[ AW ] Stargazer

Eternal love only exists in distress

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Why yes, in fact it does.The sound shatters the silence in his mind, rousing him from his ever-so-needed mediation. It is but a whisper at first, broken and jarring, but with a roar it sweeps through the Redwood and pulls him free of the desperately required silence he so craves.
Time to wake up.
Here he has come to search for the Lost Child, a being too soon pulled from the ether and thrust into the world. He knows not exactly where Jupiter has gotten to, just that it is..somewhere. Around here. And so his journey will take him far and wide, though this seems not to upset him. No, not at all. Instead, the thoughts bury themselves into his mind, burrowing their way deeper and deeper until the writhing maggots of wanderlust and adventure make their homes in there and the amusement rattles around his skull until...


"Ah...hah...haaaah hah. Haha aha ha hA HA HA--" The laughter spills from him like a sea, a wave that begins as a tepid tremor and quickly roils into a cackle that echoes through the trees. And continues, even as he rises to his feet and shakes away the leaves and debris of the woods, whirling about to face the gilded skull of his fallen sibling,"Aha, A land full of fresh faces and fresh places! To which god do we owe the absolute pleasure of this gift? Is irt Her?" His grinning face suddenly tapers downward, pulling into a frown. No. No. No. Not Her. She would never. She wants only absolute obedience. She would never. She would not release him until his last breath is spent. "Yes, you're right. Foolish question. Well! No time to dilly or dally my dear, spirits call and our little changeling child has yet to be found! Shall we?" To his feet he rises, sprinting onward, practically prancing on deer-like limbs as he springs from place to place, even occasionally using a tree-trunk to spring himself at an angle too uncomfortable to be entirely natural until he comes to a forest clearing wherein the echoes of his voice do not bounce back to him as steadily or as easily and his ears prick and swivel to capture the minuscule sounds he can. The rustling grass. The winds through the trees. The boughs of branches creaking and swaying. Music to his ears. "Ah, so too do these woods sing! They sing of blood and broken hearts. The ache is a raw wound. A shame indeed." Regardless, he moves towards a nearby tree and taps it, claws rapping against the red-tinged bark until the grip is solid and he seems satisfied with the low, bent angle of it's recently-fallen corpse. Along it he climbs and crawls, toes spread before plopping himself in it's twisted boughs, lost amongst the leaves and branches of the toppled tree. "Now then... lets see if we can't ask a tree for directions, eh?" The skull he carries is tapped, a hollow 'conk' rapping through the bone as if it echoes its affirmation, and he closes his eyes. Someone will come. They always come. And when they do, he will have the information he seeks, whether they give it willingly or whether he has to pry it from their throat himself.

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

If Ransom were easy to spook, the male would have turned tail and ran away as the seemingly maniacal laughter rose from the heart of the woods. His ears twitched on top of his skull, electric purple eyes darting this way and that as he looked among the tree trunks in the distance to see if he could spy the owner of such laughter. Ransom could see no other living thing, but that didn't discourage him from finding the one who could cause such a racket. He heaved himself from his rest place near the base of a tree, his massive frame pausing once he was standing to shake leaves and debris from his coat.

Ransom broke out into a brisk trot, his long legs carrying him with purpose through the trees as he actively began to search for the one who occupied these woods with him currently. His head was raised, ears acting like radars to pick up the slightest of sounds. The brute didn't know how far he would have to travel until he located this other wolf, or if he even was still in these woods, but it was something to do. Ransom wanted to know what would cause one to laugh for so long and in such a fashion. Perhaps he told himself a joke.

The man could hardly contain his own amusement over his thoughts, and he nearly paid dearly for it. Had it not been for years of experience, he would have missed the dark male perched on top of a fallen tree to his right and ahead. From his position, he could only see the male's muscular back, but as he made his way toward the front of the tree quietly, he found himself aghast despite his usually calm demeanor.

Half the man's face was ripped clean off.

Ransom recovered relatively quickly, his stature correcting itself whilst clearing his throat. "I don't mean to intrude on your solitude. I heard laughter," he offered a smirk, "and I wondered if you wanted to tell me the punchline." Ransom reclined to sit on his haunches, his purple orbs remaining glued to the male poised on the fallen tree.

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

Eternal love only exists in distress

Like a moth to a flame. He need but sit and wait. He hears him far before he makes his way to the clearing---he can hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat, the light creaking of his joints within the sack of flesh they call a body. How long has it been since he found himself encased by a mortal vessel? ...Eh, long enough for him not to care. He folds a paw beneath his chin, his ceaseless grin only ever-widening as he stares through him with unseeing eyes, his unblinking gaze being unbroken and unwavering. The other paw tap. Tap. Tap. Taps along the wood beneath him, a steady beat that follows the rhythm of Ransom's heartbeat. His claw barely scrapes the bark, yet the sound it makes is audible enough for them both. "Ohohooo? To whom do I owe the pleasure? I was not at all expecting an audience though full glad am I to oblige!" In one motion--swift and smooth--he both rises to his feet and lurches forward, nearly slithering from his leafy perch to snake his way towards the other, coiling himself round and round and round in an ever-tightening circle like a buzzard over fresh meat. "Ahhh," he inhales deeply, the exhale of his breath coming out from between his exposed teeth in a plume of hot steam in the chill air,"One of those from the underbelly, ehh?" He leans in close, jaws unhinging ever so slightly as a breathy chuckle falls from his tattered lips,"Then perhaps you are just what I wanted. Now then," he draws up a shoulder, leaning in a bit too close-- a bit too intimate, a heated whisper against Ransom's ear as he lays out his demands,"Tell me... Any word of a changeling child found most recently? I seek.... a fallen star." Alas, he is aware that this man may not have the information he seeks, but he is not one to take without returning the favor, and so with a heady sigh he staggers back to stretch himself, broken-backed, over the fallen tree,"Ah,but there is no punchline, for no joke was told, though a conversation with my dearest sister may not prove as helpful as you as it is to me. Still, far be it from to refuse you an introduction," He slides the skull closer, it's bleached white bone etched through with charcoal stains along the browbone and jawline. Probably a lovely girl in life, though now nothing more than a gilded and decorated effigy of the dead. She had barely lost her milk teeth.


"Perhaps you'll find her a better conversational partner than I."

He unfolds himself, spider-thing legs unfurling as he moves back to all fours and pulls his haunches up beneath him to perch gargoyle-esque before him, head cocked owlishly to the side with grinning skull settled comfortably beneath his paw,"And perhaps instead, you can give me directions. There are fires for me to start."

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

Ransom arched a brow as he listened to the steady tapping of a paw against the fallen trunk, his head canting just so to the side as he attributed the sound to be in time with his own heartbeat. The question of who he was fell from the torn lips of the male, but Ransom hardly had a chance to respond before the lanky male was on the move, steadily closing the distance between them. "Ransom," he responded simply enough, his hackles nearly rising on the back of his skull as the man steadily tightened the looping path he made around him.

The hiss of breath caught Ransom's attention, but he was distracted from the gaping wound by the sudden appearance of warm breath against his ear. He was all for intimate touches, but there was a time and place for them. The inquiry was strange enough that it distracted Ransom from the bubbling irritation he felt in his chest. The man seemed to ramble on and on, talking about things Ransom had no information on, but he sorely wished he did. Had he a bit of news for this fellow, he might get more of a show. Then again, the dark male didn't know if that was worth it.

His attention was once again stolen as the man began to introduce him to a bleach white skull - the remains of his sister. Ransom didn't know if he should be disgusted, amused, intrigued, or a combination of the three, with a sprinkling of irritation to top it off. He was uncertain of what his feelings toward this man were, but they could have been worse. "Your sister is quite lovely. I do think her conversational skills could use some work, though," he pointed out, offering a semi-shrug before he drew himself back onto his haunches. "I'm afraid I've seen no stars save for a star that came from the ocean's depths."

In fact, he'd never tell a soul, but he still had the starfish stashed away.

"But I may be able to give you directions, yes. Where are you trying to get to, my good man?" Ransom paused a moment, his head tilting just so despite his better judgment. "And what do I call you?"

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Mercury

Eternal love only exists in distress

He cocks his head, watching him with that un-ending and ceaseless grin. His eyes did not blink, rather they simply bored through him. They barely even moved in his skull, remaining set and focused as the odd mercurial silver within them almost ebbed and flowed with the shifting of the light deep in the woods. He regards him with a curious sort of amusement, something that prickles at the corners of his tattered lips and earns a bubbling chuckle from deep within his chest and throat,"Ah yes. A star from the earth," he sighs almost wistfully. In another life, he had perhaps once been a creature of the sea, for as it stands he gives off the weird uncannyness of a deep-sea thing, something that slithers on the land and would yet flow through the boundless of shadow. Instead, he brings his paw to his chest almost dramatically and heaves out a theatric sigh,"Ah, how long has it been since I have been gifted a glimpse of the sunless sea? Even longer since it has deigned to gift me boons from it's depths. How lovely for you!" he chirps, though the amusement in his tone belies the honesty with which he speaks. After a moment, he sighs and spins the skull around to face him, speaking more to her than to Ransom,"I seek a way into the castle. Not literal fires to cause, mind you. That would cause too much blatant chaos and it is much easier to let those random rats that scurry about be the ones to sow the seeds of various things...But beyond that, I seek a way to hidden lands. Somewhere the fae may dance, that is likely where I'm to find a lost star, no?"

He rolls his spine upwards as he perches in closer and lifts his unseeing eyes towards Ransom once again, head cocked to the side almost horizontally to the ground. "My name? I have many names. Been called many things...How about you pick one for me, Incognito?" He's not one to give his name so easily. Not without getting something in return, anyway.

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

Ransom found he had very little to say in response to the male as he discussed the merits of a star found beneath the sea. The wistful sigh was most definitely noted, but the dark male wasn’t interested in the reasons for it. He found sentimental things to be a waste of time, truthfully. He nodded absently, his relaxed position remaining intact despite the odd fellow he held company with. Finally, after some prompting and questions, Ransom would learn the truth behind what the man sought. He was looking for a way into the castle, a sentiment which earned a distasteful twist of the dark male’s maw. The brute had seen the crowning jewel of the royals from a distance, but Ransom wasn’t a man who enjoyed the rule of pompous assholes, so he steered as far away from it as he could. He feared he wouldn’t be the right guide for his theatrical companion, but the words that followed earned a curious tilt of his head.

“I might be able to assist you with the fae,” he announced, his electric purple gaze remaining trained on his company. The declaration that he’d been called many things earned a cocked brow, but there was little Ransom would do to sway the man’s mind. If he simply wished to be called anything, then he could surely pull a name out of thin air, couldn’t he? “If I must. How about I call you… Thespian?”

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Mercury

Eternal love only exists in distress

He listens, his head cocking from side to side as if there is a rhythm he can hear and he seeks to find it's source. Perhaps this is not so far from the truth. His tattered lips peel into a wry smile, and he rises back to his feet to gather the grinning skull before speaking,"Ah, that seems more like an observation than a name, though I can't say I'm opposed to a new title!" the Seer laughs. In truth, he has learned through his myriad of lives--or thoughts?-- that sentimentality can oft be a boon, especially when one knows when and where to use it. In this case, however, it would be useless and instead his attention is successfully pulled from his own innermost thoughts at the prospect of being informed of the fae. Though his eyes are unseeing, little more than silvery-white orbs, glazed over in the sockets of his skull, he affixes his attention on Ransom's face, and it is...perhaps eerie. "Yeesssss, the kindly wanderer does indeed have information for me! Perfect. Do tell--don't keep me in suspense! Why, I don't think my little heart could take it." He sways on his feet, the action strangely fluid as he bonelessly settles down in a heap with the skull clutched within his paws.

His countenance belies his actual thoughts though, even as they again turn inwards--he must find some way to infiltrate that castle. Were it left up to him, rubbing elbows with the monarchy would be the least of his concerns. He desired nothing less than absolute chaos--anarchy would be a small price to pay on the path to retribution and real freedom. So what if a few skulls had to get broken along the way? So what if a few regents had to be overthrown along the way? All is fair in love and war, as they say. And if it were up to him, war would not be the past-tense.

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

“Observations can make suitable names if they fit, don’t you think?” In truth, Ransom wasn’t a man who thought it fun to have to name those around him, but he supposed he could humor the stranger before him. He would just have to see where this encounter led him. So far, it seemed like he’d be giving what knowledge he had of the fae to his companion, and then be on his merry way to his next destination. He didn’t have one in mind, but his legs were capable of moving him from place to place.

“It’s said the fae can be found in Tir Na Nog. It’s a mountain range in the Highlands. I’m afraid I don’t know how to find them necessarily, though you might have some luck speaking to a highlander.” Ransom hadn’t been around long enough to know all the lore that pertained to the lands, but he knew enough to prove himself useful. He cocked his skull to the side, his purple eyes trained on the male before him. “What purpose do you have with the castle?” While Ransom didn’t know of a way inside its walls himself, he was always a bit of an anarchist himself. “I never was one for authority. While I can’t help you get inside, maybe I can assist you in other ways.”

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Mercury

Eternal love only exists in distress

He shrugs, and the action is distinctly more devious than one would assume. Perhaps it is the unyielding, cheshire grin that accompanies it, or the way his jaw angles over his shoulder so that his vacant eyes seem to bore into Ransom's person. Or perhaps it is something altogether different, but there is a lack of innocence in the action that implies chaos is on the menu for some order. "Why, perhaps I just want to visit some historic landmarks. Mayhaps I just want to see what all the ruckus is about. Why, authority is quite the interest of mine. I only wish to see how it runs." This seems almost entirely untrue. There is a possibility that he speaks a twisted half-truth--indeed, he DOES want to visit some landmarks. He does want to know what this war had been for, and he certainly wishes to know how this authority runs. It is, after all, far easier to break a chain when one knows how the links connect, and which one of them is the weakest. He is methodical, and patient, and knows his limits. He would not run tits-out into a brawl--not yet, anyway. He must build up his skills, build up his knowledge, and then wait. He lifts a paw and waves it lazily by his head, turning the joint of his wrist in a manner that seems painfully disjointed, causing it to click loudly as if the cartilage that is supposed to keep it steady has long since wilted away, leaving only the grinding of bone on bone,"A highlander. A second time I've heard this phrase. And, how am I supposed to discern a highlander from any other land-er?" he asks, a hint of amusement beginning to creep its way into his voice. "I'll find some way towards mountains you speak of, which is more than enough. Now, no information is given for free...what do you desire of me?"

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

Ransom was always extremely observant, given his upbringing, so it was no surprise that he easily picked up on the half-truths that dripped from the imperfections of a carefully crafted dam. There wasn't enough substance for Ransom to be able to say for sure what Mercury had planned, but he found himself intrigued to find out more about it. "If you're a history buff, I would definitely suggest you check out the castle then," he responded, a simple shrug following his words to copy the nonchalant expression. The man's follow-up question of how one differentiated between highlander's and other land-er's caused a smirk to curl the corner of his maw up.

"Scent, mostly. If you're uncertain of what one smells like then I suggest heading to their lands. As I mentioned earlier, the mountain range is within their territory. Mayhaps you'll get lucky on your way and run into one on your travels, no?" The question of what he wanted was not as simple to answer as you may have thought. He wasn't a man who simply asked for things without first thinking about it. He was stratgetic, after all. He could ask for something now and wind up needing something at a later date. That simply wasn't an option for Ransom.

"Is it necessary to pick my favor right now? I have feeling our paths may cross again."

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Mercury