ic inbox ( ryslig )

[gitanes]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, ZHAR-PTITSA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 66.234.111.217 *** ZHAR-PTITSA has joined 66.234.111.217 <ZHAR-PTITSA> Well? <ZHAR-PTITSA> Hurry up.

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<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

[A few days after his talk with other Yugi, and also a lot of overthinking, Komaeda decides to finally message the woman in question—]

Lila-san... are we dating?

<zhar-ptitsa>

[gitanes]

[Comically loud brake screeching noise.]

[She types out what the fuck, hovers over the enter key, and then . . . slowly deletes it. Instead:]

i dunno

i'm not good at
do you want to be?

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

[Does he want to be? He has no experience at all when it comes to love and dating... sure, he's confessed his feelings to others, but they've never... been returned before.

He swallows down his nervousness.]

I like you a lot, Lila-san, but I never really thought of myself as someone who was worthy enough to be with another person. Also, if I'm being honest... there's another person I like, too.

I don't know how you feel about that kind of thing.

[ACTION] Forward-dated to the 6th

[luckless]

[12:46 AM, a specter stands before apartment 701.

Or at least, most would believe as much, what with Nagito Komaeda having disappeared from thin air for over a month. The reality of his situation remains on his chest: Y-shaped, closed but the angry reddish purple of a still-healing wound. His energy, too, remains sapped. It took everything just to revive—and even then, he's two fog cycles late.

Yet, he doesn't stand before his own apartment, or yearn to crawl into his own bed. Instead, as despair swirls within the very depths of his soul, Komaeda wants for nothing more than the warmth of a barely-there static-charged embrace.

How long has it been since he saw Lila? Months? He doesn't remember—too lost in his own feelings for weeks before he even disappeared. It doesn't matter now, though. He raises a hand, then taps the raw knuckles of it quietly against the front door. Whether she answers right away or not, Komaeda turns and slumps his back against the doorframe to wait.]

[gitanes]

[Keeping track of Komaeda is like trying to keep hold of the wind. She hates it — especially at times like these. She thought he was just avoiding her, but ever since Steve, an awful nagging reality has come crawling down the back of her neck to nest in her nervous system.]

[What if something like that happened to Komaeda?]

[In a way she's relieved when the fog starts and he doesn't show up. That means wherever he is, he must not be dead. He must just be avoiding her after all. She hates that, but she'd hate him dead worse, hate him suffering most of all. So this is how she has to soothe herself, her own personal version of everything's okay, dumbass, even though she knows it isn't.]

[She isn't asleep when the knock comes, or she might not even have heard it. She usually stays up all night anyway, her body craving darkness and the safety of shadow, and these days more than before she doesn't trust the daylight. So she's curled up on the couch under a blanket that keeps falling through her, grumpily watching bad TV, when the soft knock comes.]

[No one knocks on her door.]

[For a second she's frozen, staring at the doorknob as though expecting it to turn on its own. Her heart's in her throat as she gets up from the couch, as she crosses the room, as she looks out the peephole and sees a shock of white hair.]

[She pulls the door open so hard it slams right through her and bounces off the inside wall of her apartment. Eyes wider than ever and shining, she reaches for him, voice too loud for the quiet space.]

Komaeda? K— where the fuck have you— Komaeda? [Is it really you?]

[luckless]

[By the time Lila answers, his eyes have already slipped closed. Sleepless flesh rims them, and though he had merely fallen into an exhausted lull, he barely startles when even her door slams open. Slowly, those lashes flutter, and the gaze he casts upwards is listless.]

Ah… I suppose you’ve forgotten what I look like already, huh? [Komaeda manages a lopsided smile despite his appearance; but while his words are meant in humor, there’s a distinct emptiness to them.

In spite of his state, however, Komaeda summons the strength to pull himself back up to standing—-albeit with his weight braced heavily against her doorframe.]

Can you help me…? I didn’t want to worry Ikusaba-san and Ludenberg-san, but I guess I wouldn’t blame you if you hate me after disappearing, too.

9/22, 8pm

[dead_eyed_wolf]

[So, a lot's happened since prom.

Like, a lot.
And they've only just finished dealing with the most recent thing, and they're probably both tired from chasing little kids around, but - well, the Fog's dissipated again and Mukuro can finally shift back to her 'normal' forms. Rather than being stuck choosing between a nightmare creature or a dog. She doesn't want to waste this chance now that she knows it could happen again, it feels like - it's urgent, somehow. It's such a dumb, little thing, except it's not, because Lila is important.

Which is how Mukuro ends up knocking timidly at her door this evening, with that pretty red dress hung over her other arm.]

[gitanes]

[Lila opens the door like a wildfire, smog drifting off her like clouds, and — stops. When she sees Mukuro. Just stops.]

[Mukuro and the dress.]

[It's been two months that feel like a thousand years, and she can't see the person who let Mukuro touch her scar and teased her so much in herself anymore. Not that she doesn't feel the same way about Mukuro. It's more that she just doesn't . . . feel the same. Her emotional range is narrowing further and further the more time passes between seeing Komaeda's tail hacked off and actually getting to do something about it. And then there's Riley.]

[And then there's the rest of it.]

[That's why Lila hesitates. Just for an instant, but it's enough. Then she drifts back and leaves space for Mukuro to step inside before vanishing back into her sparse apartment. As she goes, waves of her hand light a couple of small lamps. She hops up on the kitchen island and crosses her legs, looks down at Mukuro with her chin in her hand.]

. . . Hey. What's up?

[Weird energy, but okay.]

[dead_eyed_wolf]

[...Ah.

She's still upset.

Mukuro's ears droop. It's maybe not entirely her fault, there's been a lot going on that put everyone on edge. But she knows some of that blame is hers. There's a nervous little twist in her stomach but she just pads in after Lila, obedient and contrite - she's in trouble, or at least it feels like it, but she deserves it. And she knows Lila won't hurt her, so--]

H-Hey.
I - Um. I wanted to return this. I'm sorry it took so long, I--

[how does she explain "it ended up in a nest i made because i was sad about your boyfriend missing"]

I, uh - a lot - happened.

[She is so very awful at this.

She takes another hesitant step forward, laying the dress over the back of a chair so it won't be wrinkled or anything. It's clean, she even inspected it for shed fur, so at least she knows she didn't fuck that up.]

...Also, um. I wanted to - apologize.

<CANDYCURSE420>

[deadbydawn]

There once was a boy who was a Halloween fanatic. He loved dressing up for Halloween, he loved pulling pranks and watching horror movies, and above everything else... he loved candy. One fateful year, while he went trick-or-treating, he visited a house. This house was creepy as hell! It was big, it was old, it smelled like a grandmother and it was owned by a happy, old rich couple. The boy came here thinking that he would be handed out big chocolate bars, because it was a rich person's house but when he knocked on their door... he was handed a bag of that shitty candy that nobody likes! Tootsie rolls, shitty flavoured dum-dums, those weird... peanut things... needless to say, the boy was heartbroken. He was so heartbroken that he died, right there on their porch and now, every Halloween he goes out and finds people to curse. He wants everyone to suffer the same way he did!

Everybody is already suffering from his curse!! Send this to ten people to break the curse, or to avoid getting cursed, or you'll be stuck looking freakier than usual for the rest of your life!!!!!!!!!!

<zhar-ptitsa>

[gitanes]

who the fuck is this

are you that guy from the network whose dick i threatened to cut off or the guy from the network who kept talking about his prehensile dick

i know you're one of them

[hairday]

[ Lila... picking something out for Lila isn't easy.

It's as he's going down the list of basic things he could get a girl he only kind of knows that he's forced to acknowledge just how much stuff there is that shades can't enjoy the same as everybody else. Makeup, no. Bath products, no. Cute random scrunchies and shit from Claire's? Lila doesn't seem the scrunchie type, but no.

He struggles up until the moment he stops thinking generically. Then, go figure, he finally has an epiphany. When did he last see her happy as hell? And who was she with?

On Nattensfest Eve, Steve drops by 701 to deliver a couple of things:

A cherry slushie for now and a bottle of cherry vodka for later.

A Nattensfest card with a Polaroid tucked inside of it. It's one of Lila's successful photobombs from Halloween, specifically the one with Mukuro front and center in her sheep costume. It's just a hunch, but — he thought she might like to have it.

The card itself contains some penned in well wishes for the holidays. More interestingly, he mentions in a P.S. that he got a firepit for the roof. He's stocked it with firewood if she wants to hang out with anybody up there.

Steve hopes they'll all be able to make use of it come New Year's Eve, but for now he's only told Lila about the building's new point of interest. ]

Nattenfest

[gothicgambit]

[Lila is one of the harder people for Celeste to decide what to gift. Being a shade certainly isn't easy, and it makes gifts a bit harder, especially since she knows that touch is something Lila struggles with.

Celeste wants to impress her, she realizes eventually.

But eventually, she realizes that perhaps throwing money at the problem isn't quite what she needs.

It's a package, wrapped with a level of meticulousness that few people can achieve, with a massive bright green bow on top. Green isn't one of Celeste's colors, which is perhaps is the first hint.

A plastic ziplock sits inside- strange at first, but upon closer inspection there's a sweater. A familiar dark muted green sweater. Preserved. One of the few belongings Komaeda had in general. Celeste had packed up some of his clothing but kept it in the closet to save from moths.

But perhaps Lila would like to have it more. It still smells like him. It won't last, but Celeste felt it mattered.]

With Care.
Celestia

nattensfest.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

[Lila is the first to receive a gift from Mukuro this year. Christmas is for couples where she's from, after all, and she would rather die than disappoint. So. While she did not bring it with her the night before, she does manage to scamper back to her floor and back before Lila's fully roused on Nattensfest morning (or more likely evening, since they both trend more nocturnal.)

The box is wrapped meticulously, every fold perfect, in shimmering ink-black paper, and tied with a pure white ribbon. (It took Mukuro several attempts to learn how to do it with claws.) Inside sits a poseable wolf toy, made of dark polished rosewood - among other things. The fangs are real carved bone, the claws are cool metal, and a pair of yellow glass eyes round out its fierce little face. There's a mane of soft dark fur running down its spine and spreading into a fluffy tail, and soft leather makes up its squishy pawpads. Little white spots have been painted where they belong on its snout, shoulders, and so on. While it makes for a very charming display piece, it's clearly been designed to be handled, with its variety of textures.

But that's not all! It's sitting atop a thick folded blanket, made of luscious plush fleece dyed midnight blue with similar white pinprick spots, made to look like a starry night sky. Finally, folded inside of it, there's a bundle of a variety of scented candles and a very nice lighter seemingly made of black nacre.]

Nattensmas!

[softspokenlandlord]

[Oh no oh NO?! Ryou didn't even think to get Lila something, and she'd gone to the trouble of sending him along a gift. This just won't stand!

Rushed it may be, but Ryou's present is still thoughtful--a bottle of sweet red wine because he's honestly a soft little bitch who absolutely wouldn't feel right giving a lady hard liquor.

There's also a thank you card taped to the bottle.]

Please excuse the late delivery! I truly appreciate your gift, it's very comforting and I will wear it as often as I can. In turn, I hope you enjoy this, I know it isn't much.

- Ryou Bakura





P.S., I can assure you've "loosened up" several times in recent memory. :) If I go any looser I might fall to pieces!

[He saw what you put with the vodka bottle, Miss Zacharov. He can be sassy too! But he means it in good fun.]

<MrBrightside> backdated to before the mod plot

[luckless]

[The message arrives late at night:]

Lila-san, are you awake?

[Stupid, he knows she's awake. Actually, do shades even sleep? Wait, never mind—]

I want to talk to you about something... it's not that important though, so don't worry about responding to me quickly!

<zhar-ptitsa> im not gonna do usernames after this tag im lazy

[gitanes]

i'm responding to you immediately out of spite

what's up

action, 2...5th or sth. whatever works

[missleadingquestions]

[Somehow going out for ice cream with Lila has been the most surreal part of this whole experience. Part of Maya had even been expecting for her to maybe start scolding her out of nowhere, but no— the scolding never comes. They really do just go out to get ice cream, at the place Maya suggested, even. Post-sunset is kind to shades and to ice cream cones, at least.

When they leave the shop to find a place to sit in just the right balance of light and dark outside, Maya trails behind Lila, watching her, stopping after a pace or two grows between them. She stares from Lila to her ice cream, takes a lick, and then prompts—]

Hey— um. Lila. Before we hang out, and stuff.

Can I say something? Not about today.

About— the last time we talked.

if you don't still want to do this thread that's legit i'm super late

[gitanes]

[Eating is still hard as a shade, but it's getting easier. She's stubborn enough that she's worked at it a lot, less because she feels strongly about food and more because she finds it's an easy way to hang out with people, over food. Just normal person food. Ice cream or burgers or pizza.]

[So she's in the process of slowly rotating her cone in the air in search of the best place for an initial attack when Maya speaks. Turning slightly, she perks up, giving the other girl a quizzical look.]

Uhhh, sure? Like when we talked on the network, or?

[Did she forget something? Was she a dick some other time? Probably. She considers the possibility of apologizing. To Maya, she probably would.]

<MainSqueeze> backdated before June arrivals i am so late oh my god

[recuttal]

hey

komaeda s gone
i guess for the second time in this place

ikusaba mightve already told you

just wanted to make sure you knew though

[Someone's clearly dealing with it well.]

<zhar-ptitsa> honks in june ate me

[gitanes]

[There's. A long, long time before she responds. Hours. She saw the message and had to fly. Had to be elsewhere, just for a while. It doesn't make sense, because she already knew. But having the reminder that he was so important to somebody else makes her feel warm and furious and jealous and right all at once.]

[It aches.]

[When she returns, when she responds, it's straight and to the point.]

mukuro told me.

i want to see you. where are you?

[Action] the week after the Shadening™

[luckless]

[It had taken a few days to fully phase back into reality, and physically spending a week where he could barely interact with the world around him had sent him places he never thought he could return to, emotionally and mentally. The sensation of being nothing more than a cloud of manifested feelings had been one he wasn't all that conscious of until the very end—when reality finally sunk its teeth into him, and the harsh truth of how little influence he could really have on the world made itself known. To have so many emotions with not outlet to them had been exhausting.

Though he knows he could talk to just about anyone who had just experienced what he had, to feel a little bit more at peace with the experience, he returns to what's always been familiar comfort instead. He knows that everyone else is out of the apartment at the moment, that it's only him and Lila, but he still knocks on the door to her room all the same before opening it. Just so that she isn't caught off guard.]

Hey, Lila... can we talk?

[He trudges his way to her bedside, looking exhausted but not all that worse for it—but it's likely a familiar sight for her as well. When he collapses at the edge of the bed, it's with his cheek falling onto his folded arms to look up at her with tired, admiring eyes.]

A bit about what happened last week, if that's alright.

[gitanes]

[It's nice. Having Komaeda in the same apartment, that is. Sure, she could have come to bother him anytime if they weren't living together, but . . . it just feels safer like this. Closer. There are fewer barriers between them, and that, above all, is what Lila wants.]

[And it seems to help him, too. He comes to her for things, which he did before, too, but — they're within arms' reach of each other. It's easy, in a way few things have ever been easy for people like them.]

[She's not doing much at all when he comes to see her this time. Was about to get started figuring out what to get started with, but never quite got there. It's been a weird — it's been weird, this whole thing with the shades. Weird and uncomfortable and miserable, and watching Komaeda go through it was some kind of whole new nightmare. Knees tucked up to her chest, she only refocuses when she hears his knock, leans forward to flop onto her stomach, elbows on the mattress, chin in her hands.]

Yeah. Course.

[Of course they can. But he asks. He always has. It sets him apart, makes him unique. Scooting to one side of the bed, she invites him further up with a jerk of her head.]

Talk to me. What's up?

during the shadening (cw: intrusive thoughts of violence)

[unholey]

[For Fugo, the pulses go like this.]

[They are an echo of his final transformation to an arachne. They shiver through the air, an invisible force that claws at his mind and his heart. They are a whisper in his ear: Suffer, it hisses, suffer like I have, like all the rest before me and all who will come after. Fugo sets his jaw, so tight it makes his molars ache, and uses a handkerchief to roughly wipe away the smear of blood that drips from his nose.

It's been a bad fucking week. Basil is gone, disappeared into thin air. So many of his friends have lost their bodies, isolated and alone, struggling to keep their heads above the riptide of hatred and resentment that wants to pull them under. And Fugo wants to hurt people.]

[Left unoccupied, when slighted and in a dark mood, his mind inevitably wanders to violence. He daydreams about snapping necks, throwing annoying coworkers out the third story window of Kaumro Holdings, of slamming his fists into the faces of scowling old men who wear their steely gray hair combed back and away from their sharp profiles. Over and over again, until his knuckles are black and blue under the slick of their blood.

The worst part is that this is nothing new. Fugo has always wanted to hurt people. If anything, this is the second closest he has been to Purple Haze since being brought to Ryslig. None of it surprises him. He shoves it all to the back of his mind and buries it. But the grave is too shallow. It keeps coming back.]

[It keeps coming back.]

[In the dark of the night, approximately fifteen minutes after the latest pulse, he can feel it inch closer and closer to a breaking point. He can't let it. Something has to give, but he absolutely cannot let this take him.]

zacharov

[There is a long pause.]

you awake?

Happy Valentine's! [Feb 14th-17th]

[luckless]

[On the morning of the 14th, and every subsequent day after so long as the groundhog week persists, Lila will find a box of chocolates (homemade, if the char is anything to go by) and red roses on her pillow, along with a card that reads:]

Happy Valentine's day Lila,

I'm realizing now that I'm about two years late on giving you a proper Valentine's gift, but I hope that this, as well as the following years, will make up for it. I don't know where I would be in this world without you. Every day, you inspire me with your strength, and make me happy that I woke up sharing the same cabin with you in that freakish cultist town.

I love you, Lila. Please enjoy these homemade chocolates, I tried my best, but I can't guarantee they'll taste good.

-Komaeda Nagito