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

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[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.

Ooh, do share if you find one. There's a lot of people here who'd appreciate it~ [they're being sarcastic but like. hey if he does somehow manage that]

What would you do if you did find a way out? Is there somewhere you want to go?

[What a question. Till kindof rolls his head on his shoulders, looking off into the forest.]

I don't know. Not like I know what's out there.

[...]

But anything's better than here.

[They nod, understandable. The world is a big place! And the horrors!]

If it were me, I think I'd go... somewhere with big, tall mountains, where you can see the whole sky all around you. I miss that kind of view.

[......]

Yeah. I'd like to go there, too.

[He doesn't have them here, with him, but he's made drawings like this. Big sprawling landscapes of a world he wishes he could be in, but one he was never sure existed beyond the confines of what had been fabricated to be his world.]

It's hard to believe a place like that exists.

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The melody that filled the empty me [OPEN]

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