sticksandbones | The melody that filled the empty me [OPEN]

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The melody that filled the empty me [OPEN]

Who: Till and YOU!
What: Till has arrived! He's freaking the fuck out, it's probably fine dwbi
When: Early March
Where: The Grove, location fluctuates depending
Warnings: References to death and very slight suicidal ideation

[Despite growing up in a part of the wider reaches of the galaxy, Till's universe has always felt very small. Isolated. Contained. Not allowed to do anything less than what is expected of you. Step out of line, act in a way they don't like...

The last thing he remembers is standing alone on that stage. The lights went out, yet he could still feel the icy cold of the simulated rain pelting his face as he stared at Ivan's still-warm corpse.

He walked out on that stage fully expecting to die. This...felt wrong. He shouldn't be still here. So why...?

He blinks, and suddenly the stage is empty. The body is gone, as are all of the aliens watching him as they cheered when the song ended. It's eerily silent, and as he looks out into the great expanse ahead of him, he sees...

Does he know the word? "Mother"? That isn't what they called her. Provider. He is the Creation. When the aliens took him from her, he never knew what became of her. They ripped him, screaming and crying, from her arms. If he's seeing her now because he did die after all...then all the better, honestly.

He throws himself off the stage, and when he collapses into her arms, it all feels...idyllic. He's met with the true world of humanity. The trees, the grass, the clear blue sky. Was it all...just a bad dream?

...

..

.

Till startles awake to the tune of Rusty licking his face, and though it takes him a few long moment to regain consciousness enough to even realize what's going on...he recoils violently, practically throwing his body back to get away from the dog, only for his limbs to lock up on him in a similar way to the feeling he gets when the aliens set off his collar. Fuck. He has no idea that he's been laying in the Nethersea Brand for X amount of time, but thanks to Rusty he'd been dragged out and able to (mostly) recover enough that he isn't completely paralyzed.

Does that mean he's feeling GREAT? Haha, oh no. Hell no. This man has never seen an Earth dog before, do you think he has any idea what happened to him?

As Rusty tries to come back close to him, Till quickly tries to scramble to his feet- falls and eats shit once in the dirt- then manages to drag himself half-upright as he looks forward beyond where he ended up. Though the Grove isn't exactly your fount of beauty...it's grass. Trees. He's outside, and it doesn't feel real. It can't possibly be. It's either a near-death hallucination, or fake like Anakt Garden was.

Holding one of his upper arms for stability, Till's eyes settle on the Grove in front of him. The multitude of buildings large and small that have been cultivated into a small town...even amidst the sprawling city structures of the alien race, it seems foreign. He is, at least, visible at the tree-line to anyone who might be looking from their window.

Because in a fit of panicked desperation, the light on the choker(???) around his neck flashing red, Till turns and starts to stagger into the trees. If he IS outside...he has to run away. If he's found, he won't be killed. No. They'll capture him, and he will WISH they'd killed him.]

===========

[At some point, when Till has been convinced NOT to try to disappear into the Forest forever and fucking die immediately, he will do whatever he can to isolate himself away from everyone else. This is accomplished by Till finding one of the empty Inn rooms and locking himself up in it. He will go so far as to pull the largest piece of furniture he can find over the door to ensure nobody can come in, at which point he's not seen or hear from for...a while.

...

A post appears on the netbook in scratchy, uneven handwriting.]

if youre looking for me then come get me
i dont care anymore
ill tear apart every last one of you who tries
should have years ago

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's the saccharine, fake sweetness that Till always hated the most. Maybe it's because his guardians have never once been kind to him, but he can never see it as anything but the fakeness that it is. It's what some aliens opt for to try to gain their humans' trust, to make them feel secure long enough that they can get them back under control. Where Loop is really trying to be sincere, Till isn't internalizing it. He's letting it wash over him until such a moment that he can either get out of here, or Loop decides he isn't fun anymore and either shoots him dead, or turns him over to the authorities.

Though Till hasn't yet gotten up off the ground (he doesn't feel confident or safe enough, like he might just get knocked back down again if he did), so instead he'll turn his head enough to look up at them out of one eye. And that one eye...

He's like a caged animal. Like a tiger having been kept in captivity for years, poked and prodded until he can't take much more.]

...you know who I am. Don't be stupid.

[Well. Loop doesn't, but as far as Till is concerned, his face is plastered on every billboard, in every aliens' home. Nobody doesn't know who Till is. Everyone knows him. Luka. Ivan. Mizi. Sua....]

[They stare back, expression unchanging. They're not afraid of a beast lashing out—they've been in that position before. It's not very fun, feeling powerless and afraid. Doing anything you can to regain some control, no matter what the cost...

They think of stardust, and it's difficult to leave him like this after making that comparison. Even if it seems like their appearance alone might be setting him off... it would be worse, if they let him run off into the woods. They have to at least try.

Loop sighs and resigns themselves to sitting on the cold and dirty ground to continue this conversation. Okay, okay, forget introductions...]

I don't, actually. But it's fine if you don't want to answer.

So, Cautious One! Why don't we start by taking some deep breaths, and then you can ask me anything you want. About here, about me... anything at all, and I'll do my very best to answer. How does that sound?

[He...wasn't expecting this. Loop has ALL of the power, here, to do whatever they want to him. Doesn't matter if he's not "theirs". Urak isn't here, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. That, or they'd get some kind of reward for bringing him back in one piece, probably.

Instead, they're sitting there offering him information. If nothing else, the pause gives Till the time to cautiously sit up, pushing himself stiffly upright so he's no longer face-down in the dirt. He doesn't bother brushing himself off, but instead sits back (fortunately in clear ground, so he isn't being zapped by the Brand).]

...what's the catch. What do you want from me?

[They're patient while he sits himself up, hands laid neatly in their lap. They can't do anything about their appearance, so... the best they can do is not making any sudden movements, probably. And that's easy! They're the expert when it comes to sitting still and doing nothing for hours and hours and hours.]

From you? Hmm... I'd like it if you would stay and chat for a bit. That's all, really.

The catch is that you have to believe I'm being honest.

[Easier said than done.

Okay.]

...fine. But if you want me to do that, you need to stay where you are. I'll stay where I am.

[If they move at all, he's out of here. Bottom line.

Now. Where to begin?]

Tell me where we are. And how did I get here?

Aww, but what if my butt falls asleep? I guess we'll both just have to suffer, sigh~

[Staying! Put! They were already doing that, easy peasy.]

This is the Grove! As you can see, it's a little settlement surrounded by forest. There's a shop, an inn, a clinic, a few other buildings... if there's something you need, you can probably find it somewhere.

Hmm, how did you get here... that's a tricky one! I don't know much about the "how", but I can tell you a few things about the "why" and the "who".

There's a creature in the forest that calls itself a god. That's the one that brought you, and everyone else here. It thinks of us as fun little playthings, so unless you'd like to experience what coming back from the dead is like, I'd suggest you stay away from there for now.

[A settlement. He wants to assume it's a human-made resistance settlement (the Aliens would not be caught dead living in such squalor), but it doesn't explain why there are...still Aliens here. He knows well that there are castes that exist as lower class lifeforms, literal objects to be used not just by the Aliens, but by their human pets when deemed necessary, but Loop doesn't seem to fit in that category at all. In fact, they seem like they'd be one of the upper echelon with tons of money to invest in their human pet. They kindof speak in that condescending tone he'd expect from those types, actually.

So yes. He remains tense and guarded regardless of their mutual truce, and as they go into this God that sees them as "fun little playthings", his expression darkens.]

They don't kill you until they're done playing with you. Until you stop being useful, or you lose.

Oh, good! [beaming, sorry they're like this they forgot how to act normal] Then I don't have to explain that part. Yes, you're exactly right.

I wouldn't count on it getting bored too easily, though. It can get quite creative sometimes... not in any way you'd enjoy, of course.

[That level of enthusiasm is not very encouraging, funnily enough. Like yes, Loop is being kind to him right now, but kinda weird to be like "oh yeah we'd fucking die dwbi!!"

Ugh.]

I've never heard of an Alien owning that many at once. Guess it ain't...unheard of.

[But still, Jesus Christ.]

There's around fifty or so of us here, I believe. More, depending on if you count missing persons or the corrupted. [Their cheery demeanour falters, for a moment, into something more melancholic. They would like to count the missing persons.]

... About that word you keep using. Alien. What does it mean?

[They have a vague idea of it, but it's not exactly a common word in Vaugardian... if it's something specific, maybe they can reassure him? Either way, they're asking sincerely.]

[Ha...what doesn't it mean, is the better question.

A mask of disgust washes over Till's face, one that quickly melts into a whole lot of emotions. Not just that initial disgust, but anger. Fear.]

Aliens aren't human. I've never seen anything other than a human that ain't an Alien. ...you look like an Alien.

[Which, I mean. He doesn't THINK Loop is human.

Are they-

Anyway how can he explain them better than..."not human".]

They're...the top of everything. Cruel. Greedy. Uncaring.

[So yeah sorry he's calling you an Alien Loop he's only saying you LOOK like one.]

To them, the only time a human is doing good is when they're doing what they've been told.

Humans and aliens... You make it sound like there are only those two options in the world. What about animals, do they get to be aliens too? Maybe Rusty has been the mastermind all along~

[It's kind of a mean thing to tease them about, but it does strike them as a little... odd. A very black-and-white way of thinking. This seems like more than just being scared of something strange and unfamiliar.

Anyway, back to the important topics—]

If you're only looking, I'm sure you'll find plenty of "aliens" around here. I can only think of a few people who don't have something strange about them... but! The rest of your description doesn't really fit, sorry~ You'll have to come up with a different word.

You can use that one for the forest, though! That thing is definitely an alien.

[Rusty? Rusty...]

...is Rusty that brown creature?

[Yeah guess who's never seen a fucking dog.]

Was fucking trying to eat me when I woke up.

[............

He's actually serious, isn't he? Wow. Sad.]

That's a dog, Cautious One.

Rusty is as old and harmless as they come. He's not trying to eat you, that's just how dogs say hello.

[Oh yes, this does not even scratch the surface of how sad Till's whole existence is lbr. Just wait until he's around for another memshare event everyone will LOVE it.]

Dog...

[He repeats it like a word he's never heard of...which, it probably is.]

We don't have those. If we do, I've never seen one.

They really like it when you scratch behind their ears. You should try it next time!

[... but by the sounds of it, there's a very good chance he doesn't know what animals are. Or maybe the animals he knows aren't very friendly? Hmm.]

Do they have pets where you're from?

[Haha, oh...oh dear.

Till suddenly stiffens, flinching back like he'd been physically struck. The light around his neck flashes an ominous red, and suddenly he leans forward and snaps:]

Haah? You think that's funny?

... Is that a no?

[Tilting their head a little, what's with that reaction?? He doesn't know what a dog is but maybe there are, like, alien pets? Does he not know what the word means?]

Some people like to keep animals for companionship. They take care of them, feed them, give them somewhere safe to live... it's not a bad thing. Is there nothing like that in your world?

It's not a bad thing?

[Till...very suddenly breaks his own rule of their little exchange by suddenly getting up to his feet, because he is shaking with anger, both hands balled into fists at his sides. Granted, he isn't lunging for Loop again, mostly because he's not so stupid as to do the same stunt twice. He knows they can lay him out if he tries, he has no chance.

Not that he really should be yelling at them, when they could easily snap their fingers and explode his brain or something, but he can't...help it.

He looks upset, and it shows in the ugly twist in his face.]

Yeah. Yeah, it's "not a bad thing" when they're taken care of. But what about the ones that aren't?! What about the ones that get turned into dress-up dolls, playthings for your amusement? Is that a fuckin' bad thing??

[To their credit, they stay put on the ground even when he starts yelling down at them. Riding out the anger usually works best, at least for them. Let him get it out of his system if it makes him upset.

That, and they're finally connecting some dots. Their smile drops.]

Of course that's a bad thing. Abuse is abuse, it doesn't matter if it's an animal or a person.

Is that what you're afraid of? Are you...

[big yikes if true]

[At the very least, Loop's actual reply manages to temper Till's anger, somewhat. He's still visibly upset, that much is clear in his body language, but he's quick to avert his gaze now that they've hit on the actual root of the issue.]

...never said I was afraid.

[It's a lie. But maybe it's a lie he just keeps telling himself so he can survive to the next day. The scared, complacent ones don't last any longer than those that rebel, like he does.]

... No, I suppose you didn't~ [yeah buddy they see right through you

They pause, taking in this new information... honestly, they are not super prepared for this kind of discussion. They can relate to being pushed to their limits, controlled against their will, but they don't think slavery would describe what they went through. And that's pretty heavy stuff.

This guy should probably go talk to the Therapist, but that's something they can bring up another time.]

Humans can't be pets. There's a different word for that, and it's not something anyone here would get involved with. No one is going to do any of those things to you.

Fallen gods aside, of course.

[After a moment, there's a dull thump as Till falls back into a sit on the forest floor. Yeah, well...if it helps, Till isn't prepared for it either. It's not something he really WANTS to talk about with a complete stranger, but the conversation managed to just perfectly go in that direction.

He's still looking elsewhere, though it's at his hands in his lap instead of the forest floor, pulling at his own fingers anxiously.]

How do I know you're not just lying to get me to stay?

If that's all I wanted, do you really think I'd have to lie? It'd be much faster to just knock you down again. No offence, Cautious One, but I've met preteens with a better battle stance than you.

Nothing I can say is going to prove anything to you... so~ I guess you'll just have to see for yourself, won't you?

[because it's natural to distrust after getting burned before. He's allowed to take his time with this. All they really want is to keep him from charging straight into the murder forest day one, anyway. Day two he's on his own.]

[The way his eyebrow twitches might suggest otherwise...but no, yeah, he knows he isn't a fighter. Even if he's gotten into brawls as a kid, he can't square up with the non-humans here. His scrap with A.B.A later will prove as much.]

...yeah. I guess so.

[He finally stops fidgeting with his own hands, moving to rest them on his knees as he glances up at Loop through his lashes.]

Assuming I don't find a way out, first.

The melody that filled the empty me [OPEN]

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