I had a place where I lay my head

[jesterlies]

Who: Shadow Milk and uh. The Forest
What: Shadow Milk doesn't handle grief very well and decides to 1v1 Suri about it.
When: Early/Mid April
Where: The Forest
Warnings: Violence, death, torture, grief, self-destruction, and all warnings associated with Suri being a huge dick.


What do you do when you wake up to half your soul being missing? Throw a tantrum, obviously.

Comments

[jesterlies]

He knows the moment it happens, and it drags him out of a dead sleep. The feeling of his soul being pulled apart until it snaps, leaving him lesser than he was before. Leaving him the worst parts of himself, and alone.

So, so very alone.

The first place he looks is the Research Hall. He checks to see if he's down there with the door again. The hall is empty, dreadfully silent, and even as he passes the Door, he finds it strangely quiet and foreboding. He checks the greenhouse, the clinic, uses the shadows to climb out from under his bed to find just the Guardian there. He leaves as quietly as he came, and instead set his sights on the forest.

Can he feel something of a connection leading him out there? He doesn't know, but he's lying to himself to say that he is. He's going to either drag Pure Vanilla back out or burn this place to the ground. If either kills him, so be it.

[sticksandbonesmods]

The forest is quiet, dark and dreary. There might be a calmness to it, if not for the feeling of a thousand eyes jeering at him. Things rustle in the dark, hidden in leaves and branches and underbrush, and yet nothing ever shows itself. All he knows is that he's being followed, and the fog wall closes behind him, urging him onward.

Someone is laughing softly.

[jesterlies]

Good.

He's been on about the fact that their so-called Jailor refuses to show himself. If it's going to invite him in, then it's going to give him exactly what he wants. He continues to walk further in, hair roiling like water threatening to boil over. His eyes look in every direction, watching. Furious.

Shadow Milk, in turn, laughs with it. Laughs low while it builds into something unhinged and distraught. Something mad.

"Give me back what belongs to me, insect."

[sticksandbonesmods]

Such bold words from a man with only a sliver of his power.

Suri's voice is soft and sweet, and the forest goes silent.

Poor thing. A parasite who can only latch onto better souls, without it's host. What will you do?

Garden

[jesterlies]

[So here he is, and here Pure Vanilla isn’t. He spends a long time lying there amongst the flowers. Hoping perhaps something will come along and kill him again. He feels empty, cold, and there is but a single mote of His magical energy left in the runes on his skin. It’s all he can do to hold it as close to his soul as he can. Its all he has left of him.]

[No one will come for him here. It’s just as well he fades into nothing.]

[mermaidcursed]

( that's what he thinks. after a moment, there's footsteps- and then, nene, carrying a thermos of something sweet. )

S- ah- Shadow Milk Cookie?

[jesterlies]

[…ah, right. He thinks he knows who this must be.]

There’s no point to me leaving this place, if that’s what you’ve come to do.

[mermaidcursed]

...

( she sits beside him and offers the thermos out. )

That's not true. It's painful, but there's always something to try for.

Sad honking. OTA

[jesterlies]

[A few days have past since his retrieval from the Garden. By now, the Grove likely knows of Pure Vanilla's disappearance. He's been taken into Cookie House, and given the room of one of the previous tenets. His things have been tentatively moved over, and he hasn't really been too out and about yet.]

[They are still working on his staff, so he is entirely blind. When he is moving around the Grove, it's with his cakehound close by, leading him around. He can be found in the Greenhouse, or maybe at the Cafe, reading one of the braille books from Vanilla's library, and drinking tea.]

[Perhaps also, he will be visiting a certain tailor shop for a few favors.]

[ephemeralflow]

[Where is Shadow Milk when Timekeeper catches up to him? It could be any of those places, really. She's even been showing up at the Cookie House with some frequency, now.

Wherever and whenever it is, Shadow Milk is still frustrating to sneak up on. He might not hear her until she pipes up from directly behind him, but he might sense the temporal flicker preceding it.]

My, you really did go and do something drastic, didn't you?

[jesterlies]

[Some things you don't need sight to be able to catch up. That temporal flicker is as loud in the air as any foot step, and there's really only one person it could be.]

[He's in cookie house, in this case, with some books and research out. He pauses before sipping his tea, ear flicking up as she appears and sighing.]

Are you surprised? Am I not known for my impeccable showmanship and love of drama? You wound me to think otherwise, Director.

[His words match, but his tone is flatter, his heart isn't in it.]

You should see the marks the Forest left on me. The Guardian said I looked like a pin cushion.

[ephemeralflow]

Not one iota! Showmanship and drama, hmm? Of course.

[She'll let him have that one, even if she's poking at it a little. The clear, even, perfectly second-long footsteps will tell Shadow Milk that she's grounded for once, walking around him and settling into a nearby chair. The soft clink of her own teacup sounds as she takes a sip herself - familiar, and ceramic rather than metal, it's not her own cup, but one of the ones from this house.]

Is that so? I would not object if you wanted to show me - though I do hope you left marks of your own as well, Beast.

[Because if anyone could manage that on their own? It's this duplicitous little shit.]

Cookie House

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash has been making a point of visiting the Cookie House more often. Cooking and caring for himself is hard, but it becomes that little bit easier with a task in mind. So he brings them food, day in and day out. He doesn't say much, but he still makes a point of stopping by.

Admittedly, Vash doesn't know much about Shadow Milk, or the relationship he and Pure Vanilla had. Nevertheless, he knows that they were close, and that they were somehow connected to each other. Which arguably gives Vash a very, very dumb idea.

One day, he brings a meal specifically for Shadow Milk. He specifically seeks him out, clearing his throat once to draw the attention of the blinded man.]

I brought you something. Do you have a minute?

[jesterlies]

[Likewise Shadow Milk doesn't know very much about Vash other than Vanilla having some kind of relationship with him, and he would often tell him they should meet or blah, blah, blah. He didn't really want to, he sounded like Vanilla 2, to him. And one Vanilla was enough.]

[But uh, breaking him out of jail did wonders of warming him up to the guy, at least.]

[He raises his head a bit from the book he's reading, fingers halting on the braille.]

I guess I could pencil you into my incredibly tight schedule.

[Of sitting here and reading so he doesn't go insane with boredom while his staff is being made.]

[oleaeuropaea]

Right -

[His voice is stiff, and just a little awkward. Every now and again he catches a scent of Vanilla in the house, and it makes his will crumble. He pushes that part of him aside and instead sets down his offering. Maybe it'll be familiar to Shadow Milk, maybe not. It's a candy pizza, alongside a root beer.

He and Pure Vanilla had once shared this with each other. It's one of his most joyful memories. And right now, he hopes that maybe it'll connect with Shadow Milk in a similar way.]

It's food. Uh, pizza and a drink! But more like something where you're from. Someone turned me onto it, and I wanted to see what you thought. [He pauses for a second, not sure if he should try to guide Shadow Milk's hand to it or anything like that. Instead he just... fiddles with his hands.]

greenhouse | the fact that you picked 3 locations relevant to my men means you get 3 wolfie. rip u

[thebladebringstheflame]

[Flamebringer is not expecting Eyeball Dude to come in. Looks like he... cut his hair? (He is unaware of what happened.)]

Need something? Don't block the sunlight. [He also has not realised this man is blind yet.]

heehoo silly me

[jesterlies]

[Here he is, and so bereft of eyeballs. He stops kind of where he is, at that. His hair roils for a moment like oil through water, even as short as it is, as he tries to work through how annoyed that makes him right off the bat because he doesn't know where the sunlight is, he's blind. But to admit that out loud makes him want to scream.]

[But he also needs a favor from this guy so. Ugh. Okay. Remember his meditation. WWPVD.]

You're the one maintaining the greenhouse right now, right?

[It might be easy to catch on the way he doesn't look directly at Flamebringer. His eyes are unfocused, staring at nothing at all while he talks.]

I have seeds. Their cultivation is tricky, and it's out of my ability right now.

[thebladebringstheflame]

I'm the one who's always maintaining the greenhouse. [Why do you people always forget this...] I work with Livio at the one in the school, too.

[That aside... hm. Yeah, Shadow Milk sure isn't looking his way at all.]

What kind of seeds? And what are the requirements?

tailor shop :)

[eidxiety]

[Ain also! does not know what happened! and so he's working as usual, back in the Grove because his own situation has him depressed and he needed to touch grass. Like literally touch grass. Shadow Milk catches him just as he's headed back inside, and Ain gives him a friendly wave of the tail, oblivious.]

Hi, Mr. Clown!

[jesterlies]

[The cakehound is very pleased to have brought him to the right place on only the third try! Bark!]

[To Ain's voice, Shadow Milk sighs with relief. He is so tired of bumbling into the wrong place.]

Is that the ever talented master of the tailor shop, I hear? Sir Green Bean, himself?

[He holds ...something in his hands. A gilded robe that has been rolled up in his arms.]

cafe. you may as well call this wolfie bingo.

[forwander]

[While he's not entirely aware that Shadow Milk died, he is aware that the man is blind. Hard not to be when he's reading a braille book two tables down from the counter.

While he's reading, Passenger says:]

Oolong is coming to refill your drink. Don't be alarmed if you feel the table move.

[And the little teapot spirit just hops on up a second later to do just that.]

[jesterlies]

[He lifts his head up at that- and. Oh, hello?]

[His hands leave the book only to reach over to kind of. Touch the teapot spirit. Put his hands around it. What are you.]

What is it? A construct? An animal?

For White Lily

[jesterlies]

[The Guardian was insisting on helping with the staff, which is fine, he didn't really put up that much fuss. He did, however, go out and get his hands on most of the supplies. They get to work the day he gets back with his packages from Ydalir. The moonstone is a nice, hefty, powerful thing, the blueberry beholder is ripe for picking and enchanting. He let Lily source the staff part since that would be easier for someone with eyes.]

[Between the two of them it's not a difficult affair. It's frustrating how little he can actually help, not being able to see, so he has to be patient.]

...And the runes? You've made sure to inscribe the right one on the back of the beholder, right?

[Sir, she's got this down, stop hovering. His knee is bouncing a little.]

[lilyberation]

I'm not some amateur, yes I'm using the right runes.

( has to be, yes, but clearly isn't. lily is not one for impatience, but recent events have left her feeling raw, frayed- his hovering makes her want to bite him, honestly.

and not in the romantic way.

despite her frustration, however, her work is steady and solid, unmarred by any outside feeling or intrusions. even as she double checks, its with clear eyes. )

[jesterlies]

[He makes a very mature scoffing noise at that but he backs off. Sits further back and waits. This man is riddled with many disorders and one of them is definitely ADHD.]

[Really he's just antsy, and he's ...he's so tired of being blind. Of not being able to properly interact with the world around him. It's no shock that it's a unique hell unto him, considering how he feels about being locked up somewhere dark and alone, but it's just also ...the helplessness is awful. The reliance on others is awful. He wants his agency back.]

[He's quiet until she's finished at least. Waiting. Listening to every little sound she makes while working, ears flicking this way and that.]