( closed. )

[serve]

Who: Frankenstein (serve) & others
What: Event starters + monthly catchall
When: September
Where: Flona Cove, likely other places
Warning(s): Violence in at least one thread, sex in another. Looks away.


(( Starters below in the comments!

If you would like a custom starter, feel free to PM/hit up baklava! I'm very open to new CR, just not crazy about writing toplevels right now. :D ))

Comments

[serve]

Yes, I've heard accounts of the difficulties those before us faced. Thank you for paving the way for those who would come after you.

[ He doesn't like the idea that other people had to suffer for him, finding that such a struggle would have been preferable to being brainwashed into thinking he led a false life.

He watches Ein curiously. Unfortunately, Frankenstein has been relaxing in the water for some time now, which means that the more he thinks about the other man leaving, the more he finds himself disappointed. ]

I don't mean to keep you. You fell in by accident, didn't you?

[expendable]

No, not at all-- [ It's not clear if Ein means that Frankenstein isn't keeping him, or that he didn't fall in by accident. It's in all likelihood both, but the boy is too flustered to clarify. He just runs a hand through his hair again, shrugging a little helplessly. ]

I was... exploring this cove. I simply... failed to notice I was intruding until it was too late.

[ Is it just him, or does the water feel more... comfortable this way? He can't quite place his finger on how or why, but he finds himself shivering from the water evaporating off his arms and chest. He should sit, submerge himself into the warmth of the lagoon. ]

Would you... care for some company? We seemed to have a pleasant time, ah, before.

[ The 'before' in which Frankenstein learned details of Ein's current employ and took it in stride, which relieves the boy greatly in this moment. ]

[serve]

[ That particular memory makes him laugh, and he at least has the gall to look sheepish. ]

A pleasant time? What a diplomatic way of putting it. I'm a little embarrassed thinking about it...

[ Embarrassed remembering that they cuddled for warmth, that is, something completely unrelated to Ein's employment. He draws a little closer now, taking a seat by Ein's side. Normally, he is the type of man to prefer privacy, and to keep distance between himself and another party, but right now, it feels trivial to worry about something like that. ]

You're welcome to join me, of course. We could all use a little bit of relaxation after everything we've been through.

[expendable]

[ At the invitation, Ein settles himself in with little hesitation, though Frankenstein's words do give him pause. Once he's seated next to his companion, he turns to face him with a deeply solemn expression. ]

Please, do not be embarrassed. Virtual reality though it was, it was real enough in that moment. Even here, now, I still remember how bitterly cold we were.

I'm glad to have been of service.

[serve]

That's true. And you're not bad company, either.

[ He's so formal. Even compared to Frankenstein, whose language is rarely anything short of extremely polite.

He finds himself drawing even closer. It should be a strange and alarming feeling, but it feels weirdly natural. Odd. ]

[expendable]

Is... Is that so?

[ Compliments fluster Ein unfailingly and like little else, causing him to tense briefly as he bristles from the sheer unexpectedness of it. It's not the compliments from Frankenstein are particularly shocking, more that praise is a rare thing to Ein's ears. ]

I would... expect someone like you to keep far better company than the likes of me. I'm glad to hear I'm, ah. Satisfactory.

[serve]

Hmm. Your self-esteem is that bad, huh?

[ Either that, or he was very humble. He remembers this side of him, too, and wonders what else there is to know. Tentatively, he places a hand on the other's shoulder, and marvels at how immediately, he feels a strange comfort about him.

There must be other things at play here, yet again. ]

Forgive me. [ Reluctantly, he pulls away. ] I fear there's something messing with my perception again, though not as drastically as before.

[expendable]

You are welcome to it, if it brings you comfort. I had very few such interactions when I was a soldier, but I'm accustomed to it now.

[ Ein offers this quickly, softly, venturing a wobbly, conflicted sort of smile. He's not sure this is the right sort of thing to be saying, but he doesn't want Frankenstein to feel as though he did anything untoward. ]

It's not a bridge we haven't already crossed, after all. [ He adds this in a mumble, looking embarrassed himself. Then he pauses, reflecting on the thing Frankenstein said just prior to touching him. ]

...I've never really thought about my self-esteem before. I was always a part of something, a greater whole. But I suppose I've always been this way. I did know other soldiers who were quite proud of who they were and what they had accomplished.

It's still strange to me sometimes, being here. Away from all the prejudices and hardships I'd known all my life.

How has your transition been, thus far...?

[serve]

[ Indeed, it wasn’t a bridge they hadn’t already crossed. It’s a strange thought for Frankenstein, someone who has been so removed from typical human comforts and indulgences that he scarcely considers himself a human anymore. He hasn’t for hundreds of years. He was, true to the legends spread by others who exaggerated his life, human by birth, monster by design. He had considered himself above such desires, and so it is doubly strange that merely touching Ein is enough to inspire emotions he has long considered things of the past.

The closest he has felt to attraction, after all, is the utter and unquestionable devotion he feels towards his master, the Noblesse. It is a bond deeper than love, but not at all romantic or sexual.

This is different. He finds himself wondering how the rest of Ein’s body might look like this, flushed with embarrassment.

But he listens, as well, keeping these strange desires at bay for the time being. ]

I see. True to the act you put on during the Virtual Reality, your background truly is military, then. [ The way he speaks of it, he must know war as well, then. For what sort of cause did this man fight for? It seems too prying, but perhaps he could ask someday. ]

You and I are completely different in that respect. Maybe we can learn something from each other. You should be more selfish, especially now that we’ve all been forced to essentially start our lives over. [ He gives a little laugh and looks down wistfully. He was a man who had completely rejected even being a part of human society, of the limitations of his own species. Always an outsider, constantly seeking to improve his capabilities at the expense of others. He isn’t like that anymore, not since finding a purpose in protecting others and his master, but it’s still a strange concept to consider.

Not making another move towards him, though something in his blood wills him to, he turns back to Ein. ] And speaking of being selfish, I’m only going to move closer if you want me to. Not because you allow and tolerate it.