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+---- Thread: when you're close to me (/showthread.php?tid=11037)
when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-30-2025
He feels good, like nothing was capable of stopping him from being able to do whatever it was he wanted to. So much so, that he doesn’t even hate the idea of venturing confidently into the House of Midnight – despite absolutely loathing its owner. Bags are brought with, one of which harboring a hidden compartment as he fully intends on making this Danta’s birthday as opposed to the other idea.
Why not take the opportunities as they come to you, right?
“[say]I will ensure that it is not cold, but it will give you the view, I suppose?[/say]” The butcher says idly as they take the stairs toward their room – the very one Astaroth has claimed for a couple of days to give Danta as much time away as he wanted. To relax and indulge to his hearts content. But first, a promise to show him where it was he grew up.
And so he opens the door, holding his breath despite not realizing he has – watching as it opens up to something archaic simply by thought. The room within is expansive, showcasing the exterior of the tent made of ice, snow, and large bones – dug deep into the earth to provide some semblance of warmth. But outside of it, the first view they get, is snow falling but feeling like rain to them and no cold in sight, falling atop the variety of snowblock and hide and bone made homes.
A large fire is in the center, warm and empty for the lack of people – Astaroth having not wanted to think of them in the slightest, so the space he’s concocted is devoid of them aside from the bare bones. But that doesn’t mean that tracks in the snow and ice aren’t visible, especially around their heat source. Bones not unlike the charms and windchimes Astaroth was prone to make, hang from the various homes and large bone spikes likely from whales that stick out of the ground, etched and carved into.
He guides them in, setting the bags over by the main space that indicates it was likely the one he grew up in – an snowblock house with hide and wood utilized for securing the door. “[say]I.. never thought I would see it again.[/say]” He admits, letting his dark gaze flicker toward Danta, the arctic sun brightening the usual dark of his eyes to make them honey and bright as he watches his lover for his reaction to it.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-30-2025
[say]"It's all about the view, if I remember correctly. Having visited Deimos in The Citadel quite recently, I'm quite keen to skip the part where we freeze the fuck to death, thank you."[/say] Grinning as he follows at Asta's heels, the butcher isn't the only one feeling thoroughly relaxed. Having napped almost the entire trip from the Grounds down to King's End - with his head under his wing as a crow, no less - the Maverick is in very high spirits indeed.
He'd kept his greetings polite and brief with those he knows from the House of Midnight, either through business or pleasure, and with no sign of the Lord and Lady at home, he thinks it's probably best not to push his luck - not when Asta seems in such a good mood. Nevertheless, he lingers at the other man's shoulder as he waits for him to open the door, a couple of their bags in hand, his red silk shirt half unbuttoned and his leather pants slung low on his hips.
Whatever quip he's going to make is utterly stolen from him as they do step inside, though, and whatever Danta might have expected, it isn't this. Feeling suddenly overdressed and underdressed all at the same time, the humour fades from his expression, replaced with something quietly curious, and he follows automatically after the butcher to gently nudge him with his shoulder.
[say]"How do you feel?"[/say] he asks softly, tilting his head up to look towards the stark sky and the arctic sun. The place screams Ferrox and all the Maverick knows about him, though he sees hints of Astaroth in the bone chimes and trinkets, in the meticulous carvings and expertly stitched hide. [say]"Bet you never thought you'd be bringing someone home with you when you lived here, mm?"[/say] He winks.
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-30-2025
He’s also quite keen to skip the part of freezing to death. Especially in the place he’d grown up expecting to die, anyway. If he can avoid it, he fully intends to. But it’s with a surprising amount of nostalgia and the strangeness of being here dressed as he is when he was partial to furs and bulking up as much as he could against the snow. Even as he glances back toward the entrance of where his home had been, the butcher still sees the fur crumpled in the corner under the eve that protects it from the snow temporarily. Like he’d only stepped in for a moment before he was planning to depart again.
He was a scout, though, so it makes sense he never stuck around here long unless needed to. So when Danta approaches and nudges him with his shoulder, the butcher’s gaze flits down, horns blotting out the sun briefly. “[say]Nostalgic?[/say]” He says, unsure how else to say that it was fucking weird to be back in the place he’d resigned himself to never being able to see again. But here they are.
“[say]Gods no,[/say]” Astaroth begins, barking the laugh that echoes against the snowscaped environment. “[say]I did, in fact, bring quite a few people home with me. Although they were for dinner.[/say]” The main course, as it were. “[say]I never once brought anyone home to meet the family.[/say]” And it wouldn’t be today, either, with how desolate he’d made it.
Either way, he flashes his sharp smile toward Danta as he plucks the bags up again and pulls open the door with a practiced ease. “[say]Come, let me show you inside.[/say]” And away from the blinding sun on the snow.
The interior is very similar – large bones used for structure amongst the wood, ensuring that it wouldn’t cave in if a lot of snow fell overnight. But the interior is truly the shine – nothing old and robust and beautifully crafted at first glance. Survival, mostly. Snow and dirt make up the base where the bed sat at the back in a nestle of furs and blankets just as he was prone to make his dens. The center harbored more furs and hides, like placemats to sit amongst the charred remnants of where a fire would go. And, as if above it, the glint of sun peeked through a snowy vent so that the smoke didn’t remain.
Carvings were scattered around, and along the wall, knives of all kinds were hung on a series of wood frames. And that was.. mostly it. Empty and devoid except for the life Astaroth had put into it with all his carvings and etchings and the multitude of soft blankets strewn about. “[say]I did not often spend time in here unless it were to sleep or in an attempt to warm up.[/say]” But, perhaps it makes sense why he collects all kinds of treasures in hoards these days.
Because the second he’d moved into the Climb and been renamed, he’d realized he wasn’t going anywhere for a while. And he had the ability to stay warm and comfortable in a room that was entirely his own for all kinds of trinkets from his travels to go.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-30-2025
[say]"Yeah, I bet..."[/say] Danta echoes with a gentle nod. [say]"It'd be like if we made this place into the old Climb, right?"[/say] Granted, nostalgic is only one of several very complex emotions the Maverick would feel about that place. Much more interested in the village around them and Asta's personal little abode, Danta shields his eyes from the arctic sun beaming off the snow and nods at the offer to go inside.
[say]"I think that is the worst cannibal joke you've ever told,"[/say] he drawls as he ducks through the door, setting the bags down and scoffing over his shoulder at Asta. Having people home for dinner, indeed. [say]"And from what you've told me about your family, I'm not sure I'd want to meet them anyway. You are quite enough for me, thank you."[/say]
Blinking to get used to the change in light, Danta immediately steps further into the space his lover had once called his own, sparking a fire in the bones of the one left behind to provide some extra illumination and warmth. [say]"It's definitely a place built for purpose, huh,"[/say] he says softly, smiling over to Asta and reaching out to brush his fingers along the carved handle of a knife, before his hand drops to touch a small etching that bears all of Asta's usual touches of flair.
[say]"I can still see you in it, though."[/say] He grins.
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-30-2025
It would be like making it the old Climb.. Which in theory sounded decent to him, but recognizing what it held for Danta? Well, he avoids it unless the other man decides he wants to delve down that avenue too. For now, though, the butcher snorts as Danta ducks into the house, flashing a too sharp grin at his lover as he snorts. “[say]Oh I am sure I have said worse, perhaps you were not paying attention.[/say]” He touts proudly, drifting into the home further so he can place the bags on the bed, the butcher turns back toward Danta with that same kind of amusement lingering in his face.
“[say]Mm, it would be quite lovely to see you take on my sister.[/say]” He drawls as he heads toward the campfire in the middle, just about the time Danta draws up flame, illuminating the bare walls around them. Smoke is a heavy scent in the room, and it makes all that much more sense why it clings to the butcher aside from his occasional indulgence in it. He was practically born from smoke.
Nodding as he watches Danta drift toward the knives, he joins him – his arm sweeping up to brush against Danta’s lower back, affectionate. “[say]I had to do something with my time.[/say]” He snorts, flashing his lover a bright smile before he turns back to the wall – plucking a curved knife from the wall that otherwise looks boring and plain, before flipping it over as if it were a secret, revealing a carefully decorated handle on one half of it – etched designs of luxere, ursurs, and frost foxes sit in the bone that makes up the handle. For the metal blade, however, the curve breaks way for a large dragon – likely, the white dragons that plagued Halo. “[say]This one is my favorite.[/say]” He says, handing it to his lover before he leans into him a touch, watching as he inspects it.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-30-2025
[say]"Me? Not paying attention? That doesn't sound like me at all,"[/say] Danta says haughtily, having to bite the inside of his cheek to stop his smile from running away with itself. Glancing around a second time as the fresh light illuminates hidden decorations he hadn't noticed before, the Maverick isn't shy in his interest, keen to see any part of Asta he hasn't had the chance to know before now.
Turning the knife in his hands a few times as if to feel the weight and balance of the blade, he's just replacing it when the butcher mentions his sister, prompting a scoff of amusement. [say]"I would probably do it all wrong, given all your customs. I'd still happily bite a chunk out of her for you, though."[/say] He winks, making room for Asta to join him, tail flicking contently at his heels to feel the warmth of the other man's touch at his back.
[say]"Hm...?"[/say] Tilting his head at the knife Asta offers out, the Maverick's eyes glimmer with unhidden awe at the intricate details carved painstakingly into bone and metal, and he lets out a low whistle. [say]"Gods, this must have taken you days,"[/say] he murmurs, pressing the pad of one fingertip against the blade, where blood immediately wells to the surface. [say]"And of course you kept them razor sharp. I ought to have known that already,"[/say] he says apologetically.
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-30-2025
Snorting to hear Danta’s response, the butcher doesn’t hide his grin as it grows on his face. He’s content to let that thought die as he notices Danta’s interest in the space, and so he lets him take in as much as he could. The air in here is smoky but warm, at odds with outside – and if Danta had already experienced how cold Halo could get (before turning into stone), then he certainly had an idea of what it was like outside.
“[say]Whether you did or did not do it right, I would still enjoy you taking a chunk out of her.[/say]” He boasts as his arm wormed around his side, bringing in more warmth and connection, something its very clear Asta got none of within the confines of this home. It was solely for him, used half of the time when he wasn’t scouting. But the time he’d spent here certainly left a mark or two, trinkets left behind of blades long since gone and likely ruined over the passing of time.
Nodding as his smile grows softer, the butcher’s content to let Danta inspect it to his hearts content. “[say]If I recall correctly, it was at least two weeks off and on.[/say]” Some of it done here in the home and some of it crafted while he was scouting, all focused on one side of it so that the butcher wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing it to steal it.
Immediately flicking his attention down as soon as Danta pricks himself, not unlike a shark might with the drop of blood in the water, the butcher snorts softly and turns toward him – plucking his hand up to press a soft kiss to the bloodied finger. “[say]In all fairness, I was not called the butcher back then.[/say]” He fights the smile that tugs onto his face as he squeezes Danta’s hand a little, his tail flicking contently behind him. “[say]It could have been believable that I would keep them dull. However, I had to use them quite often.[/say]” So he’d ensured they were sharp and ready for anything that came his way.
“[say]But... Here, I was nothing more than Ferox the Scout. Good for arrogance and being left alone.[/say]” He nearly puffs his chest out playfully with the idea, before he settles with a soft chuckle and withdraws from his lover to head toward his bed, lifting the hand sewn pillow to pluck a sharp and smooth dagger from beneath it, made with bone. Staring down at it for a moment, the butcher turns back toward Danta before sitting on the bed and gesturing for him to come closer. “[say]This one I kept on my person and under my pillow when I slept.[/say]” The longer they spend here, the more that the butcher's carefully crafted accent begins to slip, edging closer into the grittier nature of Ferox.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-31-2025
Danta can certainly imagine - in quite unhappy detail, in fact - how bitingly cold it must have been to take even a few steps beyond the warm and inviting little space they find themselves in. [say]"Were you ever snowed in?"[/say] he wonders idly, his mind conjuring images of Asta hunkering down in this burrow of a room with heavy ice and snow packed overhead, huddled close to a fire he could not yet touch without being burned.
Happily drawn snug against the butcher's side as he examines the beautifully engraved knife, the Maverick snorts and shrugs his shoulders. [say]"Well,"[/say] he says, [say]"given that you no longer have to worry about nightmares, perhaps you can have some sweet dreams about me meeting your sister instead."[/say] Flashing a grin to Asta before his eyes drop once again to the knife and the blood springing to the surface of his fingertip, he surrenders his hand all too willingly to the other man.
[say]"Just because you weren't called the butcher, doesn't mean you didn't play the part,"[/say] he points out, carefully setting Asta's labour of love back among the other knives, flexing his fingers as his hand is returned to him and feeling grateful for the reasonably shallow cut from a blade that could undoubtedly do much worse damage. [say]"And you were good for a deal more than that I bet,"[/say] he scoffs, clearly not ready to believe that Asta's life as Ferox was quite so two-dimensional.
Prowling in Asta's wake to the bed and the bags he's set down there, Danta sinks down beside him and leans comfortably into his side to admire the wickedly sharp and arguably more practical bone knife. [say]"Oh? Did you have to defend yourself in this place, then?"[/say] he wonders, casually resting his chin on the other man's shoulder as he peers down at the weapon. From others in the cannibal village, perhaps? Or worse things out in the snow?
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-31-2025
Nodding, the butcher recalls those particular days with a touch of awkwardness. “[say]Yes. I typically had to wait until the blizzard passed before I could carve my way out.[/say]” He hums, before he shakes his head a little and lets the nostalgia vanish with an easier smile on his face.
Pulling him in closer briefly, the butcher’s smile remains as a low chuckle escapes him. “[say]It would be quite a good dream, I am sure.[/say]” Because for all of his sister’s bravado, she was certainly no match for the Maverick.
Blinking at him affectionately, the butcher ensures the prick to Danta’s finger isn’t as bad as the bulb of blood had made it out to be, painting his lips in a crimson hue from the kiss before he’s nodding, despite the disbelief of it being anything but what he’d listed out.
But now he’s drifting to the bed, pulling out the dagger to show it to Danta, twisting it in his hands as his lover curls up against him on the bed, the weight and warmth of his chin on his shoulder far more comfortable than he would have allowed were he still Ferox, still living in the confines of this snow block house.
“[say]We did have a tendency of banding together when required. Before everything went south, that is. Though there were times ursurs would rummage through, or the occasional dinner menu item would seek a way out and try to take one of us with them.[/say]” Twisting the dagger again, he seems almost far away as he thinks about it, before shaking his head and tilts it back into Danta with a smile and a light nuzzling of his nose. “[say]It became a habit mostly when I began scouting. As a just in case something got too close.[/say]” He’d kept the tradition here in his home, despite how most of the rest of his village didn’t within their own.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-31-2025
[say]"Carve your way out?"[/say] Danta grimaces at that, scooting perhaps a little closer to Asta on the bed despite already being practically in his lap, the Maverick letting a casual hand rest atop his lover's thigh. [say]"Sounds delightful. At least this place isn't really in Halo, so we don't have to worry about being snowed in unless that's what you really want."[/say]
With his eyes lighting up automatically at the thought of ursurs - Danta still wants to go and hunt one, naturally - he watches with quiet curiosity as Asta twists and spins the blade so effortlessly in his fingers, seeming more far away by the second. [say]"We are on vacation, remember,"[/say] he reminds him with a smirk, turning his head to accept the obnoxious nuzzling. [say]"So if this is getting too intense, we can always switch the room up."[/say]
The last thing he wants is to trigger some existential Ferox crisis when Asta has only had the luxury of a dreamless sleep for a few days, the Maverick stretching an arm around the butcher with a grin. [say]"I hope I'm no considered something that got too close in here,"[/say] he teases. [say]"I'd quite like you not to use that knife on me."[/say]
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-31-2025
“[say]Mhm, the ice gets thick when it freezes over.[/say]” Nodding over toward the entrance and exit of his home, there’s a bone shovel propped up against the wall in a wooden alcove. But he lets Danta get closer regardless, quite pleased to be able to show him all of this, regardless of the memories it brings. “[say]Hmm…[/say]” He says with mischief, as if contemplating the thought, enough so that the arctic sunlight from the vent in the roof begins to darken.
He isn’t bringing a storm in, though, he’s simply making it dusk.
Hearing the reminder, he snorts a little as he looks back at his lover, riding that tightrope between who he is now and who he was. He’d had the traumas of growing up here, but it was nothing compared to what happened in his ascension to Ancientness. Here, he was blissfully unaware of just how bad everything could get.
[say]Mm, I would like to show you something else, first. No knives required.[/say]” He hums, placing the bone dagger back down before he turns more toward Danta, invading his space to press a kiss that’s as needy as it is sweet for giving him the room to show him this. “[say]Come with me.[/say]” Shifting off of the bed of furs to snag his lover’s hand as he stands, he guides Danta back out of the house to a purple, pink, and gold sky, free of clouds and flat aside from the other homes in the village. Guiding him toward the large bonfire, among the towering whale bones stuck out of the ground and carved into, chimes dancing in the air, he situates them perfectly to be able to look between two of the other homes that made up this portion. And he turns them to the sunset, to see as it begins to dip below the horizon, painting the ice and snow in varying lilac and rosy colors, blurring to orange where the gold of the sun cascades over the ice. It’s beautiful and breathtaking, and the butcher can’t hide the almost childish smile on his face to witness it again.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-31-2025
[say]"It sounds delightful,"[/say] Danta drawls, scowling up at the smoke vent in the roof of the little house with suspicion, especially as the light pouring through it begins to go dim. He's clearly trying to decide whether Asta is fucking with them by playing with the time of day when the other man is beckoning for him to follow him back outside, and Danta's lips part to object only to find his mouth claimed by a kiss instead. Moaning a note of surprise - and approval, let it be said - into Asta's mouth, the Maverick is left sitting back on his hands as he watches his lover prowl back towards the door.
[say]"Fine,"[/say] he purrs. [say]"But if you are taking me out into a pretend blizzard, we're going to fall out, you and I."[/say] Grinning and rolling to his feet, he soon pads after the other man and out back into his imagined village.
And it isn't a blizzard he's presented with, but a rich splash of colour against the snow and ice that makes it impossible to tell where the line of the horizon cuts off land from sky. [say]"Well shit,"[/say] he breathes, trailing after the other man to where he leads them to a perfect view of an already perfect view. Something about it makes Danta feel vaguely murdery in a way that likely calls back to being born of Dygra's chaos rather than finding his way to it separately, but he nevertheless tucks himself against Asta's side to watch the colour bleed across the sky.
[say]"Almost makes it being cold enough to shave off your nipples worth it, I guess."[/say]
RE: when you're close to me - Astaroth - 03-31-2025
“[say]You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced a blizzard at least once, darling.[/say]” Comes the haughty response as the butcher makes his way to the door, flashing a sharp grin over his shoulder at his lover. These days, it would be impossible to endure given the risk of becoming a statue. But here? In this room they could make it happen without the side effects.
Not that it’s what the butcher has in mind, of course.
No, instead he chooses the sunset because it was his favorite, the brief glow of sharp colors before the world turned dark and the stars and cosmos illuminated the sky because the nearest city was such a far distance away, the light didn’t mute it.
Content to lean into Danta as he leans against him, the butcher seems soft in a different way as he watches the sunset. Mentally, able to speed it up to get to the process of the stars flicking to life overhead, he seems content and relieved to see this portion again. “[say]Almost.[/say]” He says with a soft chuckle, wrapping his arm around Danta as he curves into him and the sun fully sets, darkening the sky with purples and blues, with the glitter of stars and galaxies in the distance making up the majority of the darkened sky. “[say]We can change it to something else if you would like.[/say]” He murmurs softly, as if content with having shown everything he could so far.
RE: when you're close to me - Dantalion - 03-31-2025
[say]"Did I not already live through one in the Grounds at Deepfrost? You know, when we were driven into that little coffee shop because of all the snow?"[/say] Danta raises his eyebrows skeptically at Asta, though he already gets the impression that his definition of blizzard is entirely different to the native Halovian at his side. Tilting his head back and leaning comfortably into the other man as the sunset bleeds into a crystal clear night, the Maverick watches with nostalgia in his eyes as the old constellations blink to life.
[say]"I didn't realise how different the sky was since we woke back up,"[/say] he says softly; not that Danta can read the stars any better than he can read books, but there's still something comfortingly familiar about it. [say]"I'm quite happy with things as they are,"[/say] he assures the butcher, glancing back at him with a crooked smile. [say]"Besides, it's probably the only night I'll ever spend like this in anywhere close to Halo, so I'm inclined to enjoy it. With food and wine, if that's also an option."[/say]