Ragna=the=Bloodedge (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rebellions) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationlogs2024-05-09 09:00 pm
rebellions) wrote in expiationlogs2024-05-09 09:00 pm
OPEN=MAY CATCH-ALL
Who: Ragna the Bloodedge and YOU?!
Where: Around Aldrip
What: Dealing with the effects of his sentencing in the healthiest ways possible [citation needed] and other opportunities to bump into Aldrip's local terrorist!
Warnings: The usual Ragna warnings (blood, violence, language) may apply. See the prompts for details!
1. THE OUTSKIRTS ► find yourself in a pinch
[ The more he thinks about his latest encounter with the Council, the angrier Ragna feels. It's not just that Jerry managed to drag him to that whole sentencing crap against his will, which is already enough to hurt his pride, but the actual contents of the judgement that's been passed on him? He wishes he could say it's all bullshit and shrug it off, he really can't because for once, they might actually have a point, as much as he hates to admit it.
So instead of pondering the meaning of their words, he chooses to keep himself busy. It looks like the monsters have been rearing their ugly heads in the outskirts and attacking people lately, leading to the Grim Reaper deciding to take up the assignment to get rid of them. It gives him an excuse to blow off some steam and earn some buck while at it, killing two birds with one stone.
It's not exactly going as planned, as even as he's in the middle of fighting a pack of monsters, the words that had been bothering him so much lately are still stuck at the back of his mind.
' You have found yourself too emotionally tied to others, '
I know that.
[ He replies to his thoughts out loud, not caring whether his response will reach the Council's ears or not. He drives his sword into the nearest creature, narrowly dodging its maws. His attack cuts deep, and with one more slash, the manages to decapitate his foe.
He doesn't get much time to celebrate, as another monster lunges at him from behind. Ragna spins around, meeting it face-on with his right arm turning into dark claws that catch the incoming beast in their grip.
' It affects your decision making. '
I know that, dammit!
[ The creature lets out a whimper, its bones crunching and shattering in Ragna's grip; finally, it stops moving, and he lets the mangled corpse drop to the ground with a wet plop. With the final enemy defeated, Ragna's right arm transforms back to its original shape, the shadow sinking back into it.
Suddenly, white-hot pain surges through his body, emanating from that very same arm to his every nerve. Ragna falls to his knees, his breath shaky as his vision starts to blur. Focusing as hard as he can, he tries to calm himself down and hunches over, pressing his right arm to his chest as hard as he can, hoping he can somehow prevent the other monster from emerging. After a couple of seconds that feel like an eternity, the pain subdues, and the man finally manages to stabilize his breathing. ]
... I know this, too.
[ Before coming to this world, he had what, days, maybe weeks left at best? And now here he is, still alive after almost an entire year. Some would consider this lucky, but the uncertainty of his fate has been eating at him for months now. As far as he knows, he could drop dead at any moment, and if that happens... Well, it's safe to say his sentencing would be the least of the Council's worries. ]
2. THE PARK ► find yourself a hobby
[ You know how there's this picnic thing going on or whatever? Well, it just so happens that it somehow managed to attract this asshole, too. Not because he has any interest in socializing, mind you ─ no, the only reason he's here is the barbecue part. And it's not just because of free food, either! Rather than take advantage of someone else doing the hard work and enjoying the spoils, Ragna is the one working on preparing a variety of dishes from the ingredients he's brought. Cooking is one of the very few things he's actually fond of, and barbecue happens to be something of his specialty, so he might as well spending some time doing something relaxing for a change.
... Though it quickly becomes clear as a day he's overdone it a little, with the amounts of food he prepares being way too much for one person to consume. So what's the next most reasonable course of action? Drop it all on someone else so it becomes their problem, of course.
If you happen to be sitting somewhere nearby, you might find yourself approached by a certain well-known terrorist... only for him to present you with a plate filled with grilled meat and vegetables. ]
Well? What are you waiting for? Eat up, or get lost.
[ You're welcome??? ]
3. THE DOCKS ► find yourself a friend
[ So apparently, some punks have been stirring up trouble in the docks. Big deal. Being the furthest from a law-abiding citizen himself, Ragna doesn't particularly care about things like this, but since they offer money for bringing them in... he figures he might as well. (He offered to kill them, even, but the people giving him this assignment got all flustered and assured him just arresting them and bringing them to the City Hall would be more than enough. Bummer.)
Once the sun sets, he begins his highly unprofessional stake-out at the docks... which is to say he's just sitting around and watching the surrounding area, waiting for some suspicious people to show up so he can take them in and get this over with. But instead of people, it's one of the homeless cats that have made this area their home that wanders up to him. And unlike with people, Ragna finds that he doesn't mind this company too much, even going as far as sharing some of his leftovers from the barbecue with it. ]
Hey. You having a shitty day, too?
[ The cat purrs in response, happily munching on the small piece of bacon it's being treated to, and Ragna can't help but smile at the sight, reaching out to pet the animal on the head.
As long as no one's there to witness the scene, you might say his day has finally gotten slightly better. ]
4. THE OUTSKIRTS (AGAIN) ► find yourself a home
[ Another day, another trip to the outskirts to cull the monster population, earn some cash and take out his anger on the unsuspecting fauna. Or at least, that was Ragna's plan, but it goes out the window the moment he reaches the outskirts of Aldrip, where he comes across a simple, quaint building that most definitely wasn't there yesterday. At first, the man thinks he must be dreaming, then he considers the possibility of a hallucination, a trap, anything─ after all, there's no way this could be real. He knows the place, of course, he could never mistake it for anything else; it's the very church where he spent his childhood days, which were easily the best time of his life. But the house he grew up at had long since been destroyed, reduced to a pile of ashes and rubble, and his life along with it.
Before he can wrap his mind around this development or figure out what the hell is going on, his body is already moving on its own. He throws the door to the building open and disappears inside.
If anyone were to get curious about this new structure and walk inside, they will find themselves in a little chapel. Ragna is standing in the middle of the walkway, seemingly in some sort of a daze, as he doesn't react or even register another person's presence. Instead, he reaches out gingerly with his hand towards one of the pews, almost as if he's afraid it would crumble to dust upon touching. But it doesn't ─ it's here and it's real, and this realization makes Ragna's chest both fill with pleasant warmth and tighten in unbearable pain at the same time.
The man looks up at the altar before speaking up, his voice almost uncharacteristically quiet and frail. ]
... I'm home.
wildcard
If you're interested in running into Ragna this month but none of the prompts work for you, feel free to hit me up in discord game chat or at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
psychelocks and we can figure something out!
Where: Around Aldrip
What: Dealing with the effects of his sentencing in the healthiest ways possible [citation needed] and other opportunities to bump into Aldrip's local terrorist!
Warnings: The usual Ragna warnings (blood, violence, language) may apply. See the prompts for details!
1. THE OUTSKIRTS ► find yourself in a pinch
cw: blood, violence
[ The more he thinks about his latest encounter with the Council, the angrier Ragna feels. It's not just that Jerry managed to drag him to that whole sentencing crap against his will, which is already enough to hurt his pride, but the actual contents of the judgement that's been passed on him? He wishes he could say it's all bullshit and shrug it off, he really can't because for once, they might actually have a point, as much as he hates to admit it.
So instead of pondering the meaning of their words, he chooses to keep himself busy. It looks like the monsters have been rearing their ugly heads in the outskirts and attacking people lately, leading to the Grim Reaper deciding to take up the assignment to get rid of them. It gives him an excuse to blow off some steam and earn some buck while at it, killing two birds with one stone.
It's not exactly going as planned, as even as he's in the middle of fighting a pack of monsters, the words that had been bothering him so much lately are still stuck at the back of his mind.
]
I know that.
[ He replies to his thoughts out loud, not caring whether his response will reach the Council's ears or not. He drives his sword into the nearest creature, narrowly dodging its maws. His attack cuts deep, and with one more slash, the manages to decapitate his foe.
He doesn't get much time to celebrate, as another monster lunges at him from behind. Ragna spins around, meeting it face-on with his right arm turning into dark claws that catch the incoming beast in their grip.
]
I know that, dammit!
[ The creature lets out a whimper, its bones crunching and shattering in Ragna's grip; finally, it stops moving, and he lets the mangled corpse drop to the ground with a wet plop. With the final enemy defeated, Ragna's right arm transforms back to its original shape, the shadow sinking back into it.
Suddenly, white-hot pain surges through his body, emanating from that very same arm to his every nerve. Ragna falls to his knees, his breath shaky as his vision starts to blur. Focusing as hard as he can, he tries to calm himself down and hunches over, pressing his right arm to his chest as hard as he can, hoping he can somehow prevent the other monster from emerging. After a couple of seconds that feel like an eternity, the pain subdues, and the man finally manages to stabilize his breathing. ]
... I know this, too.
[ Before coming to this world, he had what, days, maybe weeks left at best? And now here he is, still alive after almost an entire year. Some would consider this lucky, but the uncertainty of his fate has been eating at him for months now. As far as he knows, he could drop dead at any moment, and if that happens... Well, it's safe to say his sentencing would be the least of the Council's worries. ]
2. THE PARK ► find yourself a hobby
[ You know how there's this picnic thing going on or whatever? Well, it just so happens that it somehow managed to attract this asshole, too. Not because he has any interest in socializing, mind you ─ no, the only reason he's here is the barbecue part. And it's not just because of free food, either! Rather than take advantage of someone else doing the hard work and enjoying the spoils, Ragna is the one working on preparing a variety of dishes from the ingredients he's brought. Cooking is one of the very few things he's actually fond of, and barbecue happens to be something of his specialty, so he might as well spending some time doing something relaxing for a change.
... Though it quickly becomes clear as a day he's overdone it a little, with the amounts of food he prepares being way too much for one person to consume. So what's the next most reasonable course of action? Drop it all on someone else so it becomes their problem, of course.
If you happen to be sitting somewhere nearby, you might find yourself approached by a certain well-known terrorist... only for him to present you with a plate filled with grilled meat and vegetables. ]
Well? What are you waiting for? Eat up, or get lost.
[ You're welcome??? ]
3. THE DOCKS ► find yourself a friend
[ So apparently, some punks have been stirring up trouble in the docks. Big deal. Being the furthest from a law-abiding citizen himself, Ragna doesn't particularly care about things like this, but since they offer money for bringing them in... he figures he might as well. (He offered to kill them, even, but the people giving him this assignment got all flustered and assured him just arresting them and bringing them to the City Hall would be more than enough. Bummer.)
Once the sun sets, he begins his highly unprofessional stake-out at the docks... which is to say he's just sitting around and watching the surrounding area, waiting for some suspicious people to show up so he can take them in and get this over with. But instead of people, it's one of the homeless cats that have made this area their home that wanders up to him. And unlike with people, Ragna finds that he doesn't mind this company too much, even going as far as sharing some of his leftovers from the barbecue with it. ]
Hey. You having a shitty day, too?
[ The cat purrs in response, happily munching on the small piece of bacon it's being treated to, and Ragna can't help but smile at the sight, reaching out to pet the animal on the head.
As long as no one's there to witness the scene, you might say his day has finally gotten slightly better. ]
4. THE OUTSKIRTS (AGAIN) ► find yourself a home
[ Another day, another trip to the outskirts to cull the monster population, earn some cash and take out his anger on the unsuspecting fauna. Or at least, that was Ragna's plan, but it goes out the window the moment he reaches the outskirts of Aldrip, where he comes across a simple, quaint building that most definitely wasn't there yesterday. At first, the man thinks he must be dreaming, then he considers the possibility of a hallucination, a trap, anything─ after all, there's no way this could be real. He knows the place, of course, he could never mistake it for anything else; it's the very church where he spent his childhood days, which were easily the best time of his life. But the house he grew up at had long since been destroyed, reduced to a pile of ashes and rubble, and his life along with it.
Before he can wrap his mind around this development or figure out what the hell is going on, his body is already moving on its own. He throws the door to the building open and disappears inside.
If anyone were to get curious about this new structure and walk inside, they will find themselves in a little chapel. Ragna is standing in the middle of the walkway, seemingly in some sort of a daze, as he doesn't react or even register another person's presence. Instead, he reaches out gingerly with his hand towards one of the pews, almost as if he's afraid it would crumble to dust upon touching. But it doesn't ─ it's here and it's real, and this realization makes Ragna's chest both fill with pleasant warmth and tighten in unbearable pain at the same time.
The man looks up at the altar before speaking up, his voice almost uncharacteristically quiet and frail. ]
... I'm home.
wildcard
If you're interested in running into Ragna this month but none of the prompts work for you, feel free to hit me up in discord game chat or at
cw: child abuse ):
should she tell the tale about the two brothers of zaun and how everything became to be? jinx never needed to speak about it when it was a well-known story back home, so it feels a little weird having to fill in the past history to someone who's unaware. jinx works her lips silently as she thinks it over, her thumb gingerly carcasses over the lukewarm mug between her hands. ]
Silco and Vander... were brothers. Well, not actual brothers, but... they were close. And they shared a dream together. For our people to have freedom and to live without the Topsiders rulin' us, or be in charge of everything. Where we wouldn't need to answer to them for anything, and we could just... be independent.
But... they had different thoughts on how they wanted things to go. And the two of them fought and Vander messed up his eye. All that acid we had in Zaun got in it, that's why the side of his face is... — [ she lifts her hand and does a circular motion around her own to demonstrate. ] — y'know.
Aaaannywaaay, when my folks died, Vander took me and Vi in. He was... my other dad. And I had brothers too, but Vi was totally his favorite. Such a big favorite that he wanted Vi to take over the Last Drop whenever he goes, y'know?
[ her lips thin as she pauses, not entirely sure how to proceed with the story without reopening old wounds. will it be okay for ragna to know the full truth? will it change things between them if she did? with a sigh, she pushes forward. ]
— Some... bad stuff happened and... some people died. My brothers died, Vander died... and it was back to just Vi and me.
[ she stops again, but now her voice wavers as her eyes moist. ]
Vi... blamed me for their deaths, she hit me, called me a "Jinx", then... she left. And after that, I hadn't seen her for seven years. But that was because she got arrested. I mean, not that I knew or anything. I was just a kid then, so... I just assumed she abandoned me and then died along the way.
[ now that she shoved the hardest part out the way (although still leaving out so much of that story), her voice and her breath comes back with ease. ]
— Then Silco found me alone and... took me in. Called me his daughter and took care of me ever since. And with Vander gone and Vi gone, somebody had to be the voice of Zaun 'cause that was Vander's job. He kept everything and everyone together. So... Silco stepped in, took over the Last Drop, and we as people moved on. Eventually Vi got outta jail and saw how much everything changed, saw that Silco was in charge of everything including the bar, soooooooo... now we're here.
She thinks it belongs to her, he thinks it belongs to him, blahblahblah, you get the rest.
no subject
He'd never thought much about Jinx's name, but now that it's come up in the story, he can't help but wonder... was there a time when she was someone else entirely? And now, in some twisted, self-harming way she's adopted the name that's tied to all those painful memories? All of that... should not be on a teenage girl's shoulders.
It's at that moment that Ragna finally realizes Jinx has finished her story, and he should probably speak up instead of letting the awkward silence linger. But hell, what does he even say to all that?
'I'm sorry.'
'I didn't mean to make you remember that.'
'That sucks.'
None of those sound any good in his head, and even if they did, he's fairly sure he couldn't force himself to say them out loud. So instead of using his words ─ something he's not that great at anyway ─ he moves across the floor to sit right next to Jinx, and places his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. ]
... They both want to protect you from the other, huh. Eventually, they'll need to come to terms with you making your own decisions, whether they like them or not.
cw: more spoilers
her eyes stay still to her hot cocoa, but she blinks in bewilderment when she feels the caress against her hair. the motion is almost enough for her to swell up in tears again, but she forces them back. instead, jinx, once again, feels small compared to him, however, it's not a discomfort reaction. the girl scoots closer to end their gap and lets her forearm brush against his side. ]
They won't.
[ she says, feeling a little guilty for kicking down his positivity, but it's better to face facts than pretend. ]
It's hopeless, Ragna, I've tried everything. They've both screwed up with me, y'know? Vi told me that family stick together, but she left me there with Vander's corpse after I begged her to not leave me.
[ there may not be tears in her eyes, but the hurt is rather thick in her sentences. ]
It was so cruel, like she was... punishing me for what happened by leaving me there. But I didn't mean to kill anyone. I was trying to save everyone, but... my bomb just didn't work like I thought. I just wanted to help.
[ her grip tightens around the cup, and now her bottled up emotions are bubbling up to the surface after being so deep in the waters. ]
And Silco knew Vi was alive and knew she was around looking for me, but he kept that from me on purpose. He was trying to get rid of her, and kill her so we would never meet up and work things out. He would talk about loyalty, and give me all of these life lessons, but he would lie to me. ... Sometimes, I still wonder if he's telling me the truth about everything now.
But they've both hurt me, and messed things up with me. Neither of them is worse than the other. But I'm still... trying to look pass all of it, and be a better sister and daughter by... forgiving it all and loving them both.
But somehow, that's not enough... to make them stop.
no subject
'It's all your fault, Brother.'
The all-too familiar voice echoes at the back of his head, the pain in Jinx's voice seemingly reawakening some memories buried deep inside him. Ragna lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, shaking his head slightly as he does. ]
At least I know where you get all that stubbornness from.
[ He keeps his tone fairly light with a hint of sarcasm, in a somewhat vain attempt to bring some levity to the conversation, no matter how grim it really is. But in reality, he's angry ─ angry at Vi and Silco, for putting Jinx through all this, angry at himself, for not being able to ease her pain, angry at the world that led her to believe all her efforts at picking up the pieces and putting her life and family back together have been pointless. ]
... You've done more than enough.
[ This time, Ragna speaks up with strong conviction behind his words. He may not be able to protect her from Vi's and Silco's conflict, nor can he help her resolve it, but hell if it's gonna stop him from trying to at least make her feel like her efforts aren't in vain. ]
Now it's their turn to prove themselves and be a better sister and father to you.
no subject
maybe he's right. the ball is now in her family's court, and she's done enough to show that she loves them equally, and is willing to compromise...well, something to settle their differences so they could live peacefully. but will the two of them put aside their hate, shake hands, and tolerate each other's presence for her? seems very unlikely, and this looks to be a fight that will last until one of them dies of old age. in this case, silco, given he is the oldest between the two. ]
... Sorry for dunking all of this on you. You're, uh, the first person I've ever told all of this to. Feels kinda nice? To, y'know, let it all out finally.
no subject
I think I'll live. 'Sides, we've still got that partner thing going on, remember?
[ Admittedly, the whole arrangement might have been little more than a convenient excuse for the two of them to hang out together and support each other for the past... hell, months. But it works, so Ragna doesn't even question it anymore. ]
You can stay however long you want. There's more than enough room here.
[ In fact, in some strange way, he's glad to have her around? Being back at the church is weird on its own, but being here alone is weirder still. When you think about it that way, she's doing him a favor by sticking with him as he tries to adjust to this place again. ]
wrapped! 🎀
[ she says, this time, not minding at all with the ruffling he does to her hair. she'll fix it much later. for now, she'll just use this time to ease her mind, and solely focus on this hot cocoa, getting some sleep (if her nightmares let her), and being a royal pain to ragna. maybe her "jinx" is cutting her some slack for once. that is... until the next disaster, which is very well on its way. ]