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+---- Thread: [SE] devil's propriety (/showthread.php?tid=11954)
devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-25-2025
He’d sent the letter out to Isla with the request to meet at the Lava Pits, specifically to get a bit of his newfound shift energy out. And while he imagines Isla would judge him or it, it would be a quiet judgement. More for her amusement than anything else at the end of the day — and with a promise of tea, heat by the flame from the Climb itself, well, he thinks it’s a nice little gesture of reconnecting (because it’s been a little while since they’d talked, after all).
So Asta waits for her to arrive, settled along the lip of one of the cooled lava rock, illuminated by the pools that glow below. There’s a bit of movement in the corner, a fyrhund trying to find the perfect den amongst the glowing bits of lava but is otherwise mostly keeping to itself so Asta does the same for the moment, shifting his weight as his tail flicks behind him as the only indicator of how much energy burns within him.
When he spots her, it’s with a wide shark-tooth grin aimed at her. “[say]Thank you for coming, Isla, darling. I believe you may enjoy this as much as I need this.[/say]” He says with a huff of a soft laugh.
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-25-2025
It has been some time since Isla has seen Asta - the last time they'd spoken, in fact, was in this very place. Last time, though, he'd been requesting help to hunt gore crows, and had been looking very worse for wear indeed. Now, as she comes across him lounging against the heated rock, he still doesn't look like the usually put-together man she'd first met in Torchline, but he does seem much more at ease. [say]"Of course, Asta,"[/say] she trills as she steps up to join him and sit, letting the hot breeze tousle through her fair hair and sink into her skin.
[say]"Mm, even though Torchline is in the tropics, I always forget what proper heat feels like until I come up here,"[/say] she says, linking a casual arm with the butcher to give him a friendly squeeze. [say]"How are things? You seem much more relaxed than when we were here last. And what's this about a shift and burning off energy?"[/say] Grinning, she undoubtedly thinks that it's going to be something predatory with a lot of teeth.
RE: devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-25-2025
The heat from the stone pours into the backs of his legs, a welcome reprieve as he looks over at her when she settles in, nodding his agreement as he’s tugged over for a gentle squeeze. One he returns easily, without any tension in his bones — quite the opposite of the last time they’d been here. “[say]Torchline harbors a lot of humidity that we do not have here, either.[/say]” The heat was one thing, but suffocating on the air was another thing entirely. Here it felt dry, comfortable, breathable for the Ancients in a way that other places would try to rival and yet fail to reach all of the marks.
As she grins at him and asks her question, it reflects in the tug of smile lines on his own face, leaning in a bit closer toward her with excitement glittering in the black of his eyes. “[say]I am far better these days.[/say]” His answer is warm, dazzling with the rumble of his accent. “[say]Corvids are no longer an issue and I do not have nightmares anymore. And a few seasons ago I happened to find a Feirw shift under my skin.[/say]” Not toothy and predatory, unfortunately, but still exceptionally Asta if the antlers on his head are anything to go by.
“[say]Which, I am unfamiliar with how much you know about deer shifts, but this season is… A lot. And I happen to have too much energy and figured if there were one of my friends that would be least likely to judge me out in the open while I —[/say]” a pause as he gestures, his hands dramatizing the words, “[say]— for lack of a better word, prance.[/say]” He chuckles quietly before he shakes his head. "[say]Would you like to see it?[/say]"
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-26-2025
[say]"Gods, you're telling me,"[/say] Isla agrees with a soft sigh. [say]"The heat doesn't bother me, but it's strange to have the air feel so sticky."[/say] Add in the cool mist that rolls in off the sea so regularly, and its a clash of temperatures that really does have The Climb feeling like something clean and simple in comparison.
Leaning in as well as if Asta is about to spill some dramatic secret, what starts as relief in Isla's expression - that he's feeling better, that he's sleeping better - turns into sparkling amusement at the revelation of his new shift. Not a lyvern or a molten tiger or a cinderscourge, but a feirw. [say]"That is so fitting,"[/say] she says readily, glancing up at the fire obsidian that crowns his head.
[say]"And believe it or not, I am more familiar with it than I would ever care to be. Ronin has had a luxere in his blood for years now, and his husband is my best friend, so... well, you have those instincts yourself now, by the sound of it. You can probably imagine what it's like. How has it been with you and Danta?"[/say] Shifting to roll to her feet and dust off her skirts, she gestures to the cracked, barren earth.
[say]"Asta, I would love to see you prance."[/say]
RE: devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-26-2025
It is the worst part of it. The sticky air, the way it catches in one’s throat. The way that there seems to be little to no reprieve. For the butcher, at least, it’s only the occasional visit that helpsIt is the worst part of it. The sticky air, the way it catches in one’s throat. The way that there seems to be little to no reprieve. For the butcher, at least, it’s only the occasional visit that helps keep it at bay.
So he grins at her instead as he explains his shift, and a touch delighted to hear that she isn’t unfamiliar with shifts similar. “[say]I do, admittedly.[/say]” He sighs a little, as if it was a terrible burden to bear despite having dealt with worse. “[say]It has certainly been something to navigate.[/say]” The soft laugh that leaves him has a hint of pent up energy yet somehow simultaneously tired that he stands shortly after Isla as she tells him she’d love to see him prance.
Which is good, because the butcher needs to let it out one way or another. So he flashes her a brighter, shark tooth grin, and shifts so that man becomes fiery deer. His pelt is dark, a low sheen like an oil slick as it catches the glow of the lava and the fire erupting from the large set of horns protruding from his head. A short tail (but never the less fluffy for it) flicks twice and his hooves click against the lava rock as he turns and in as dramatic and cocky of a motion the butcher can do, he hops off the large flat rock they’d been on to hop to the next section, thin spindly legs rising and falling with a trot that looks more like a dance amongst the flames than it does much else.
It's unfortunately enough to catch the eye of a hidden fyrhund that’s nearer to them than the one he’d been watching earlier. This one was hungrier, tainted by the void.
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-26-2025
[say]"Oh, I bet,"[/say] Isla laughs softly, knowing Asta well enough by now to see the weariness behind his smile, the tension that ripples through all that pent up energy. But they aren't here for a therapy session, and so she steps back another couple of feet to give him space to shift, marvelling at the way man becomes feirw so seamlessly. Fire obsidian becomes a crown of antlers quite literally wreathed in flame, and though the shift is certainly no predator, the proud toss of Asta's head and his elegant prancing are certainly enough to make anyone look twice.
[say]"Gods, you look like a luxere if it was made for Longheat instead of Deepfrost,"[/say] she calls, her tone warm and impressed. Stepping a few paces around on the hot rock to watch him let loose, it's only that change of position that allows her to spot a fyrhund that seems very, very off. [say]"Shit,"[/say] Isla hisses under her breath. [say]"Asta, watch out!"[/say] Already she's starting to shift as well; fire won't do much against that sort of beast, but claws might stand a chance.
RE: devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-26-2025
He may have been born in Deepfrost, in Halo of all places – but the butcher has always been a child of Longheat. The cold never quite looked good on him in comparison, even before he was Ancient (especially having to be as bundled as they often were). So it’s with a warm trill back from the feirw that the butcher tilts to turn back toward her – wide ears perking toward her to hear the curse and see her begin to shift.
So caught up in it as he is, the butcher had not noticed the fyrhund that has its eyes deadset on him as prey. But when he does catch the movement, it’s with a graceful leap away from the sharp claws of the voidforged fyrhund, whirling back on it as it crashes into the lava rock. The deer steadies himself, great antlered head lowered as it turns back toward them, taking in the molten tiger alongside the feirw. And after taking the split second to assess the situation, guns for Asta again.
Only this time he’s ready, twisting to let it charge between him and Isla so that he might be able to charge his own attack to sink his fiery antlers into the small space between its plates.
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-27-2025
Later Isla will have to remind herself to be charmed by the trill that Asta lets out, but for right now she's shaking out her fur and rounding on the fyrhund just in time to see it crash into the rock courtesy of the feirw's graceful leaping. Unable to laugh in this shift, she nevertheless tosses her head in amusement before focusing on the void tainted creature, feeling equal parts disgusted and sorry for it.
Prowling around the edge of the rock as the fyrhund considers its options, she isn't surprised when it picks the (apparently, and more fool it) easier target of the butcher - and Asta makes it pay. Allowing her fellow Ancient to ram the fyrhund from the front, Isla positions herself in its blind spot; no sooner do the feirw's antlers sink into the gaps in its armour plating when a molten tiger's claws also sink into its haunches.
The fyrhund lets out a snarl of pain, attempting to snap its jaw's towards Asta again.
RE: devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-27-2025
There’s a deep rooted satisfaction that burns within the feirw’s chest when he feels his antlers collide with the fyrhund. And while the fire doesn’t do much of anything to the beast, it flares a golden orange hue against the black and purple that erupts from the wounds he’s caused. He jostles it just into the perfect spot for Isla’s attack, her claws sinking in deep.
He can hear the fyrhund’s cry of pain but it doesn’t stop the butcher from advancing any further. He withdraws, leaving the puncture wounds to pour freely before he dives back in one more time toward the fyrhund’s chest with his head lowered away from its jaws, trying to aim between the plates again to puncture something vital – hoping for a lung at least. It whirls in the process, exposing its side to Isla, sliding momentarily from the blood and slowly hardening gold drippings from Isla’s shift, giving her prime opportunity to land another attack.
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-27-2025
For predator and prey shifts, Isla and Asta work in tandem as if they'd been born to fight like this; then again, the medic realises, it's still the butcher beneath the feirw's pelt, and she shouldn't be surprised at the fighting prowess that still shines through whether it's with hooves or claws. Still, he's exceptionally bold in his decision to try and gore the fyrhund, his great antlered head lowering with ferocious intent.
And the tiger is already in position as the void-tainted creature turns, able to dive in and rake her claws further between the molten plates of its stone armour, right down to the underbelly. It's cry of surprise and outrage is one that tapers off into a wheeze thanks to Asta's hit, and Isla has to dart back to give the fyrhund room to collapse hard onto the rocky earth, spilling its lifeblood and breathing its last.
She watches it with cool indifference before shifting back, crouched in her skirts where the molten tiger had once been. [say]"I thought all the void creatures were more or less gone,"[/say] she pants.
RE: devil's propriety - Astaroth - 08-27-2025
If he wasn’t so pent up with aggression for the season, he might feel the way each of his charges rattles him slightly. But the adrenaline flares and it feels like next to nothing with the weight of his horns goring the side of the voidforged fyrhund. And between the two of them, they make quick work of the beast which only serves to alleviate the butcher’s fury in rivets as it leaks from him. It takes its last breath and he dislodges his horns from it, hooves clacking against the lava rock as Isla shifts back and he follows suit.
Knelt there beside the beast with the black and purple blood coating the already onyx hue of his hair and antlers, the butcher’s dark gaze flits over toward her with a pinch in his brow. “[say]As did I.[/say]” Pausing to stand, the butcher’s tail sweeps with jerky anticipation. “[say]Perhaps this was the last of the fyrhunds?[/say]” He asks, squinting past her to see the others far off in the distance, unable to make out if they too are tainted by the void.
But given their mannerisms at this distance, they seem relatively normal. And continue to give all of them a wide berth, unlike how the void ones seemed to.
RE: devil's propriety - Isla - 08-27-2025
[say]"Maybe. I hope so,"[/say] Isla admits, straightening up and brushing the dust and dirt from her skirts. [say]"Even if I know it was probably just looking for something to eat."[/say] Albeit in an overly aggressive way. Regardless, she's got no intention of sinking her teeth into the fyrhund herself - even bloodlust knows not to eat tainted meat, the medic wrinkling her nose and following Asta's gaze out towards the other fyrhunds in the distance.
All looking fairly normal, blessedly.
[say]"Well, that was certainly an adventure."[/say] She flashes a smile up at the butcher. [say]"Though I daresay by the look of you that you've still got plenty of energy to burn off. C'mon, let's go see if we can find a quiet, flat bit of space for you to try this again. I don't think I've seen nearly enough of your leaping about yet."[/say]
And, providing he agrees, Isla will lead them off across the hard rock, in search of suitable prancing ground for a feirw.
~FIN