cry boy; [a+t, s, m (day 3)]
Nov 6, 2023 17:01:30 GMT -5
Post by brad bradford ★ d5b [arx] on Nov 6, 2023 17:01:30 GMT -5
a r l o
He gnawed at his bottom lip as he sat himself down at the edges of the pond with a- super-duper confident question tossed over his shoulder at Tavi. "Know how to swim?" Arlo didn't. But he wasn't going to let Tavi know that. Besides, it was only a pond, like- it couldn't be that- y'know, deep or treacherous. Arlo had watched the games before like- most ponds were kinder, the plural of oasis was peak, a lagoon would kill you, a swamp would kill you quicker, and all other water was just- death, or whatever. Simple math. Or something.
Maybe he was just scared. He tucked his watch away and listened to the lack of artificial buzz in the room. The- not-a-room? The illusion of home where he had never felt it was colliding with how at home he felt flinching away from Tavi's- "Of course!" -what Arlo could only assume was a brilliant dive into the deeper depths, water growing murky as they pulled their feet from nearly knee deep mud. Looked a bit like storm clouds rolling in; y'know, one of those thunderstorms that roll and rumble and darken and all you can do is watch?
Arlo laughs as he watches Tavi flail in the water- "Yeah, okay, ha ha ha, you're hilarious." And then Arlo panics because maybe he- like, actually- was lying this time? And- "UMMM UMM OKAY-!" So he dove in, too. Arlo looked like an idiot and he knew it, but, again, he could just- drown him later on purpose. Like, y'know, if that was the case.
"I'm tall-pff-ffer, taller," Arlo bounced on his tiptoes, kicking on occasion when he sunk too deep, spitting the bits of water that managed to slip in with sputtering chuckles. He made his way inadeptly toward shallower water, shaking only when his shoulders started to peek from the water. Arlo coughed and laughed and coughed some more as blood began to streak and creates rivers that followed the landscape of their skulls.
"So, got an opinion on stars?"
Tavi pulls himself onto shore, splatting and getting dirty all over again even though that had been the point of going to their respective suites. Wasn't Arlo's fault that there was no way that he was hanging out with a bunch of mannequins after the day they'd had- definitely not rooming with them, showering near them, creepy faceless sharp as shit despite the smooth edges- Arlo shivers. Ew, gross, ick.
"They’re all pretty and they’re all dead."
Arlo chews on that for a moment. Tavi really did tend to have pretty things to say.
"Kinda like us, right?"
"Okay, well," Arlo uses his thumb to trace his hairline because he can't see his features when they're draped in shadow in the way he likes. "Maybe you'd want to go spend the night looking at our reflections?" Arlo raises a brow at him but feels his heart skip a few beats the way people say it does when- really, stupid, dumb, unnecessary feelings were happening.
"No," People always say hearts break, but Arlo had learned they actually just cramp uncomfortably against their natural rhythm until it feels like you're exploding. "I don’t want to."
"Oh- uh, okay."
The pause probably wasn't long enough, but Arlo liked the way his hair glimmered in the low light. He hardly looked like anything but angelic, peaceful as a lawn full of dew or rain following the crevices within bark.
"What if we got coffee first?"
His lips were so close and still he wished they were closer, threat- "If you try to steal a sugar packet, I’ll take it back by force." -and all.
Arlo woke a few times after he dreamt about his watch lighting up and buzzing with familiar names on it. Nightmares never made sense, but he wondered who else had these gadgets, who else would buzz and light up if he sent a message. Tavi was asleep next to him; it was better than yesterday, even if they did end up sleeping on the ground again. At least it was a nice ground. At least there were stars. At least there was Tavi. And no mannequins in sight. Even as his watch buzzed and he rolled over to the twilight before dawn.
"Tavi," Arlo shook him. "I think someone's here." He sent a few simple messages, fingers fumbling over unfamiliar- well, shit, everything because he couldn't even decide which stupid weapon to hold as he goaded the silence to indulge him, eyes and ears searching for what obviously was a threat hiding within the gardens.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are."
And then he threw his fancy knife into the nearest whisper of a sound in the hopes to silence it before it could scream.
arlo monroe d7 attacks sacrifice d1
Ky9dgNEFhethrowing knife
[4.0 damage]
throwing knifeKy9dgNEFhethrowing knife
[4.0 damage]