers, Brook following along. A family of four is setting an outdoor table for a pleasant lunch in the sun. The bustle of a small town behind them rings through the air, and things are pleasant.

Aldric holds out the other rifle.

"Whenever you're ready."

liv accepts the rifle after one more moment of hesitation. he knows how to carefully hold it, keeping it pointed away from anyone at all times, and his finger away from the trigger.

"I'm ready, but -- aren't we gonna scare people this close to town?"

"Mm, we should be fine. We're going further into the woods, after all. --Good trigger safety, good. Anyway, I just wanted to meet at the outskirts before we go further in. Don't need anyone gettin' lost on us, after all."

Aldric takes a glance at the town.

"Normally I'd bring Rusty, but- y'ain't fond of dogs, right? He'll have to miss this trip."

And with that, he gestures for Livio to follow him, and they step into the forest.

for a moment, it doesn't even occur to livio why he might not want rusty around, so long as he allows himself to be lost in the moment. but if aldric says it's for the best, liv trusts him. he follows dutifully after, awaiting further instruction as they make their way through a forest brighter and clearer than he's ever seen it.

Edited 2024-02-18 19:51 (UTC)

It's a little hard to say how long they go, but eventually they come to a slow stop.

"A herd of deer pass through this area a lot. We're gonna wait for them to show up, and take our shots. These things are pretty noisy though."

Aldric muses softly, and the time they spend waiting for the deer is spent showing Livio how to hold the rifle, aiming.. it feels familiar, not from memories of home but of foggy memories of Aldric doing something similar with practice rifles earlier before. But a real weapon is a much more frightening burden than fakes for practice, isn't it, Livio?

Not once does his voice stray from gentle patience.

for the most part, livio remains quiet, mindful that much noise at all will discourage the deer from coming by. he only makes a sound at aldric's request, if ever.

the more time passes, as he learns this rifle, and he thinks about what he'll do with it... before he realizes, before there's even an animal in sight, his cheeks are wet and his eyes stinging. he hardly notices over his desire to please aldric, until he's forced to blink repeatedly to clear his vision.

Oh- oh no. Aldric's made a mistake. The moment he realizes- and he would before Livio does, as an outside watcher- he pulls the boy into a hug.

"Y'don't gotta push yourself, Livio. C'mere."

he doesn't fight the embrace, even if he tries to insist everything is fine.

"Sorry -- I'm sorry. I just -- never killed anything before." somehow, he knows that's a lie, but it feels distant, like maybe the time and place in which he has killed is the dream. and despite his emotion, he still wants to be here -- to help aldric and the town and the kids like they've helped him. he tries to sniffle the tears away, to calm himself. "I'll be fine... We're gonna scare 'em off."

"I know. It's a scary thought, ain't it? But Liv, I will never ask you to do anything that upsets you. If y'wanna head back, we can. If you want me to handle it, I will. Just-"

Aldric inhales-

"Don't ever hurt yourself for me. Promise."

that aldric asks him out loud, to know that an adult genuinely cares more about how
he feels than themselves, is reason enough for liv to agree. his wobbly voice is muffled as his face is currently buried in aldric's shoulder.

"I promise. And I promise I wanna help. I do."

"I know."

He does. Livio is faithful as Rusty somedays- moreso in a few cases. And Rusty will spend centuries trying to get into a manor to save the pups. But this is different.

"Y'know you've got so many ways- apprenticeships or, hell, just helpin' out at the shop. Ain't gotta teach yourself somethin' you hate to help."

having the options is good... and maybe he will look more into it. but they're here now.

"Is it okay if I still wanna try?"

"It is. But it's also alright to walk away. Just remember that, alright?"

he leans back to look up at aldric, confusion written across his features.

"Do you want me to...?"

"If it'd make you happy and healthy, yeah. ... I just don't want you making yourself miserable."

Aldric backs up a bit but keeps a hand on Livio's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"... If it helps any, when we get our buck, we'll honor it. Death and life go hand in hand. But that don't make it less intimidating, does it?"

liv will probably always be a little bit miserable, he thinks -- even now, it feels like some amount of sadness runs bone-deep in him -- but he can't imagine that feeding his family will ruin his spirit forever.

"... It is still intimidating." he straightens up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "But I want to try."

"I know. And we can. ... Honestly, it speaks volumes that you're scared to end a life, in a good way. It shows a love for others that some people just lack. Keep that love goin' strong, alright, son?"

He squeezes again, before turning to the woods again. Its quiet still, for now.

"Alright --" he catches himself again, mouth snapping shut before he murmurs, quieter, "Aldric."

liv clutches at the rifle, hands shaking less as he regains his composure. as they wait, he steadies his breathing and tries to clear his mind, reminding himself that aldric won't think less of him, whatever may come.

Eventually, deer come. ... But something is off. Rather than walking as they normally would this route, they're running. They're fleeing something.

Aldric grips the rifle in his hands tightly, tense.

"Somethin' ain't right."

livio senses something wrong as soon as he sees the deer, same as aldric. he seems to have forgotten any confidence in holding the rifle that he had earlier, and his grip trembles all over again. are there predators in the woods? wolves? bears? he can't remember. he just stares off in the direction the deer fled from, straining to see or hear anything out of the ordinary.

It's quiet- not the serene quiet of earlier, but tense now. Every bird, rabbit, mouse and insect knows if it makes a sound, it will attract something's attention. Something terrible.

Aldric watches. And then he slowly raises the rifle.

They'll both hear it, then. A man, stumbling- faint recognition of him being a humble trader who passes through sometimes will alight-- He holds his head, something thick and long writhing under his skin. He hasn't noticed the two yet, begging something unseen to show mercy, to let him go- to not hurt him. The ground around him seems to... to die, as he steps forward.

is this a fever dream? the way the plants wither beneath the tangentially-familiar man, the thrashing of his skin. he looks to aldric after staring for a good few seconds, to verify from his reaction that livio isn't fucking hallucinating, or something.

aldric's gun is aimed. surely he isn't going to shoot a human being? after all they've just talked about, while the man is begging for help from god knows what.

To be fair. He expected a bear or something. Not- this. Pale, Aldric backs away, raising a finger to his lips when he sees Livio staring.

The man stumbles around blindly-

"I've been good, loyal- what have I done to deserve this? It hurts- it hurts it hurts it hurts-"

The man jerks around more, not unlike a marionette. Whatever's under his skin is moving around his body without a care, and even from the distance, flesh and skin tearing can be heard.

Aldric looks like he wants to be sick, but- Livio first. Quietly, he jerks his head back to where they'd walked from- to town. Go.

aldric sure doesn't have to tell him to be quiet any more than that. not when even the trees themselves feel deathly silent.

livio's feet only respond sporadically, though. his body trembles. it feels like he can only focus on moving one foot backward or listening to the awful sounds coming from the poor bastard deeper in the woods. it's all he can do to keep pace just behind aldric.

The man's head jerks up with a sickening snap. He sees you now. Everything goes still, save for the intrusive parasite within him... all the way up until his head just... falls back.

And then off.

Several writhing tentacles burst from his neck, and the body lunges-

"Livio- Livio, run--"

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cw: body horror

cw: body horror

cw: body horror

cw: body horror

cw: body horror, decapitation, parasitism