expiationlogs | CLOSED ❯ the hauntings and the haunted

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CLOSED ❯ the hauntings and the haunted

Who: celen's boys aka viktor and charles + various
Where: around
What: charles has a bad time with his death anniversary + helps with cleanup, viktor tries not to die
Warnings: talk about death / hate crime / terminal illness

( closed starters in comments! if you would like something with either charles or viktor, please feel free to hit me up on plurk @

celen or through pm or via the game discord! )

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[ in the end, the day finds them here: waiting outside the apothecary, viktor leaning on his crutch, looking pale and rather worse for wear, caitlyn standing by his side, brow furrowed as the knock sounds on the door before she pushes it open.

viktor, well. to feel that there's a certain defeat to being here — maybe it's stupid, but when for so long, pride has been all you've had, it's hard to let go of it. but he has to face the facts: he isn't getting better, and while he isn't getting markedly worse, either, his body is still only weeks away from giving up on him entirely... and though he now regrets what happened with the hexcore, though he'd given up on a cure and resigned himself to his death back home, he finds that if there's a possibility... he doesn't actually want to die. not if all this world would do would be to bring him back, only to repeat the same loop, over and over again.

regardless; he gives caitlyn a look that at once says are you happy now and thank you for caring before stepping inside the apothecary, and then shifting his eyes towards the man behind the counter, there. ]

... Hello. [ this is... starting out great. ]

[ it is habit, for him, thirty years in the making — disappearing around this particular time in november, when everything reminds him of cold grass under his palms and frozen water wrapping around him and something even colder inside his bones, of an old attic and a ratty blanket and his mind telling him everything would be fine, if he could only just rest for a while —

he isn't good company, like this. he shouldn't be inflicting his own wounds on anyone else.

and so he just, well, removes himself for a while; walks aimlessly around the outskirts of aldrip, walks for hours (he can't tire, after all, so why shouldn't he? it's not like his feet can hurt, it's not like he can run out of breath, it's not like he's alive), wanders into the forest and lets the few monsters he comes across phase right through him.

eventually, he finds himself on the beach and stares at the waves, draws on the sand, pointless shapes that overlap.

but as little as he might be seeking for company, right now, if anyone comes across him, whether during his walks or in the forest or at the beach — he's still polite enough to say, ] Oh, [ and then summon up a smile. if he hadn't just been looking almost downright morose, it would be an incredibly convincing smile. ]

Hey. What're you doing here? [ like one might not ask him the same... ]

[ in his defense, he does leave a note. it's there on the kitchen counter one late november day that junpei comes back home, a ripped page from his notebook, with a doodle of gab in the corner; the note itself simply says:

hey. not great company this time of year, so i'm gonna head off for a day or so.
it's sort of tradition by this point, so it's not like it's a new thing... so don't worry, yeah?

i'll be back soon. love you.

true to his word, he's only gone until the evening of the next day — and perhaps uncharacteristically, he actually comes back home via the door, the lock clicking open and then softly shut behind him. he hopes that junpei will be, well, fine with this — the only person he's ever disappeared on like this is edwin, who'd never batted an eye, used to his melancholy around the time of his death and letting him deal with it on his own, however he needed to.

but junpei isn't edwin, he hasn't had years to see him do this every november, and so there's an apology ready on charles' tongue... except it disappears the second he lays eyes on junpei, dissolves into a wave of pure affection and love that he's grown so used to now with their constant presence around one another that now, after not seeing him for a little over one single day, it threatens to overwhelm him completely.

and so he's sort of left there, staring at junpei with a small, barely-there and yet tender smile, like the sight of him alone has made him forget about all the negative emotions he's been dwelling in for the past day and more. ]

[Working at a sandwich shop for locals who, broadly, think you're a piece of shit like the rest of the Chosen (besides that one local regular, who is polite enough to never speak outside of his order) is eventually pretty exhausting; whenever Junpei comes home from his longer shifts he is solely prepared to stare at the ceiling for at least an hour. Maybe sigh a few times. Groan comically, if Charles is also home and will laugh about it.

So today when he comes home to a note about Charles not being great company, his first thought is "Oh, same," and then he can't help but wryly chuckle at himself for that one. Yeah, he's concerned—he doesn't know every detail of Charles' life at home by any stretch of the imagination, and of the things he does know, it's about 50/50 funny to terrible? But they have an understanding, when it comes to their own worser impulses and not-so-great days, so.

Well, it's fine. He'll obey the note and not worry, unless of course Charles is gone for longer than the day or so he promises, in which case he's legally allowed to stress about it—

Which luckily isn't the case, and he's flopped gracelessly on the couch with Gab on his stomach and some boring Aldrip novel he's only half-reading in hand when he hears the door and sits up just enough to see Charles without jostling the dog. Ah, and there's the relief; yes, yes, he didn't worry, but the number of times he's started to say something out loud to Charles and then caught himself with an audible "oops" was starting to get embarrassing.

He then says to the dog in a terrible stage whisper,]

Gab, don't look now, but this really handsome guy just came into the house using the front door for the first time in history.

[Ha ha, but anyway, as he waves the book a little (and Gab snuffles his old man snuffle and resumes dozing),]

Hey there, stranger. You feeling better?

[Not great, not even okay, but like. Better. Better is a good place to start.]

[ It's close to the outskirts of town where Koharu nearly passes by Charles, but she won't come and go without at least a hello. The air about him gives her pause, however, even if he is quick to display a personable smile and friendly greeting. ]

Just taking a walk.

[ Simple as the answer is, it's genuine. ]

I finished work for the day, so... Nothing like a bit of fresh air to unwind, right?

[ Despite many things, Aldrip is nothing if not scenic—at least compared to the likes of Tokyo. ]

Are you out for the same reason?

Good afternoon!

[ The man behind the counter is one Claude von Riegan -- dressed in little more than a light linen shirt and some sensible trousers as the fireplace blazes behind him, heating some sort of bubbling cauldron above it. He may be dressed simply, but something in Claude's manner, in the way he holds himself, suggests he's used to far finer garb than what he's wearing now. The Apothecary itself is newly renovated, but the propietor seems to have managed to fill up the space in no time at all. There are bundles of herbs drying from the ceiling, walls lined with shelves filled with all sorts of dark amber bottles and mysterious tins labeled with Claude's own hurried cursive, an abundance of powders and tinctures lining his counter.

Out in front are a scattering of squashy chairs and tables, where Caitlyn and her guest will no doubt find themselves soon enough. ]

Caitlyn, you've brought a friend! [ And he might tease her about how it's nice to see her with someone other than Vi... but then he takes in Viktor's appearance. Best to tread lightly, he thinks. He remembers Richard being downright spooked when Claude had tried to so much as speculate on his condition. He clears his throat, taking on a casual affect, though he's certain Caitlyn was able to catch that worried glance he accidentally shot her way. ]

Please, take a seat. How can I help you today?

[ Aside, he thinks, from insisting they go see an actual healer instead. ]

[It already had been weeks since Richard moved out of his house at the outskirts of the town, taking a new residence either at the inn or with his new 'friend.' It was funny, in a way, that he had originally moved out of city to accommodate to Whitey's needs, only to move back in there after affection. Well, whatever. Richard can live wherever he wants to but that doesn't mean that Whitey needs to follow him!

So! He is, in fact, spending a quite lot of time at the outskirts near the nature. Doing things as an independent boar that he is! Exploring, digging up truffles and acorns, avoiding monsters and so on. It's really too bad that there's only so many places that were still warm. It made napping quite difficult.

He was actually in process of trying to find one when he spotted a rather gloomy looking figure ahead. One that he actually thinks he knows. That's Charles, friend to both Junpei and Richard! He thinks. Well, guess he was about to become Whitey's friend too!

The boar trots forward until he's standing next to Charles.]

Meep. [Whitey offers a soft sound as a greeting, looking up with his brown beady eyes. ]

[ usually, on any given day of the year, he finds it easy to summon up his smile, make it seem like he means it — but today? of all days? it's harder, and it's slipping even as koharu speaks; charles manages something of a half-smile and a shrug in response, eyes flitting from the cobbled street to the buildings to the treeline visible behind them all. ]

Right. [ a pause. ] Uh, sort of. Just... felt like walking, I guess.

[ felt like not staying cooped up inside, really, but what's the difference? ]

[ charles blinks at the sound — he's been out of it enough to simply wander around, lost in thought, not really paying attention to his surroundings at all... and so it seems like whitey is just appearing out of nowhere, and charles stares at him for a moment...

before breaking into a small, genuine smile. ]

Hey, Whitey. [ on instinct, he holds out his hand, even though he has no idea if boars even like to sniff humans — not that he even has a scent at all, in fact. but maybe he can be excused if he's not being his most logical at the minute. ]

What're you doing here all by yourself? [ he asks, as if whitey could answer... but hey, cats understand him just fine, so maybe whitey does too; he might just not be able to understand him back. ]

Edited 2024-12-03 19:59 (UTC)

[ well, if just seeing junpei is enough to make him feel like he's drowning under a wave of his own affection, the little joke multiplies that tenfold, burrows right into his chest and makes him forget momentarily that he can't actually feel warm.

he shakes his head and chuckles, before crossing the floor in some quick strides until he can reach out with his right hand to give gab some scritches, and slide his left hand to the side of junpei's face, leaning down to give him a soft kiss.

as he pulls back, he says, gazing at junpei with all that warmth he couldn't truly feel in his chest, with so much love he just about radiates it, ]

I am now.

[ and as cheesy as that is to say... it's true, too. because being here, all that restlessness is suddenly — not gone, not entirely, but better. muted, like junpei's presence is enough to make him think of something else, like he is filling his heart so full that there's no space left for him to dwell on his melancholy, his sadness, his anger, all the emotions that normally cling to him like a particularly unpleasant shadow this time of year, every year.

maybe, he thinks, he never would have needed to go anywhere in the first place. maybe it would have been okay, for him to not be okay at all. maybe junpei gets it, like he gets everything, like he reads what charles needs before he even has the chance to actually think of it himself. ]

[ he doesn't just show up one night — he does send octavian a message ahead of time, confirms if it might be a good time to actually play some checkers as they'd agreed. octavian seems to him like someone who doesn't appreciate surprise guests; so, it's only after getting a yes as a response that he shows up once night has already fallen and most of aldrip is asleep.

aside from, well, their ghost population of two.

when he gets to the out-of-the-way house that his... friend? older-relative-adjacent? inhabits, he knocks on the door — and then just promptly steps in through the door. why make octavian go through the trouble of opening the door when it really doesn't need to be opened, at all? ]

Hey, [ he calls out, ] We didn't exactly agree on a time, but, uh, I'm here now.

[ don't mind him as he just turns to look around, take in what the house looks like... ]

[Playing some checkers is actually happening, it seems; Octavian is both not surprised (because Charles seems like the do-gooder type to keep his word for better or worse) and a little surprised anyway (because most people aren't), but it isn't as if his handful of projects are going anywhere in the middle of the night, so, checkers.

He does have a checkerboard now, and as a result, has since badgered a local into moving a coffee table into his living room. He's even had them arrange the big armchairs into something more resembling a logical furniture arrangement, not that Charles would notice the difference. The checkers set is slightly oversized, as if for children, because it is. This was meant to be a helpful concession, and it kind of is, but he doesn't want to talk about it.

He is also there, by the front door, when Charles slides through it, because half of the local ghost population has some pathological avoidance issues when it comes to phasing through things and assumed he should go open the door, so—well! Hello! He lacks the capacity to properly reel back from the sudden Charles appearance, but he is definitely standing right there, overtly on his way to open the door.]

So you are. [So very evident... let him just move back a few feet, hrmngh...] ...Come in.

[Like, the rest of the way. Kids these days. Take in the heavily runed Work Area and the lesser-used Everything Else, now featuring a photograph pinned up on the wall in view of the armchairs. It is not framed, but it's the only decoration in here besides, like, the runes and all.]

[ That's... not even a little bit subtle. Koharu's sunny disposition fades in favor of concern. ]

I'm sorry if this comes off as too forward, but—are you okay?

[ The 'guy taking a depression walk' aura is strong here. ]

[It's strange, but isn't the beach technically the first time he and Charles met? It was just a different version of him, a Scott wrapped up in deep grief and despair, so intense that he still feels it to this day. He tries not to think about it too much, how familiar those emotions might be ~~once~~ if Kotone disappears from this world before him. But those aren't things he wants to focus on, instead his attention is solely on the more quiet figure of his ghostly friend.

It is rare seeing Charles like this, but Scott wouldn't say he's never seen him quiet and somber. Maybe that forced little smile is just so familiar to him, something he's seen countless times before. Sometimes on Kotone, sometimes on his other friends, Scott thinks he's gotten pretty good at spotting it. Still, he greets Charles with a small smile, one that's genuine if worried, stopping by the other with his hands in his pockets.]

Just walking and thinking, eventually found myself here.

[The beach is nice anyway. Scott intends to prod at Charles soon, but he's easing into that first.]

You really haven't seen her?

[ the voice that greets ragna when he enters the cafe (presumably after checking other places for jinx; meanwhile this is where charles has started from) sounds a tad bit defeated — worried, too, but distinctly like he's gotten an answer he's very much not happy with. ]

The blue one hasn't been around. Maybe she's out there hunting.

[ well, that is what charles hears, anyway — to ragna, it'll sound like a few meows in a row. ] Right. Well, thanks anyway. I'll bring you guys some, uh, fish or something.

[ another meow in response; one that means you better!

as charles straightens up from his crouch in front of the two cats there at the cafe, he blinks when he sees he's suddenly not alone here. ] Uh, hi. You here for... the cats?

[ oh yes, guy taking a depression walk is absolutely the right reading, here — one that charles seems to recognise, given that she's asking if he's okay after, hm, not even one single minute... so he sighs, running a hand through his already unruly curls. ]

That obvious, huh? [ he falls silent for a moment, lets his gaze drop, bites his lip. ] I usually spend today on my own, but it's different when I can actually be seen by the population here, so...

[ out of everyone who could have happened upon him on this day of all days, it being scott... well, it's not quite so bad. seeing him is always a good thing — even if charles isn't feeling particularly peppy today, not even very sociable. but it seems like scott is matching his own energy to his, something charles finds he's tremendously grateful for already; as much as he's used to pretending... he doesn't really want to do that, right now. ]

Yeah, the same thing happened to me, too. [ walking, thinking, ending up here. ]

... It's pretty peaceful, here. [ he gives a soft huff of air, something that might have been a laugh on a different day. ] Guess I should dislike the sight of water, all things considered, but — looks nice, don't it?

[ oh, oops — well, that's a little embarrassing, and charles aims a sheepish look at octavian as if to say, oh, sorry about that. but he does do as instructed, taking a few more steps to actually come in properly and not hover near the door awkwardly. ]

This is nice, [ he says, with a nod to the living room, and he even seems to mean it instead of just saying it as a polite thing to say. ]

So that where you work? Huh, I wonder if I know some of the symbols. [ he moves a little closer, except that's when he spots the photograph, and promptly veers off course immediately. ]

Oh, that's — [ sorry, his detective instinct is just to investigate everything he sees, regardless of if it's polite or not... so he stops before the photo, tilts his head as he takes in what it depicts. ]

[ "Today", he says... Koharu can infer this probably means it's the anniversary of something unpleasant. ]

Yes, a little... [ She can relate, at least, to the strangeness of humans being able to see herself—in this current form, anyway. ] But it means you don't have to spend it alone, right?

[ She assumes he isn't so isolated by choice. ]

[Caitlyn knows she's already pushing her luck by dragging Viktor here. It was hard enough to convince him to let her take him somewhere, and even worse because he wanted to walk, and wouldn't let her help him.

She's never seen him in this condition, so it hurts her heart to see him suffering like this, but hopefully Claude could help. She trusts Claude, which is a big reason she's taking Viktor to him and not someone else, but also because... She's not sure there's anything a healer can heal. According to what Viktor told her about his condition, he's on borrowed time. What he needs more than anything is something to help stabilize him, maybe just generally help him feel better. Claude knows better than her, at least, and if he thinks Ethlyn or any other healers might be able to do something, she'll trust his judgement, but she'll hear what he thinks first.]

Good afternoon, Claude. [She smiles, catching Claude's worried glance and matching his own when she's out of Viktor's line of sight. She sure is going to try to get Viktor to sit down again, and continues to hover like a mother hen until he does.]

This is my friend from home, Viktor. He's the scientist I told you about. He's also... ill. You were the first person I thought of, to bring him to. It's chronic, and end-stage, so I'm not even sure what can be done, but...I figured coming here was a start.

[Yes, be proud of her, Claude, she's actually not glued to Vi's hip for the moment. But if he looks and notices, the engagement ring from when they all had alternate memories is now on her hand again!]

[As always, Charles is encouraging his goofy sense of humor at his own peril. Junpei tilts his head up into the kiss, shifting Gab off the center of his chest to sort of melting against his side when Charles pulls back—so that he can't get very far, before Junpei reaches up for his arm to tug him back down. The couch here is ready and waiting, and staring at him emotionally simply won't do when there's plenty of space down here.]

Missed you, [he says, leaning up to kiss him again. And he did, but it's "missed you" and it also means worried about you and want to help you and a bunch of other things. He'll ask, eventually; he won't nag, though, and if Charles says he feels better right now, then Junpei believes him.

So for now: kisses, and winding an arm around his shoulders to keep him close and anchored in Junpei's deluge of feelings. Come here, stay here, this is a safe place to be—he's still only bumbling through it when it comes to using his words, but he can convey that much with his affection. That old promise to do his best for whatever Charles needs—months now, might as well be an eon ago, after all they've already been through—that old promise keeps coming back around, huh.

And, well, he was lonely and he wants to cuddle. Ahem. He leans their foreheads together, fond.]

If, you know... [If he needs anything else, implied, but Junpei just sort of lets that hang there and says,] uh, well, I'm here.

[Anything at all forever, and so on— that's the serious part taken care of, so now,]

Allllso, I was thinking, d'you want to do a date night? Tonight?

[It's one of those small things that remind Octavian that he and Charles are very different even when it comes to their innate nature as ghosts. Ghostly beings. His severe aversion to actually behaving in a manner befitting, well, a ghost is his own problem, and so he stands there for a moment just looking at the still-closed door before turning away to see what Charles is doing.

Chattering, it seems, ah youth—]

The symbols are not hard to learn.

[He could do a little bunch of flash cards or something— no, but maybe a sheet of notes? Hmm, much to think about.

But Charles has already moved on to the photo, and Octavian comes over to look at it alongside him. It's three men in a sitting room of some opulence, two seated on a plush sofa: one of them is clearly Octavian, alive and well but not much different than he appears now besides that. The other seated man is visibly just Octavian without the glasses with more neatly coiffed hair and a relaxed slouch; the two of them appear enjoyably mid-conversation, not looking at the photographer.

The third man appears about their age, maybe a few years older (could be the tightly trimmed facial hair), standing behind the couch with rigidly upright posture and actually looking at the camera, smiling mildly, like he expected these two to not take the moment entirely seriously. His clothes are finer in an intentional way, quality made to be looked at, and the overall impression he gives is businesslike. His hand is on Octavian's shoulder.]

That is my brother. Sterling. One of the greatest intellectual minds of a generation. [In his esteemed opinion, which is the one that matters. Anyway,] He died.

[And did not hack what remained of his soul into a ghost, is the implication here. Octavian turns to drift back to his sitting area, waving a hand at the photograph as he goes.]

Pay no heed to the rest.

Great minds and all that.

[He adds lightly, but that easy atmosphere has that undercurrent of something more somber. Even Scott notices it, although he tends to be just a little more aware when it comes to his friends. He can probably thank Kotone for that-- or maybe he's not giving himself enough credit. The mutant centers on what Charles is saying, how he should feel uncomfortable around water and ah. Of course.

Well, he's glad that the circumstances around his death haven't made Charles afraid of water. Still...

Scott tilts his head over at him, something patient and maybe even observant hidden behind his shades. It may appear as if the teen is just quietly watching, but there's definitely something more to that. It's subtle and maybe hard to see, given that his shades always covers his eyes.]

Yeah, it's nice. [The beach is cool and all, but.] Especially if you're creating better memories of it.

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CLOSED ❯ the hauntings and the haunted

VIKTOR ❯

❯ CAITLYN & CLAUDE

CHARLES ❯

❯ DEATH ANNIVERSARY

❯ JUNPEI

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perfect 🙏

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❯ OCTAVIAN

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❯ RAGNA

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