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[viciousabyss]

ELI

@viciousabyss

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

NAME: Eli Azrael
AGE: 40... ish
HOMETOWN: Kingdom of Solterra, Feywild

yo. its eli. hit me up.

CODE

Comments

[exaltruistic]

I don't come from a place with ... magic or anything even close. It's completely new to me.

Headaches, mostly. I feel colder, too. Maybe some mental changes that are harder to pin down.

[viciousabyss]

oh, right. well, magic is a neutral force- it can be used for good or evil. usually having it yourself is fun. it gives you POWER. the shifts will afford you some kind of power. physical, magical, mental or otherwise

hmm. could be reptilia or spectral. my soul is spectral

[exaltruistic]

I don't know if this is a big ask or not, but would you mind keeping me company if I tried to figure out shifting? I just don't want to be alone for it.

Spectral seems right.

( He has a terribly fragile sense of self, and the idea of becoming something else is kind of agonizing. )

[viciousabyss]

not a big ask. would love to tbh

[Simping, or simply a bit obsessed with monsters and wants to see what Ko turns into? Stuff can be two things.]

want to come to mine? it's outside the barrier so you won't have any stupid karterians staring at you. and i can make you tea or some bullshit

[exaltruistic]

Thank you, Eli. I can come over, yes. Just let me know where and I'll head out.

[viciousabyss]

[Eli drops a pin on the map and shares it.

The pin leads Ko to a small cabin in the woods, old and decrepit but somewhat fixed up. It is surrounded by plants and bushes which are now covered in snow, but it's easy to tell that in spring, a huge garden will surround this place. A warm glow emanates from the windows in the dark.]

[exaltruistic]

( Somehow, this place feels fitting for Eli. He feels a little vulnerable and unsure when he finally shows up, but he's able to steel himself and knock on the front door anyway.

Taking a step back, he waits. )

[viciousabyss]

Boo.

[Eli's quiet voice comes from a few feet to Ko's left, and then he appears, uncloaking himself from shadow, the warm light through the window finally touching his face.

He grins- it's probably cruel, startling Ko when he's already in an anxious place, but... He could have been crueler.]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[exaltruistic]

( He does startle a little; congratulations, Eli. Still, he can't help but pull a grin anyway. )

I should have expected that ... I'll let it slide this time.

( Then he adds, voice warm: )

It's good to see you again, either way.

[viciousabyss]

[His soul relishes in that momentary bit of fear- and that is mostly why he couldn't resist.]

You too.

[He says it genuinely, returning that warmth. Then cants his head toward the house.]

My partner's sleeping in there. Follow me.

[He turns and leads Ko through the garden a small ways until they reach a clearing that has a campfire burning in the middle of it, and some log benches surrounding it. Nearby, there's a shed. The snow is packed down with footprints. It almost looks like a small campsite. He gestures to the shed.]

That's not heated, but there's candles and stuff, if you prefer to be inside. Or we can do it out here.

[He moves to the fire, which has a steaming pot near the embers. Eli pours the boiling water into two mugs already set out, and passes one to Ko.]

It's shitty tea, sorry. I don't drink tea much but I always feel like I'm supposed to offer people something for bothering to hoof it outside the barrier.

[exaltruistic]

( Ko follows; good thing he didn't knock too loud. The set up is picturesque, and he considers the proposition of possibly doing this inside. Honestly, he wants to, since fires make him anxious, but he doesn't know how much room he'll need. He keeps a wide berth from the fire for now, but takes a seat closer as Eli hands him a mug.

He tells himself that Eli wouldn't let the fire get out of control, and his shoulders relax a fraction. )

We can stay out here for now. Thank you.

( There's a softer smile. )

I appreciate the hospitality. Especially when I'm being a little weird about something like this ...

( He blows on the tea, relishing the way it warms his hands. Still a bit hot to drink, he sets it aside. )

[viciousabyss]

[He notices Ko's reticence, but isn't sure where it comes from. Maybe just the nerves about shifting...]

Hey, you're not being weird. There's a lot about this soul shit that's fucking terrifying. I've felt it. I've cried like a little bitch. Everyone struggles differently, but we all struggle.

[He moves to sit next to Ko, their knees touching.]

[exaltruistic]

( That much is true ... Ko nods at Eli's words, affording him a warm kind of look. He can't help it. The blunt way he speaks is strangely refreshing, and for some reason he feels a little more trusting of him than he'd normally feel with most other people.

The tea in the mug warms his hands, grounding him a little further. )

It's changed in recent years, but for a long time, I was used to being alone in crowded rooms. At times, I felt like my struggles were the worst anyone could go through.

( Oddly, what changed all that was him being forced to share his secrets. )

Point being, thank you. Good company is more valuable to me than you could know.

[viciousabyss]

[Eli hums, understanding.]

I used to feel that way a lot too. But as I get older I'm realizing pain and fear are universal. I'm not special for feeling them. [He laughs dryly.] Which is good and bad, I guess. I do love being special.

[He winks at Ko.]

I'm not so sure that I'm great company, but I'm always here if it's the kind of company you want.

[Eli often decides definitively whether he likes someone or not within the first five minutes of meeting them. So, he's liked Ko since then.]

[exaltruistic]

( The 'special' comment gets a quiet chuckle out of Ko.

Eli's words seem sincere, so its met with a nod, holding eye contact in a somewhat vulnerable moment. No one back home could have pried out with pliers what he'd just said to Eli; that should speak volumes, but Ko decides to let it lie. )

I appreciate your presence immensely.

( Now. )

I'm overthinking this whole ... shifting thing. I should probably just give it a go, huh.

( His eyes slip closed, as though he's searching internally. )

[viciousabyss]

[That's very sweet. Not for the first time since meeting Ko, Eli has the urge to kiss him, but doesn't.]

You should give it a go. I'll be right here, and I'll think your shift is cool no matter what.

[Because it's a monster and he's a monsterfucker.

He takes Ko's tea from him so his hands are free.]

Oh, wait. You might want to take off your clothes. If your shift is bigger than you are, they'll rip.

[He points to the shed.]

[exaltruistic]

( Oh, great. Clothes. He pauses, and looks between Eli and the shed. Honestly, he'd been banking on Eli being by his side through the whole changing forms ordeal, so having to part to hide any nudity ... it kind of puts a hitch in the plan.

Either way, its now or never. Best to get used to it. )

... I feel a little silly for not having considered that, but ... well, thanks for saying something, at least.

( Ko stands and moves to the shed, feeling his heart pound as he goes. The coat comes off, the shirt. Pants and underwear and then, finally, the binder. God, he feels ridiculous.

Closing his eyes, tapping into the strange feeling that's felt barely locked away ... the shift starts. Horns grow, limbs lengthening, his hair growing out past his shoulders. Those eyes glow golden by the time he's done, but all he can do is marvel at the way his brand new claws look.

Thankfully, he looks more sexless in this form.

It takes him a long while to come out, though. )

... Oh.

[viciousabyss]

Yeah, the most awkward part of shifting.

[He grins, a little apologetic, but also a little amused as he watches Ko processing the information.

He waits as Ko disappears into the shed to make his tranformation, almost like he's waiting on the bench of a changing room while Ko tries on clothes. After a while of silence:]

... You good in there?

[Ko emerges, and Eli's eyes widen, white irises glowing in the firelight. And Ko's eyes are glowing too, much more literally, it seems.]

Hooooooly shit.

[Eli gets up and approaches to get a better look.]

This is incredible. It- it must be spectral, but you look more like something divine than a demon or a vampire...

[exaltruistic]

Divine? Really?

( Ko sees his own claws, remains cognizant of the horns and the strange, ashen pallor of his skin; it doesn't seem especially angelic ... but then he's able to see the glamor he's putting off. )

I think I'm putting off some kind of ... illusion?

( Searching, he seems to switch it off after a moment. )

This is so, so strange.

[viciousabyss]

Mhm. Spectrals can do that. Usually it's on purpose, though.

[His lip quirks up wryly.]

Don't use it to disguise yourself and look normal. That's pussy shit. Spectral souls are cool as hell. You have to flaunt it.

[Eli seems to have strong opinions about this. It's obvious he never uses glamours to change his appearance, because his spectral corruption is something he likes very much, even moreso than how he originally looked on arrival.]

You look great. Really. How do you feel?

[He wants to kiss him. Again. Ugh. This is fine.]

[exaltruistic]

Thank you, Eli.

( Eli's enthusiasm for monsterhood is kind of endearing, in a way that's a bit of a surprise. Let your freak flag fly seems to be the motto here; that kind of thing would resonate with a few of his colleagues especially, and it sort of holds true for their organization as a whole ... )

How do I feel? You know, I ask patients that kind of thing quite a bit, but ... right now it feels like the words aren't adequate.

( He flexes his claws, the kintsugi hand catching the firelight. )

Powerful, maybe.

[viciousabyss]

That's what I like to hear.

[He claps Ko on the shoulder, grinning. Embrace monstrousness, embrace your power! They're well on their way to fucking shit up (for Patho-Gen, specifically).]

What do you mean, patients?

[exaltruistic]

My day job back home is psychology. I have to ask things like that to my patients, but its sort of a tired question.

( He then works his hand against the one with the fault line at the wrist. )

This feels like it'll come off. My hand in my normal form can come off too, but it almost feels like it should.

[viciousabyss]

Psychology...? That's like...

[He points at his own temple.]

Mental stuff?

[Not much of a thing where he's from, at least not by that name.]

Huh. Wait, your hand usually comes off? Is it prosthetic?

[exaltruistic]

Yes, that's right. I've dedicated many years to studying it.

( He blinks; he hasn't explained being Handead to Eli, has he. )

Mmhm. The necrotic hand in my normal form is mostly dead and it can come off sometimes, but its not really good if it does. A ... colleague of mine ... his hand is the same, and he often loses his thumb.

( Pressing a little more firmly, the hand pops off at the wrist, but he doesn't seem alarmed at all.

Rather, he finds he can still flex that hand even with it unattached, thin gold cracks shining at the place where it broke away. )

... Oh. Wow.