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disinfernus · 4 months

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Star light, Star bright

TIMING: early november. LOCATION: wormwoods, between wormrow and downtown. PARTIES: @ariadnewhitlock & @disinfernus SUMMARY: dis steals from a corpse (i'm not dead yet!) and araidne stumbles upon them. she's rightfully concerned! CONTENT: none!

Dīs was never quite sure of what they might come across during an evening walk. It was always quite the mystery, but that made the usually quiet leisurely exercise exciting. There was the prospect of walking away with a treasure, after all, and that thought alone was enough to keep the night strolls to an almost daily schedule.

That night had been a little different. The pendant that came to be in their possession came from a corpse that was not quite dead yet. A surprise, considering how still they lay amidst the clovers. The clearing sat fairly close to public view and up along the forest edge. The grass was trodden; people definitely used this trail. How did the body get here? What caused this? And why were they still alive? Ah well, it made no difference to them. The body was a waste but their golden valuable held tenderly against breastbone would have to do.

The blood was — the blood was a lot. Whatever did it likely couldn’t be too far, so Dīs started to turn on heel, to leave the dying man and clean up their new treasure — and their clothes. The human’s red was hidden within the darkness of their top, but there was plenty on their hands to make them look guilty.

She should have been in bed with Wynne, but Ariadne also knew that she had to probably let them have some kind of space. It was only reasonable for the both of them. Wasn’t it?

Shaking any doubts from her mind, she made her way around the edge of the forest, breathing in the cool night air, trying to ground herself. Or something. What she hadn’t expected was to look up and see with her (unfortunately) perfect vision. Which did mean, though, that she saw someone with red on their hands.

For a moment, Ariadne wondered if red gloves were suddenly in fashion (she wasn’t sure who she was supposed to ask to confirm this), except that the red seemed far too scattered and far too wet for it to be gloves. Which meant it was blood, wasn’t it? She recoiled for a moment, but she couldn’t just run away, could she? Cass was a hero, and so maybe she could help save somebody, somehow.

“Uh, hey.” She tried to make herself taller, fighting the urge to shrink into herself. “What are you up to out here, so late, uh, yeah?”

They saw the young woman before they heard her speak. Their hands busied themselves within the folds of their coat, hoping to rid themself of the evidence. It was dark out — very dark out, except for the light of the moon. Silhouettes dared to disappear completely within pockets of shadow.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Dīs returned casually and tried to keep their voice light without any hint of defensiveness. They weren’t sure of how successful they were; the question itself raised a red flag, of course. Who else but the guilty turned the question back like that?

A brief silence fell after their query, but they hurried to fill it quickly with a secondary answer, one to hopefully placate any potential suspicions. Not that she should be suspicious, of course — the man was already dying when they got there. “I’m on a walk… I don’t sleep very well. I’m assuming that is why you’re out here as well?”

“That’s true – you could ask me that! You probably should!” Because she was a monster, but at the same time, Ariadne very much did not want this man to ask her what she was doing or what she was, as a matter of fact, at all. “I – please – um, don’t?” Which probably wasn’t the best thing to say, if she wanted to throw off suspicion.

“Yes. That is why!” She wasn’t sure if she’d ever come off this enthusiastic in her talking, but maybe, right now, she had to. Had to do something to show that she wasn’t actually some terrifying freakish monster. Or that it made sense for someone who still looked like a teenager (and, Ariadne supposed, technically was – being nineteen-almost-twenty when she died and all) to be wandering around at night. “Awful bout of chronic insomnia.” She shrugged. “But I – your hands? Are you okay?”

Dīs furrowed their brows down. Now it was their turn to feel suspicion. Could they turn this around and get out without much issue? Doubtful. There would have to be some tricky word play and the right beats to hit for them to avoid lingering in her memories. The shadows could take them easily, but there was something else there beneath the catching light of the moon that gave them pause. Flashes of red, vivid like rubies, broke through the inky black darkness.

Curious. “Insomnia seems to be a popular blight in Wicked’s Rest.” Not for them, of course — being nocturnal had its perks. “It’s a bit.. Late, though, don’t you think? To be out by yourself. Most wouldn’t dare it.” Most were humans too fearful of the terrors that hid behind the treeline and in the caves. The ones that did dare tended to be those same terrors. Dīs curled their hands in, fingers having rubbed against each other with discomfort. They kept their arms to their sides now, bathed in shadow. She already caught sight of the blood, but maybe if they kept them out of the limelight, they’d fade away into obscurity.

“I’m.. I’m going home now, to wash this off. I don’t have a cloth with me.” Keep it obscure, keep it vague. “I’ll be alright, though.” Their shadow, a beautiful thing, stretched itself eagerly and slipped, blanket-like over the now lifeless corpse. The dark would hide it well if she didn’t look hard enough, but those eyes — if she was what they assumed, the darkness would be pointless.

“Yes, I’m not some sort of scientist or doctor or anything but there does seem to be a lot of that here.” Ariadne wondered if she could be considered an insomniac, now, given that she didn’t physically have to sleep. It seemed as though it was something that deserved a category of its own.

It was late, and Ariadne faked a yawn, hoping maybe they hadn’t seen her eyes. “It is late, you’re right, but it’s also beautiful, so I suppose I just got caught up in that?” At least she was trying to find a new perspective on the beauty of the night, because it wasn’t exactly something that came so easily, now. It used to be easy to adore everything the night had to offer, and she still loved the stars and the way the air felt, but being so much a part of the night wasn’t something that sat too easily with her.

“You can borrow uh, a handkerchief.” If she had one. Which she hoped she did. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Ariadne looked up at him with wide eyes, forgoing the hope that they hadn’t seen her eyes. If they hadn't commented yet, then maybe it was alright?

Insomnia didn’t come to those that were dead, at least that was what they assumed the young woman was — dead. Or rather, undead. They weren’t well versed in what species hid in the cornucopia that was Wicked’s Rest, but they knew of one other who’s eyes behaved the same. Assumptions, though, could be disastrous — and at worst, deadly. She didn’t seem the type to kill, though again, a downed guard could spell tragedy for the nymph.

“Perhaps that’s the reason for so many who lack sleep: they can’t bear to look away?” They questioned, rhetorical in nature, but it did have its merit — the city was a strange one, filled with magic and decay. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch if it lured people in that way, with its inescapable beauty. “You should go home, though. The night is as beautiful as it is dangerous.” It wasn’t just what lurked within the shadows that could cause harm — it was the shadows themselves.

The offer was kind, but would it help to get them out of there sooner rather than later? A gamble. That’s all this interaction was. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to mess anything of yours up. Yes, yes… I’ll be fine.” Their questioning on whether or not the girl was dead or not should have been geared towards the body that lay behind them, hidden in the dark, but not quite dead yet. A pained, but low sounding, moan escaped the confines of the shadow, giving attention to something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

“That’s – very possible, yes, I agree.” Ariadne pulled her arms around her body. “The night is beautiful, and I always used to go stargazing with my parents, so…” Their question hadn’t needed any sort of answer, but she’d answered anyway, in part because she was worried about seeming rude. Yes, even to a stranger that she’d run into in the middle of the woods. Which might’ve not been the best idea, but said stranger was being relatively accepting of her strange behavior, so she’d happily take that energy and run with it. She liked making people feel safe, and had a distinct lack of ability to do that as often now as she’d used to.

“You should go too. I don’t want you to get into danger, either.” They seemed nice, even if there was the whole unexplained blood on their hands. Also yes – it’s fine, I can always wash it, or find something else to do with it.” Ariadne did her best to not hop around too anxiously. Then there was a moaning from somewhere, and her immediate response was, “I didn’t do that!” Because of course she was a monster, and she was capable of horrible things, but this hadn’t been her. “I – did you hear that, I mean?”

Dīs couldn’t help the feeling that she was deliberately following close behind, conversationally speaking, but she didn’t seem to pose as much of a threat - if at all - so they didn’t really mind. She seemed more nervous than they did, truthfully. “Do you still stargaze on your own?” They heard themself ask as they started to close the gap between them, their intent to lead them away from the death that lingered.

“Then come, no sense in persisting here any longer.” No, Dīs didn’t want to leave yet, not with the body still exposed. Once they were a certain distance away, the shadows would recede, making their crime visible to all that passed by. They’d have to circle back after she was gone to take care of the corpse, but they weren’t sure how long that would be. Would the body still be there afterward? The lampade gave pause in their efforts in cleaning the blood off their hands once she was certain it was alright for them to do so.

Dīs pursed their lips. They had already stepped ahead of the young woman, maybe a step or two. The idea of her being in closer proximity to the body made them feel uneasy. “Hear what?” It wasn’t a “no”, so the hurt was avoided for now, but it meant further investigation on either her part or theirs. “What do you mean, you didn’t do it?” They asked instead, hoping the change in topic would pull her attention away.

“Sometimes I do, yeah!” Maybe the added nod was a bit too enthusiastic, but it was genuine, and Ariadne figured that that was what mattered, right? She told herself the answer to that was yes, if only to further comfort herself. “It’s nice to be reminded of what makes the night so beautiful.” She needed more reminders now that she was part of the night, and a very bad part of the night at that.

She nodded to their remark. “Coming, yeah.” Ariadne began to walk alongside them, though they were tall (even compared to her – not that she was tall tall, just tall-ish tall), and she thought that she had to make a certain effort to keep up with them, but that wasn’t so bad at all. It was almost nice, even if she did feel a certain sense of nerves, all bundled up and confusing. Her perfect night-vision cut through the dark of the forest, though she was far more interested in the person next to her than whatever else was going on.

It was a certain thrill, to not be absolutely terrified. Not that Ariadne wasn’t scared at all, but to, at least in this one (possibly brief) moment, be able to look around a dark forest in awe was pretty incredible. “I – nothing. I don’t know, I thought I heard something.” She straightened up, fully intent on playing the part of not scared at all, even if that brief moment had been just that – brief. Far too ephemeral. “I didn’t make the noise is what I mean. There’s nothing else for me to not have done. I don’t think. Right?” She looked up at them.

Ever since they’d been ejected from the safety of their catacombs, they found the distant twinkling of the white and gold stars to be comforting. They liked the way they looked to be permanently pressed into the velvet sky. Some would shoot across, of course, but the constant ones were nice to look at. They were grounding, in a way.

“No,” Dīs returned, almost a little too defensively at first, “you can not see the stars during the day, can you? Not without one of those… telescopes.” The lampade gave a sweeping glance across the dark, navy black curtain that hung over the earth. “The stars don’t make the night beautiful. The night makes them beautiful.” They softened their tone, but they weren’t about to let space rocks and gas take the credit for their own splendor.

She thought she heard something; that wasn’t exactly comforting, but the forest was also full of creatures and flora that could have potentially made that sound. They couldn’t risk her wanting to head back, in case her curiosity overwrote her fear, unless she was actually really cool with murder. “No, you’re fine,” Dīs placated, or at least tried to. “The woods are alive, it would be foolish to think we are alone.” Other than the very real human body that rested some feet from them, there were plenty else to keep them company.

“Do you live far from here?”

“You can’t.” She responded immediately, not even having to think about any of it for a moment. Because she’d used to beg her parents to let her see stars at all times, and they’d explained how even though they existed during the day, the sun was the only one you could properly see at that time. Which had disappointed Ariadne, but only given her more of an appreciation for what she could see at night.

Now, though, the stars were not nearly as comforting as they’d been in her childhood, no matter how much Ariadne did still have an immense fondness for them. She’d made every active effort she could to ensure that she did still find comfort in them. She was part of the night now, and it made sense in some sort of desperately confusing way, that she’d be even more connected to the stars now than she ever was before. “Ah, well, I guess that kind of makes sense.” She shrugged. “I think the two of them magnify each one’s beauty, maybe? But like obviously to each their own, I’m not disagreeing with you at all though!! Just so we’re like, super duper clear.” She didn’t want to make them annoyed or frustrated or anything even remotely close to any of that.

“Ha! So true.” Ariadne winced at how fake her own voice sounded, but there was no use in backtracking now. “I suppose that’s both alarming and a comfort, to know you can go into the woods and never really be alone. There’s some musical song about that.” She shook her head. “That’s not important. I – yeah, well ish. I live in an apartment Downtown with my cousin.” She paused. “How about you?”

They knew that, but stating so would be like beating a dead horse and they wanted to get her away from the murderous evidence as quickly as possible. They figured keeping their mouth shut was the best way to do that. Her need to placate wasn’t lost on Dīs, but they couldn’t be sure if it was because of the situation or if that was just her. They would store that information for later, just in case.

A hum escaped them in response to her; of course they didn't agree with her, but they did have their own fixed sockets in their head that emitted the most radiant light. It would be hypocritical of them not to acknowledge their own light source. Two stars lost in a pool of black ink. They had to wonder if their light was stronger than that of celestial bodies.

“It’s an opinion.. You’re allowed to have it. Even if I don’t share it.”

Dīs offered her a nod. “It is the way it has been and the way it always will be.” Cryptic, but one would be hard pressed not to find a pair of eyes fixed on you in the woods. There were all manner of beasts that called it home, some more deadly than the others. “Wormrow,” the truth, but not the entirety of it. “So, I suppose that means we are on opposite sides of this wood. It’s fine.” They waved off as they continued onward. “I will walk you there, if you’d like. Or to the street - or to any sign of civilization. I know the Whye River has a better view of the stars than these trees do.”

At least they seemed receptive to her back-and-forth behavior – whatever it could really be called. The two of them were talking about stars and Ariadne was, on top of all that, doing her absolute best to think about all the good things about nighttime, rather than the very many scary and otherwise alarming things. Which she was part of. But she wasn’t going to feed on the other person right by her, she wasn’t even hungry (though the growl of her stomach said otherwise), and soon they’d both be on their ways.

Whatever sound she’d heard must have not been anything important, or even anything at all.

“Oh, you don’t have to share it! That’s fine! Everyone sees things differently and thinks about things differently and I wouldn’t wanna make somebody feel like they had to think the same way that I do.” Which was likely far too much to say, but Ariadne had already said it, and so that was that.

She knew Wormrow from Wynne, and she hoped that this person was also staying safe, because she also knew Wormrow from growing up in town and how it wasn’t always so safe. “I think I’d like that.” Especially because they didn’t seemed bothered by the red glow of her eyes, and they probably-maybe knew this forest better than she did, at least at the moment. “Lead the way.”

“I didn’t think that was your intention,” they returned with assurance. They didn’t think she had any, really, other than to enjoy the evening out when it was them that she ran into. She wasn’t the one with blood on her hands. They did think she was wrong, though. “It’s… Nice to know, though.” Not everyone they knew subscribed to her way of thinking; they’d endured them for too long. Dīs was glad their walking partner was better than that.

The lampade nodded, grateful she was keen to leave the woods instead of linger. Not many people would be that trusting with someone they had just met, especially where there were more feral things than conscious beings. Her eyes told them she could probably hold her own, though, that she was more than the fragile nature of humans. “Just this way, then,” Dīs directed. They carried themself slowly to keep with the young woman, happy to point out and talk about the stars that littered the clear, dark sky.

Even though they needed to head in the other direction, they figured the forest could have the body left there. A thanks, in a way, for letting them out with nothing but chit chat and cool air.

#thread #thread; star light star bright #tr; ariadne w

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