maskormenacelogs | i'd be the last shred of truth

[ Haru didn't mean to put off texting Iris, but by the time she remembered Adachi's girlfriend had come around looking for her a few days ago it's already been that long. Embarrassed she scours her bed for wherever her communicator slipped between the sheets, retrieving it from beneath the duvet cover and then sends a quick text to Iris: ]

Hi, Iris! It's Haru.
I heard you stopped by the house a few days ago?

Hi Haru! Yeah, I got some extra coffee beans the other day, so I came over and left it with Goro.

[ in hindsight, not her smartest move. her only defense is that it's been a very rough month, news-wise. ]

Have you had a chance to try them yet?

Not yet! I've been meaning to, but I've been a bit preoccupied with school and work so I've been getting my coffee to go lately.
Thank you for such a thoughtful gift!

Oh, it's no problem!! I'm just sorry that I didn't reach out and text you sooner.

When're you free to catch up? It sounds like you're pretty busy yourself, so let me know what works best.

I'm actually free today. I ran some errands and finished those earlier than expected.

[ She spent the last day avoiding others, but now that she's had time to collect her thoughts she figures it would be best to take comfort in the company of others. ]

[ well, that's an unexpected and pleasant surprise! ]

In that case, I can come meet you in 15, or you can drop by here?
I'm working from home today, so my edits can wait a few hours. (:

I'll stop by, if that's alright?

Perfect! I'll see you in a little bit.

[ She's secretly grateful; her articles could use a little more polish, and those extra fifteen minutes would allow her to summon enough dessert to feed a small army. (Tohru will thank her later. Probably.) ]

[ It's nice to get out of the house and try to remain distracted, even if her mind is not quite as focused as she needs it to be. Perhaps seeing Iris will help lessen that problem.

It isn't long before she's outside the door to Iris and Adachi's place, ringing the doorbell only once and then taking a step back so she isn't directly in Iris's face when she opens the door. ]

[ Iris beams when she opens the door, already stepping through to give Haru a quick hug, ]

Haru! Hi! I'm so glad to see you. [ she pulls back, already turning towards the stairs, ] Come on in. Make yourself at home, as always.

[ Adachi's place feels different, now that Iris has made it hers too; for one thing, the stairs and apartment smells of fresh-baked goods (courtesy of her superpowers). For another, she's tried her best to add smaller things - photographs here and there, a new rug maybe. Nothing too out of place, but also things that would feel much more like their place rather than hers alone. ]

Ah...

[ Haru isn't anticipating such a friendly, warm gesture at all, but she gladly accepts after snapping out of her temporary daze. The physical comfort is something she probably sorely needed today and it even reads on her face, no matter how much she tries to hide it. ]

Thank you for letting me come over. [ Naturally, she peers around curiously to see what Iris has done with the place. It's definitely different, more settled than when she first visited. ] The house is looking wonderful!

Anytime. [ She means it, too; Haru's company has always been a comfort in the past. Iris had been meaning to get to know her better - so there's truly no time like the present. She beams at the praise, already going to get a couple of coffee mugs, ] And thank you!

I know Tohru had his reservations at first, but I never planned on overtaking his design. [ especially since she loves his kotatsu and would probably marry it in an alternate universe, ] It's more - making a home for both of us, you know?

[ It's a daunting, but bold decision to make, isn't it? Opening your heart up to someone in a world where their existence is so unstable, but also moving in to a shared space. Haru can't imagine right now what that's like... even if she's sort of experienced it without realizing. ]

It must be so freeing... having your own space like this. Not having to live by anyone's rules or curfews...

It can be. [ Iris hasn't thought about curfews in a while. Not since she was in high school, and had practically begged Barry to switch rooms so that she could sneak out from under Dad's nose...

Those days are long-gone. The only 'sneaking' she does is for work, and even then, Tohru knows where she is just in case.

She glances back at Haru, already filling up one mug with a tap of her finger, ]

But then again, you don't really have rules at your place, right? It's just the three of you - [ unless Goro's the strict, paternal type, but Iris can't see it. ] - right?

[ That's true... neither of them boss each other around. They mostly try to split the chores, probably somehow Haru and Goro wind up doing the most each time. ]

Not really... just keeping the house clean and not over watering the garden.

[ And cleaning the litter boxes. God, there are so many cats in the house. ]

Can I ask how long it took you both to decide to move in together?

[ Most people would be thrilled, over the moon even, to have someone confess their feelings to them.

It's proving difficult to stay elated, especially as right around the corner was a dark reminder this relationship didn't have a happy or even normal beginning. Rather than spend her time at home on this particular day, Haru ventures out to the Ted Kord Memorial Centre, plants something for her late father and when she finishes up, realizes she may not want to return home so soon.

Facing Goro, who is very likely hyper aware of what the date is, isn't something she's ready to do, not when she's feeling somber.

After all this time she had thought she could face today without the heaviness in her heart of lump in her throat. But with strange things afoot and reality tearing apart, it's impossible not feel moody in some shape or form.

But there is one person who always manages to brighten her day.

Haru doesn't message Martin, deciding it might be a fun surprise to drop in on him. By the time she's made it to Maurtia Falls, it's gotten a little dark outside and there's a frightening tensity to the air.

Of course, when she hears a couple screaming somewhere down the street, she realizes something is very wrong. ]

[very wrong, indeed. this is not the proper, quiet evening that anyone anticipated. ~~A FINE NIGHT FOR A CURSE~~

the couple that appears barely stops to tell Haru to run the other way before leaving her to her own fate, clearly afraid for their lives. their reaction can hardly be blamed at all, when one sees what they've fled from.

between two stores, there's a series of nauseating, unpleasant sounds. obscured from the waning light, it's hard to see at first, but fate deigns to have the street lights flicker on behind Haru upon her arrival and give her a very stark view of it:

though he flinches from the suddenness of the light, Martin remains rooted in place, his arms wrapped around something of a pole...or rather, a lance. he's hugging it it tightly and held at an angle where the contents speared along the wall he's facing remain propped up.

a twitching, gurgling lump of a dog -- or something dog-like -- is there, its red blood streaming down and mingling with the black fluid come from Martin's hands and oozing through his fingers.

just...hold it. keep holding it. 'til the sounds stop. then it'll be alright. it'll be alright...]

[ It takes a lot to not beat it down the other direction, Haru's morbid curiosity getting the best of her.

At first, it's the stench that gets her: that rotted, repugnant exposed flesh that's emits a foul odour, enough to make Haru physically gag and nearly vomit on the sidewalk. She manages to subdue the feeling, but following that her body begins to shake at the sight of something so horrifying she almost doesn't realize Martin's presence until her eyes finally adjust to the dark. ]

Martin?

[ She calls, not realizing she's announced her very own presence to another flesh-diseased dog that comes barreling at her from the opposite direction. Her eyes go wide with panic, but instincts don't kick in yet -- Haru is rooted to her spot in fear, arms going up defensively. ]

No!

[all it takes is the sound of his name to break that concentration, because the last thing he expects to hear is Haru's voice. his hands twitch, and that lance crumbles as if it were simply ash.

down goes the lump of impaled dog, a heavy slump, unnoticed because there is other more pressing matters at-hand. though it's hard to discern details with the bright streetlight, Martin can see her form recoil in place as something rushes her. it's too fast to launch another lance, and yet his mind pulls at him to do something.

that something, apparently, is to rush head-on right at the blurry shape incoming, colliding and tumbling to the ground with it, utterly at a loss for reason or plan. where sense would be, panic enters and floods his body with adrenaline anew as he struggles to push snapping jaws away from his face, gasping and startled by the feeling of them latching onto his arm.]

[ Haru recoils, awaiting with dread in every fiber of her being for sharp teeth and claws to tear into her flesh, waiting for the horrific pain that would follow as whatever it is mauled her down.

But Martin gets in between her and the creature, adding to her horror, and she lets out a piercing scream as they both go down hard. She can see the dog-like aberration snapping its jaws toward Martin, trying to bite down on him instead. ]

Martin!

[ Those teeth are getting dangerously close to Martin's face. She watches the two struggle to overpower one another, trying to come up with a solution in the meantime to help Martin. She's not physically capable of hauling that thing off of Martin, not in its frenzied state and with claws and teeth that look as if they might break bones in half if it had the chance.

But she can't stand there helpless, doing nothing. ]

What do I do? What can I... [ She begins to look around for something -- anything -- to use to distract the dog. All she spots is a half-broken beer bottle nearby, so she dashes toward it and picks it up, chucking it at the dog to try and distract it. ] Leave him alone!

[it might not be much, but the bottle makes the dog jostle in such a way that Martin has a means to push his free hand up and against its neck while pulling his captured arm free. he manages to get his knees under it and push it off more fully, with enough space to get to his feet and kick at its snapping jaws before scrambling over, snatching Haru by the wrist and pulling her into a run.]

Go!

Ah!

[ The hard tug is all she needs to get moving, scrambling after Martin as fast as her legs will carry her. She can hear the angry, warbled barking of the dog, its teeth gnashing together as it scurries back onto its hind legs, then bolts after Martin and Haru.

She glances over her shoulder nervously, only to see it gaining on their heels. ]

It's coming! It's too fast, Martin!

[it's amazing that he can hear her for the drumming in his ears, but he can. he can hear the hustle of that beastly dog, too. it's almost like--

not now. getting caught up thinking about it would be--

Martin's grip is slippery at best on her for the blood that's oozed from the open wound on his palm and wrist, and were this not a dangerous situation, he'd be horrified of having touched her at all. his blood is dangerous, after all. but there's a bigger threat here than that.

if they can't outrun it, then he has to slow it...or speed them up.

with half-a thought in his mind, Martin grunts, yanking Haru ahead of him, pushing her forward while yelling--] Behrýchlo-!

[--before turning around with his arms out and launching another spear from his body, the force of which sends him backward but, with any luck at all, could hit or stagger the dog as well as he tumbles and rolls.]

[ The coppery smell of blood is hard to ignore, especially when some of Martin's strangely coloured blood seeps into pink, wool sleeves and leaves a dark stain. She gags at the sight and smell, the mix of adrenaline and nausea not a good one as it leaves her physically ill. ]

Ahh!

[ Haru doesn't fully anticipate being shoved forward so she stumbles through, barely catching herself as one knee hits the ground. Her kneecap against solid cement sends a painful spike up her leg, but the pain is fleeting, though it keeps her on the ground for a while as Martin dukes it out with the dog.

She can barely believe what she's seeing. This boy that she's known for more than a year now, always quiet, always keeping his head down even among friends... she doesn't know who this is in front of her, black ooze smattering the ground and his hands as he summons sharp weapons from his body without hesitation.

How could she have never seen such power from him? ]

Watch out!

[ She winces as he ejects another spear from his body, her legs trembling as she tries to fight back fear seizing her body, getting to her feet. With all that blood Martin's losing, she doesn't think they'll be able to outrun this beast at this rate. She needs to do something and fast. ]

Martin, duck your head!

[ There's a yelp as she stumbles forth, raising a hand to her face when a streak of blue flame flickers across her face. Her dark mask appears, but it almost fades into nothing as she tears it off, something much larger appearing before them. ]

Astarte!

[ Her Persona takes a stand behind Martin, waving its dark hand in one fluid motion, a line beneath Martin encircling him quickly before it's gone. ]

Edited 2019-10-17 01:36 (UTC)

[his head went down as she ordered, and it's why he missed the appearance of the massive, surreal apparition and the gesture of the boon it bestows. all he knows is that he hurts a little less and he can move a little better, which serves him well as the dog is inbound, having been well out of range of the last lance.

Martin catches it as it launches itself at him, lurching forward to lay atop it to stop its flailing limbs. quickly and without too much hesitation beyond the search itself, his hands find its way to the dog's windpipe, his eyes wide and unblinking as he presses as much of his weight into them. yet despite how much he squeezes...it still moves. it lurches, air wheezing out, but...not back in.

this close, his nose can pick up the smell beyond his putrid blood.

dead.

it's...already dead? but it...it won't stop moving!]

[ As the sharp end of Martin's weapon pierces through rotting flesh in a sickening sound, Haru covers her mouth once more as she gags aloud, having to force her own vomit back down her throat. It's disgusting, the taste of bile in her mouth, yet not as repugnant as watching the dog continue to flap outs mouth at Martin even with a weapon lodged into its throat.

A shuddering breath follows, Haru unable to believe what her eyes are seeing. ]

Why is it still...

[ How? Did Martin not stab it hard enough? But any creature with a hole in its throat should have succumbed by now. ]

What is that thing? [ She manages to make a break for Martin, terrified for what the undying creature could mean for him at such a close range.

Astarte reappears in full form again, Haru's figure momentarily aglow before her axe appears in her hands, preparing to swing it into the dog. ] Martin, move!

Ahhhhhh!!

[a lot happens all at once, but the most Martin understands is move. frightened by the sudden glow in the area, he recoils, rolling off of the dog and tucking his head in his arms as he does so. he flinches at the heavy landing of a blade, heart in his throat, and remains prone for some moments after before daring to peek out from over his shoulder.

Haru. where is she? is she safe?]

[ Her swing is heavy, allowing the weapon to guide her arms rather as she slams the sharp end her axe into the zombie dog's torso. The metal slices into the skin and again Haru gags, shutting her eyes instinctively as she pulls her weapon out.

It's still moving, but it looks like it's slowing down a little since taking more direct hits.

She moves backwards, stumbling a bit as she regains her grip on her axe handle. ]

Why won't it stop? It keeps moving!

[ Almost like... like a zombie. ]

[in getting back onto his knees amidst all that, Martin feels his stomach roil. now is...not a good time for that, and so he tries to muscle past the nausea so he can see to Haru instead.

that axe... where did it come from? how did she get it? maybe those aren't the most important questions right now, considering what she's gone and chopped up that's still writhing on the ground.

Martin swallows against the sickly thickness in his throat as he climbs to his feet.]

Leave it... [he gulps again, clutching his stomach.] Leave it, let's...let's go now--

[ Astarte's form quickly fades into thin air, but not before waving a dark hand again, bangles ringing as they hit each other, another prismatic light encasing both Haru and Martin for temporary protection from any physical harm.

With that, Haru nods and begins to run in the opposite direction to get as far from the dog, checking to see if Martin is behind. ]

Martin?

[he's keeping pace best he can, an arm flailing to keep balance while he pushes past the painful pinching of his gut. a great deal happened very quickly, and he can't even stop to wonder on it -- the noises, the axe, the looming feeling of presence he'd felt for so briefly before chaos gobbled it all up in the effort to stop that monster.

that's what it was, right? a monster. it lacked the stink of Olvoski beasts, which was in itself, a good thing. but in all other ways...

if his very own home could appear in this world, why not the awful creatures, too?

they get more than a block and a half away before urgency overrides his steps and forces him to a staggering stop, doubling over and retching, one hand grasping at a mailbox next to him. he hiccups through a couple coughs and remains hunched and still for a held-breath after before it feels safe for him to lift his head and not let any of that mess back down his throat. it can come out, but it's never supposed to go back in...

wide, glazed, light-reflecting eyes wander and then fix on Haru, blinking slowly. he doesn't strike a very lovely figure at all.]

Yyyhou should...keep runninghh.

[ A stitch in her side is what gets Haru to begin slowing down, fighting through laboured breathing as she tries to calm herself as best she can. It's proving almost futile, adrenaline still sky rocketing and her mind still flushed with panic. Her knees weaken by the time they stop and she slumps to the ground, holding herself up with one arm while the other digs into the fabric of her coat, feeling the heavy thumps of her heart and how constricted her chest is. ]

M-Martin?

[ She can hear him vomiting behind, but it takes her a moment to look over her shoulder and see Martin looking just as frail. ]

I'm... I'm not l-leaving you... [ She struggles to say aloud, wheezing the words out. ] Are you okay?

It's normal.

[he pushes away from the mailbox, swaying into step and starting forward, squinting against the glaring street lights.]

No matter how fast you go, I can follow...So, so go.

[that might not be entirely true, but he's not sure he's lying, either. he can keep up, even with his short legs, even with the roiling in his gut. he was made to endure, after all...]

No!

[ Haru doesn't normally raise her voice, so it sounds a little strange, even for her. Her inflection is more firm than angered, her resolve steeled as she turns to face Martin properly, balling her fists. ]

I won't leave you behind! I won't lose anyone else I care about!

[ The day is already shaping up to be a horrid one: the painful reminder of what she's already lost on this day back home and this assault that's come left field serving another her another reminder that all she cares about could be lost so easily, even here.

It brings her to tears to have to think about. Her chest feels as if something weighted was dropped onto it, making it a struggle to breathe. ]

I'm sorry, I... I can't do that!

[it shouldn't take this long to react, but between the massive expense of energy and the ache all over, Martin stares as if seeing through her for a painful long beat while he processes her reaction.

her eyes glint in a telling way. tears...?

if there was any room to feel much more, guilt would certainly find its way to knife through him.

quietly, he turns himself so his next wobbling steps can take him directly toward her -- at her, his head bowing before lightly bumping her chest. it's an awkward means of affection, but anything more risks staining her in his vile blood and bile.]

I'm not...going to die.

[what a weird thing to assure! especially when he, even now, still entertains his absence in the lives of those he loves. Haru's dismay shouldn't be a boon, and yet it is.]

I'll keep following.

[ She doesn't move as he gently nudges against her, resolutely standing her ground as if to compound what she said before, that she won't go anywhere without Martin right beside her.

Haru trembles slightly as the adrenaline in her system finally begins to evaporate and she shudders against the cold air, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. She wipes at her eyes, smearing a part of her mascara along the corners. ]

... I'm sorry.

[ She hadn't meant for an outburst, but somehow a day that would have been quiet reminiscing turned into this. The black bile, whatever it is, also strikes an uncomfortable chord given how much it looks like what her father vomited out right before he died.

Black, thick blood that he choked on, coming out of his mouth, his mouth, from the corners of eyes that had rolled so far back all Haru had glimpsed was a pale, horrid imitation of her father before he was lost to her. ]

I thought I was braver than this.

[at the shudder, Martin withdraws, his gaze downward and past her in some means to giving her privacy. his ears burn with that needless apology, with the weakened tone of her voice. he wants to do something to assure her -- something that can wipe that anxious waver out of her breath and keep her from tears.

but...

he's just him. what can he really do? he's failed already as it is, scaring her like this, being what he is. the expectation of doing any better...it's foolish.

she thought she was braver, he thought he was better.]

I don't know anything about being brave. [he looks ahead, at the street. he doesn't recognize it, but somehow doesn't fear that. it's not bravery, it's...exhaustion.]

Let's just...find your home. It'll be better then.

[he hesitates.]

More animals might come. Because of my blood...

[ She doesn't really argue against getting the hell out of dodge, yearning for the comfort of her soft bed and warm covers to dive into. Every limb, every joint in her body is remarkably sore and drowning in exhaustion now. ]

What do you mean? What about your blood?

[he trudges along, letting Haru take the lead as far as direction goes, his arms wrapping against his middle in a feeble attempt at quelling his stomach.

he pauses to lean away from her and spit some of the gunk that had accumulated in his mouth along the way.]

It's bad. It makes animals angry. Scared. Sick... [a beat.] It's why I can't see your cats...

Edited 2019-10-28 00:30 (UTC)

Martin, are you going to be okay?

[ She slows her stride, glancing over when she overhears him spitting something out. To the side she sees it again, black and nothing a human's body is capable of hosting. Her stomach churns and she has to look away, covering her own mouth. ]

Yes.

[he looks back at her and sees that stricken expression before she turns away, and his own expression pinches with pain.

now she knows how ugly and disgusting he is, and it...doesn't sit well at all in him. he's never been less proud to be what he is, and he thinks it'd be very nice to just disappear right now.]

I'm...made for this. It's normal for me.

I wasn't made to be around people. Sorry.

[bitter resentment curdles in his stomach. resentment for her reaction, because he can't do anything to mitigate it. because he's him. because pretending to be a human can be nice, but it's still pretend at the end of the day.

Rex and Andy, at least, take him for what he is. he can't expect or ask the same of someone as good and kind as Haru.]

[ Fragments of an old memory being to slowly piece back together as Haru senses they've had this conversation before. Somewhere... someplace she can't remember all too well.

Like in a--

She stops. The dreams. The black blood drawn from the cuts on a younger Martin Darkov's hands and how terrified he had been to leave wherever they were. ]

Don't say such things, Martin.

[he keeps walking a few paces before realizing she's stopped, and he does in turn, but doesn't turn around. he looks down at the bitten arm he's cradling -- at the pus lining the puncture points, breaking up the black.]

...I'm not a liar.

I know what I'm made for. I'm not...good at it, but...that doesn't change why I exist.

And just because I want to be different...doesn't mean I can be. My blood's still going to be like this. I'm still going to be like this.

[and he hates it. he hates it a lot.]

Sorry.

[ It's horrible, to hear him repeat similar words from his dream. Here she thought the nightmare had been just that and he was working on his fears since.

She feels absolutely ridiculous. How long has this been going and she's been clueless? ]

Why does it matter if your blood is different? It doesn't have to mean what it does.

[ The question hangs in the silence of the dead evening. ]

... does it?

Well...

[not to Andy. not to Rex.

but the way Haru had looked not a moment ago?

he gulps, and his voice cracks a little when he does speak again.]

If it scares people I like, then...

I'm not scared! I...

[ Her reaction had been poor, she realizes, but it had nothing to do with Martin. She wants to reaffirm that, but she doesn't know how to in this moment. She's still rattled by the earlier assault and the way her arms quake and face loses colour doesn't deliver confidence. ]

It's not what you think.

It doesn't matter.

[the statement is sour in his mouth, and he's not entirely sure it was true. he doesn't like to lie, but some resentful part of him felt compelled to push that out.]

Getting you back safe...is what matters right now.

[he hesitates.]

Even though I...don't know the way.

... I can find my way back.

[ He did say the cats might panic because of his blood and she wouldn't want to upset the ones at home, but Futaba and Goro might fly into a panic seeing Martin covered in something blood-like, which in turn could set Martin off himself.

Maybe it's better like this, if they go their separate ways. ]

[he stirs in place, almost about to look back her way, but he stops himself. instead, his head starts to hang low.

it's definitely better for her to get away. he knows it, but he doesn't have to like it.]

...Be careful.

i'd be the last shred of truth

( for iris west )

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( for martin darkov )

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