[open] November catch-all

[theforgottenboy]

Who: Cole & you
What: General shenanigans
Where: Around the void
When: Post-event and throughout November
Content Warnings: that one statue. you know the one.

Prompts are in the toplevels, but you can make your own if you want to wildcard it!


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A: Naptime

[theforgottenboy]

[While needing to sleep isn't painful the way needing to eat was, Cole still isn't fond of having to deal with yet another new need. At least for sleep he doesn't need to find anything specific like with eating, in theory. He can just lie down and let it happen.]

[And since he hasn't claimed any space as "his," that's just what he does, taking off his hat and curling up with it beneath a tree in the forest- along with a chicken nug that decided to huddle up against him. With the way darkness blankets him while he's asleep, that makes him fairly easy to spot by both people and wildlife.]

[Maybe you spot his localized darkness bubble while stormclouds are gathering overhead, or perhaps there's the glowing eyes of one of the horned furry metal creatures setting its sights on him and his companion…]

[forceofnature]

Hey you.

[Cole's slumber is shortly interrupted by an actual stick picking his actual face. Viridi and 'etiquette' rarely go together in the same sentence.]

Yeah -- Scarecrow. Wake up.

[The poking will continue until he stirs.]

[theforgottenboy]

[It doesn't take too much poking to wake him, the dark around him lifting a bit as he blinks groggily at her. The chicken nug is content to just let all this happen.]

Hello?

[He's a little confused, and sleepy. Why is he being poked?]

[forceofnature]

Oh, neat, you are a person. I thought you might just be a particularly dark bundle of sticks.

[Viridi drops the long branch she had been using to annoy him.]

Anyway, I wanted to ask you if the thing with the horns and the glowing eyes and the drool over there is your pet.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Look, Kaiba was not enthused by the whole needing to sleep thing- but this was the first time he was witnessing it from an outside perspective. The darkness that encompassed the inert form made it impossible to determine who was encapsulated inside. He circled the tree puzzling over the phenomenon. He knew that when the sensation overcame him, that things seems to fade out of focus and the lights dimmed but he thought that could be contributed more to the sensation of being overwhelmed by exhaustion more than anything so literal.

Tempted to just leave the bubble of nighttime alone, that changed when he caught sight of the eyes that were still in the distance at this juncture but close enough to be a concern]

If there's anyone in there- you're about to become something's lunch. I doubt that's what you're going for.

[theforgottenboy]

[Kaiba's voice is enough to stir him awake, though what he actually says is a bit lost in the process. Still, the darkness lessens a bit as he returns to consciousness, though he's still sleepy as he lifts his head to peer at the source of what woke him.]

...What?

[Sorry he didn't hear you, he was, y'know, sleeping.]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Getting a response at least seems to confirm a few details for him. There is someone in there, and this is how the world is interpreting night. At least with the darkness being focused on a centralized location anyone that is not tired won't be hindered by it.]

Move it, or lose it.

[Not offering much in the way of details the second time. How he hated to repeat himself. It became a little easier to see who he was speaking to and although the face was familiar it had been a considerable amount of time since they'd last spoken. The guy still had one of them bald chickens with him... that was a ... thing]

[realway]

[ a silent and uneventful walk through the woods is about to take a turn. ahsoka, literally, makes a turn down the path she's on and comes across two things.

first is cole, sleeping restfully. though the dark bubble is strange, she's not about to wake him up over something that may not be a big deal. it's probably just another weird thing the world is forming.

the second is the pair of glowing eyes hauntingly staring from not too far. the beast takes a tentative step forward, not deterred by the presence of a waking person, and ahsoka frowns at it. this... might not be good. she remains still and looking directly at the beast, but starts to nudge cole's side with the side of her foot. ]

Cole.

[ she whispers hushed but with urgency, hoping she can get him to stir awake. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[She successfully wakes him, sort of. He's groggy, the darkness not entirely fading as he pushes himself up to get away from the nudging.]

Yes, I'm Cole...

[It's a sleepy mumble. The chicken nug shuffles about a bit at the movement before settling back in next to Cole.]

just throws it on here

[bachagain]

[ well. they've had their talk and now they're... friends, which is a good thing. of course, having that confirmed means leo's a bit more tentative about losing something that feels as fragile as them, especially with all he's heard of him. the last thing cole needs is another failed friendship, or another stretch of loneliness that he doesn't deserve.

which is why leo's going to be as obnoxious as possible for as long as he can.

this isn't one of these moments when he's specifically out looking for cole, though he has been on his mind for the past couple of days, as leo's been working on a little... something. regardless of that, however, leo'd always stop upon seeing cole.

given the cute image of cole snuggled up with a chicken nug? extra gonna stop. he'll settle on down next to a tree just out of reach of the darkness and work on a song he's got going (that aforementioned thing he's been working on) as he waits for him to wake up, humming quietly to himself.

for once, leo is Not A Disaster. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole is oblivious to any of this for a little while longer, though the quiet humming is eventually enough to lull him awake, if slowly. The dark doesn't fade completely as he lifts his head a bit and rubs at his eyes. It's not that he's never slept before, but it still feels pretty weird after going so long without the need.]

[As he awakens, it also becomes clearer that he shouldn't be hearing humming in this place. He has to go out to the white edges of the world for that. He blinks around and- oh.]

Leo.

[How long has he been there?]

B: Respite

[theforgottenboy]

[Normally, Cole doesn't spend much time in the white void surrounding the more real parts of the world. But he's out there now, crouched beside one of the bits of Leo's music embedded in the white ground. He just stays there, studying the music he can't read, until he hears that disembodied voice begin to hum it for him in the distance.]

[And he closes his eyes, holding his knees and rocking slightly as he listens.]

[abeautifulgame]

[after his conversation with Ren, Damien just -- needs to be somewhere else, for awhile. so, while he's not usually one to come out this far, either, he's out wandering the Void, himself. he's brought a marker with him, intent on vandalizing the blank, white space to make himself feel better, when he came out this way, though he's not sure he has the heart for it, now. maybe he won't. maybe he will, just later. right now, though, he's just so fucking tired, albeit not physically, the light around him still bright enough]

[the honeymoon period is, once again, over. he and this place are fucking done, professionally. he -- ]

[ -- and then he hears the music, spots Cole, and for all that he wants to be left alone at the moment, he still finds himself drawn in that direction in spite of himself] You know, there's music in the books, too. [but maybe he needed to be alone, too. maybe he should just go. fuck this place]

[theforgottenboy]

[The rocking stops only briefly when Damien speaks, his head tilting slightly to acknowledge his presence without fully looking up. Damien is quiet inside again, or rather, he can't hear him or anyone else anymore. At least he's safe now.]

The books don't sing to you.

[bridge_princess]

[The white void was the sort of place she went out into from time to time. It was her studies and curiosities that brought her out here. She wanted to be sure about the nature of the gunk that was out here. So, when she saw him in the midst of all the white, he stood out.

Curious again, she made her way over, when she saw him there, rocking back and forth and knelt down herself, curious.]

mmm, what has you out here?

[theforgottenboy]

[He heard her approaching when she came close, but he only glances over after she speaks.]

I'm listening.

C: Art

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole has avoided Messiah for the most part after Hornet made it clear it was hers, but with the new train system it's easier to access, and he's sure these places weren't here before, and they don't look like the parts that were hers. So it's probably fine to look around, right?]

[Which is how he finds himself in the art gallery. He's not entirely sure what the purpose of this place is, but it seems nice. Pretty. Not dangerous, at least. And plenty of food, though it's not supposed to be eaten, according to the signs. He's not sure why, but he leaves the statues be.]

[He'll stop to stare at the David statue for a while. He's pretty sure that's actually a mushroom and not what it's supposed to be, and yet, it doesn't look out of place. Huh.]

They do look like mushrooms…

[He learned something new today.]

[memorate]

That's because that is a mushroom.

[ Cloud himself is pretty unimpressed with the statue, but he's never been one for art anyway. Was the mushroom supposed to be part of the display or did somebody just put it there? He doesn't get it. ]

Someone must've thought it was funny.

[theforgottenboy]

[He recognizes Cloud from the bar, though he's never directly spoken to him before. His head tilts as he looks between him and the mushroom.]

Is it funny?

[It does seem like something Sera would find funny, come to think of it.]

Closed to Leo

[theforgottenboy]

[The relief of the nightmare being over is brief. The way this place is, he can't know for sure how much of what happened was real, and how much was only real in their minds.]

[Everything is silent again, though. It feels as stifling as it did when he first arrived.]

[But if that part wasn't real, then does Leo still remember him outside the dream...?]

[That part doesn't matter. He does want to make sure Leo is better now, though.]

[So he seeks him out, starting his search above ground. He'd prefer not to go underground for a while, but if he can't find Leo then that's where he'll look next.]

[bachagain]

[ it's unexpected, to be honest, running into cole when he decides to step outside of the apartments for just a moment. it's not like the guilt of what he did ever really left, but seeing cole face-to-face like this has leo's heart leaping into his throat. he's... relieved, of course. while simultaneously being so, so anxious of the deserved consequences of what he did.

leo's not ready, but that doesn't matter. at least cole... seems okay. enough to look for him, he thinks, which um, honestly, makes leo feel a little more like shit. he should've been the one to do that.

his gaze goes to cole's shoulder, the image of a sword flashing through his mind before he speaks: ]

... Ko. I-- [ ahahaha. ] Um... You okay? How's your shoulder...?

[ he'll make sure of that first before descending into asking for forgiveness he doesn't deserve. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[There he is. It's a relief to see him unharmed... but beyond that, he's not entirely sure how to feel. Despite that, he approaches him easily enough.]

...You remember.

[He doesn't say it with any surprise, just confirmation. So that was only real in the dream. He's not sure that's a good thing.]

There's a scar, but that's all. It wasn't real otherwise.

[If he's expecting consequences, he's about to be sorely disappointed... or something.]

I didn't want to leave, but Sena could help you better than I could. I wanted to make sure you're not hurting now. I can go after that.

[The nightmare had been messing with Leo's head, he knows that, but the reminder of what he is, that he's always going to be forgotten, was real.]

wildcard A RETURN!! finally, im here,

[bachagain]

[ and i really will do the horrible archery practice idea because i'm terrible

because with how many people are disappearing, leo does have to distract his mind with inane bullshit to try and avoid thinking too much on things that suck? given how his approach to archery is more of a "let loose, let the arrow fly" kind of thing (much to the anger of everyone who actually tries), he's able to tune out most things and hit bullseye after bullseye. it's relaxing and numbing in a way different than music... so.

somewhere in there, between a blink and the next target, there's something between him and the next shot. rather... someone.

and leo near yelps, moving his bow to the side enough to avoid Meatmentos 2: Electric Boogaloo. the arrow embeds itself on the wall beside the target instead, the first shot he's missed in a while, and...

the tension in his body relaxes, for a whole lot of different reasons. excuse him. ]

Ko...?!

[ hello again.

why is he like this. ]

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole is not, to say the least, expecting to be where he is at this moment in time. And the arrow that goes whizzing past doesn't help; it missed but he reflexively jerks to the side, a hand reaching for a dagger strapped to his back-]

[Then he sees Leo, and he's not as happy about it as he maybe should be.]

[His hand lowers, but he's not calm, in fact it's clear from his angered movements that he is quite agitated, shouting at no one in particular.]

No! it doesn't work yet!

[He was busy, void!!!]

[bachagain]

[ that's

probably the most agitated he's ever seen cole, honestly. it says something that leo's not worried at all about approaching a yelling hat-man with a dagger that's appeared out of nowhere, but this is the life he lives.

there's simply relief that leo's seeing him again, secondary only to the concern he feels at the anger cole's displaying. excuse him as he places his bow on the ground, stopping just short of his friend's side. ]

Hey... What doesn't work? Where the heck didja go, Ko...?

[ was this a ren situation? it's the first thing that pops into his head, honestly. a puzzling journey home and then a return, a little bit different.

void?? what're you doing now?? ]