knifemonopoly | IC inbox

[He does relax. Ryou may or may not feel the tension start to leave him, but it's not just seeing Ryou go to sleep, it's that these are safer waters. Even if they're still holding hands...it's easy to make this kind of promise.]

I know. I know it's necessary...I will, I promise! Even if I can't sleep, I'll stay here and rest.

[Because it's true, the longer he goes without sleep, the more likely he is to make a mistake, one bigger than getting personal in a way he shouldn't, a way that's irresponsible, since he's got to...he's got to find a way to win...]

[From the open door to the fire escape, as Atem's scrubbing the dirt off of his belly scales, like he has to do every time he comes home--]

Ryou! Hey, Ryou! Are you home?

Edited 2021-08-09 01:57 (UTC)

Yes, I'm in my room!

[In his room languishing in bed because he's lonely and useless. He'd distracted himself with checking his dressings, but other than that, he hadn't done much with himself. Too tired but simultaneously unable to sleep.]

I can't levitate very well right now, can you meet me halfway?

[Even if Atem doesn't answer immediately, Ryou's still working on going properly incorporeal and floating himself out of bed. Just give him a minute...]

Yeah, just a second--!

[Scrub scrub scrubscrubscrubscrub ok he's fit to be indoors now without tracking street filth all over their home. Atem drops the sponge back into the bucket and sidewinds inside, slipping his tail in behind him and pulling the door shut. He slithers over towards Ryou's room!]

Edited 2021-08-09 02:06 (UTC)

[It doesn't take long for Ryou to finally fall asleep. Everything that had happened after he lost the word game had really taken what little energy he had left as it was. His fingers finally release Atem's hand, and he shifts awkwardly forward, as if he was trying to pull his other arm forward so that he could curl it under his head. Obviously that doesn't work...but it doesn't disturb him.

Nothing will...for at least an hour or two, which is when his REM cycle usually obliterates him with shitty dreams. Joy.]

I might have spoken too soon about the mold. How good are you at restoring damaged Duel Monsters cards?

[Heeeeeyyyyy, that's both of them! Atem, eventually, starts to murmur in his sleep.]

It's all right.

...

--for the Fog...for Ryslig.

...

It'll be over in a--

...

--struggle, you'll only make it worse--

...

--your arms, first, Yugi.

[He doesn't sound particularly agitated. Which, frankly, just makes it worse when he wakes up.]

--all be all right, you'll see--

Edited 2021-08-09 02:32 (UTC)

[Even with the extra time, Ryou hasn't managed much. By the time Atem shows up at his doorway, he's only managed to float about six inches off of the bed.]

...S-sorry, I'm having a bad...uh, hour. Or two.

[Bad day, actually. But he's trying to be positive!]

Welcome home, by the way!

[He bobs in the air for the one moment it takes to greet Atem, then drops back down onto his bed. Ughhhhhhh.]

[There's no awkwardness left when it comes to going into Ryou's room. He's been sleeping here on and off (more on than off) since midnight on the 4th, and he slithers in now like it's his own, up to the bed. Atem's aspect is thoughtful, but the snakes are all curious, leaning towards Ryou like an anemone in a current, giving exploratory sniffs with their tongues.]

Ah...then, this might be difficult...there's a place I want to visit, and I thought taking you along might be interesting!

It's a graveyard.

[Ryou has come to the realization that he really likes Atem's hair-snakes quite a lot. They're sweet! Not just in a "hey that's cool" way, but also in a "precious little danger noodles" way too. He holds a hand up, looking for all intents and purposes as if he's going to stroke a hand through Atem's hair.

In fact...he's actually greeting the snakes. They're adorable okay?

...But not quite as interesting as Atem's idea. If there was any doubt that Ryou's power troubles were mostly in his mind, then the way he pops back up by a foot is a hell of an indicator.]

A graveyard?!

I...I mean, what business...do you have there?

[Normal people aren't excited about graveyards, he has to dial it back.]

[The cobras lean forward to sniff Ryou's hand, the ones who can reach him catching him with their forked little tongues. Atem puts up with this. He notices that Ryou's improved mood improves his floating -- interesting -- but then Ryou asks why he wants to go, and Atem sobers. The snakes pull back, their little heads sinking into s-shaped curves of their necks, upset.]

That graveyard...as far as I can tell, no one's buried there. The names on the headstones are of people who are no longer here, who've gone back to the sea of souls, or whatever happens to you when you vanish from the peninsula. They appear on their own...so, it can tell you valuable information!

[As he goes on, the snake agitation increases. Atem's voice is calm and even, but the snakes give him away: he's mad, and he's worried.]

Someone's killed Steve Harrington. He'll probably be okay by the middle of the month, but...I want to make sure. I want to see if his name's appeared.

[Then, a couple dozen beady cobra eyes turn back to Ryou.]

And, if you haven't been there...that graveyard isn't a bad place to visit. It's peaceful there. Surprisingly calming, for a place that's like that...I think you'd like it.

[It's not usually someone else that wakes Ryou from his dream. It hadn't even gone off the rails yet when Atem's voice pulls him from his own nap. He blinks a few times, grumbling a little as he focuses on what's being said--

--which involves Yugi's arms. Oh, that...doesn't sound okay.

Concerned, Ryou sleepily pushes himself up biting his lip hard to distract himself from the pain. Atem needs him. He said he'd be there, and he will. With some maneuvering, he squirms closer, pressing his face against Atem's neck, while his arm curves just over the other teen's head.

He doesn't say anything. He just stays there. Close. Protective. He doesn't think he'll be helpful, but he tries anyway. He's sure if Atem startles awake, then being in close proximity to someone will help. Absolutely. He just wishes he were Yugi so that Atem could see that the dream was only that.]

[ He. He got mold. On. He got mold on the. On the.

....honestly, if Marik were thinking a little more clearly he might realize this is, perhaps, proof his plan will not work, as no one is being smote for such blasphemy. But he is not thinking clearly. ~~He is thinking like Marik.~~ So. ]

Give me your address.

[ WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT DAY IS IT? DOES THIS MAKE THINGS HELLA AWKWARD CONSIDERING ALL THE THREADS HE HAS GOING WITH THE MEMBERS OF THIS HOUSEHOLD?

WHY SHOULD MARIK ISHTAR CARE FOR ANY OF THESE CONCERNS??? ]

[The snakes are like an incredibly accurate read for Atem's actual mood, which is something Ryou hadn't known he would be so grateful for (in very specific situations), so when Atem starts explaining about the graveyard, he can tell that there's something more to it. It's not just looking for basic info.

And he's right. The answer is...very upsetting.]

Steve...is dead?! But he...he never struck me the sort to get into trouble with another monster!

[It had to have been another monster, because humans didn't seem to be strong enough to stand up to them unless they were empowered by something happening during the middle of the month.]

I'll go with you. I like graveyards anyway but...are you going to be okay, Atem?

[He's very concerned now.]

I'm lost for a motive, too. It's too early to say! But, as long as I don't find his name....it'll be okay.

[It might not be. He knows this. Atem knows firsthand what horrors monsters can inflict on one another, in the name of whatever goal they have in mind...Steve might have been through something that will take a long, long time to heal.

The idea of someone hurting Steve that way makes some of his hair rear up, makes some hoods flare for a moment or two. But Atem brings himself back down to calm, and the snakes settle, too.

It'll be better, easier, with Ryou along. Atem doesn't say so, but the snakes are leaning out, pointing their heads in Ryou's direction again.]

The 38-8, apartment 806.

[Will this be explosive? Atem expects it will be. But he won't avoid it! He's done what he could for the ~~sog~~ god cards, with all the care of someone who knows these are Important To Somebody...but the Kame gameshop didn't usually deal in card restoration! So, this is one area of gaming where he's not an expert...]

--sacrifice -- not in vain. A hero, to the--

...

--when it's over, you'll understand.

...

--do you hear him, Miss Fog?

...

--aah!

[...and startle awake he does, whether it's because of the unexpected contact in his sleep or something to do with the dream is unclear.

There's a long, slow breath in, unsteady at the edges, and Atem states wide-eyed at the wall of Ryou's room as the images he just saw play out over his brain repeat themselves, more awful now that his waking mind recognizes the horror of what he'd dreamed of doing.

Now that he remembers where he heard the words he was saying, the first time.

He doesn't know yet if Ryou is awake or not, and frankly, it'll take him a few more seconds to even begin worrying about figuring that out. He shudders, like he wants to crawl out of his own skin, because it was Yugi on the table that time, and Atem with the knife--!

It's not real, he tells himself. It didn't happen. Not that way. He helped Yugi draw some blood -- willingly. That's all. That's all...]

Edited (i just want to make it worse) 2021-08-09 18:23 (UTC)

[Ryou hates how it feels, to have Atem shuddering there. It's not that he hates Atem showing weakness, exactly. He simply abhors the very fact that anything could shake him so completely. This was one of the strongest people he has ever met.

And to reward his strength, he was put through so much, this place was working so hard to break Atem down to nothing, wasn't it? With the hydra, with what Daniel had done...all of it.

Wincing, Ryou pulls away and uses his arm to push himself up, and his own tired, glowing eyes stare down on Atem. Tired, yes. Pained, maybe...but determined.]

You are here. You're with me...and you're not that person. You can never...ever be that person.

[Atem couldn't be the kind of person that would hurt Yugi. He couldn't be the person who was subservient to the Fog God. And he certainly wouldn't carve his friends up in service of the Fog.]

[Ryou doesn't think he's seen the snakes hood before, but then again...he's usually pretty fatigued. Either way, while cute, it doesn't seem like a good sign.

Ryou completely drops his corporeal form, the edges of his shadows now rippling, and he floats away from his bed. He'll put all his strength into this, if it means supporting Atem. Not that he knows how long he'll be able to hold it.]

When do you want to leave? I can go whenever, but I don't know if you wanted to take a break first.

...And also I might...need to lean on you if I lose control. If that's okay.

[He only hopes, because he's not bound to leave Atem to deal with this kind of thing on his own. And hey, the snakes want him to come too! He can tell.]

[Usually, Atem would tell Ryou to lie down, that he might make his injuries worse, moving around like this. But there's still horror in his slit-pupilled eyes, he's still drowning in sleep-debt, and while he knows what's real, he knows and believes it when Ryou tells him he didn't do it, didn't do that, wasn't that person, he still whispers hoarsely, hollowly, the words spilling out as he grips the front of Ryou's shirt in clawed fingers:]

I was him. It was me holding the knife this time, I was--

[Daniel. Only instead of Elias, it was for the Fog, and instead of his mind in Yugi's body, it was -- it was eyes he's seen in mirrors in memories, and seen in Ryslig in person, betrayed and terrified as he realized what Atem was about to do, as Atem showed the Fog, who was watching, always watching--!

If it were anyone but Ryou, the words might not have come out. They might have stayed in Atem's heart, out of an unwillingness to speak them, a need to hide pain and sorrow even from people he trusts. But it is, so they do.]

[The snakes do want him to come, because Atem wants him to come. He wants Ryou to see the graveyard, wants to see if the weird calming effect helps him...and wants someone he can talk to, who can help keep Atem from getting lost in speculation about what exactly Steve suffered before he died, and comparing it to his own experiences.]

The fog's still thin, but the sun's already almost down...if you can leave, then we should get going!

And, if you need to lean on me, or rest on the way -- of course that's all right.

[He asked Ryou knowing as well as anyone what Ryou's mobility right now is like. He's prepared!

It's almost a shame Atem's both still burned about being possessed and in a body with a steep learning curve...otherwise, they could just walk it together. But it took Atem time to learn to slither, and he doubts Ryou would pick it up much faster. It's not an intuitive way to walk!

He'd say all this out loud if he were any less uncomfortable with someone else taking over his body.]

Be there in

[ And Marik lists a time that's quite a bit shorter than one might expect, given Bavan traffic.

Does someone knock on the door precisely after this increment of time has passed, regardless?

Of fucking course! DAMN, HE'S GOOD!

(Just...ignore the rubber squealing that happened like a minute or so before the knock happened.) ]

[Ryou can only venture a guess as to who Atem's talking about. Maybe...it's Daniel? He can't be sure, though given the description, it could very well have been. Daniel had tortured him, and any manner of weapon could be brought to bear for such a task.]

You wouldn't do that, though, would you? You'd never do anything for...for the Fog. You wouldn't hurt any of us for her, because we're all a part of your heart. That's what you always say...your friends...they're part of you.

Atem, I'm so sorry that you're being hurt like this. The horror of it...how you've held yourself up for so long would be more than anyone could bear.

[And speaking of what anyone could bear...Ryou is struggling. His arm is shaking, his whole chest is burning with the effort of holding up a body that didn't want to be held up. But he endures it. If he wanted Atem to be there for him, then he's going to be there for Atem. For better or worse, this is what his heart urges him to do.

He leans in close, presses his forehead to Atem's, closing his eyes so that the glow of them can't be bothersome.]

You wouldn't snuff the light out of Yugi's eyes anymore than you would stab yourself in the heart. That's not the reality I choose to believe in.

[And trust him, he knows about some fucked realities.]

Please...don't let the darkness win here. You don't have to be strong all the time because you have people. [You have me, he wants to say, but he doesn't.] But don't give up.

[Ryou would absolutely eat it at least a handful of times before he figured out slithering. Atem's right not to give him that kind of control, besides which...with how infrequently he sleeps well, Ryou's been generally depriving himself of energy which contributes to his terrible control of his powers.

Which it's...easier for everyone to think that he's just bad at being a shade, than to tell them the truth of the matter--that he had only been experiencing issues with controlling how his powers manifest since losing his arm and foot.

It's so much easier to let everyone assume he can't levitate that well all the time, or be intangible on command...because he doesn't want to admit that he's weaker now than he'd ever been before, injuries included. Ryou dislikes being pitied almost as much as being overlooked.

...That said, he doesn't mind it when Atem offers him courtesies, so he simply gives a half-smile before hovering towards the doorway. He doesn't even have to let Atem out first--he can go through walls! Once he's phased into the hallway, he pokes his head back through the door, and his bangs ripple in a very weightless movement at the quick motion.]

If you think it's safe for me, then we can go now. I don't want to hold you up, and...maybe we can talk more about, um. How you found out about...Steve. Unless you don't want to. That's okay too.

[It's true. Ryou's right. Atem'd stab himself in the heart first.

Not if there was. You know. A third option, a way to skirt around whatever stupid situation was trying to force him to make that choice and stab the person who set it up in the heart. But. That's not the situation they're in.

The situation they're in is, Ryou is trembling under his own weight but still pressing their foreheads together, and Atem does take a second to shut his eyes, to listen to what's being said instead of thinking about hypothetical revenge, and...and also, instead of thinking about how close their faces are. A flush rises in his face again, and...instead of doing anything about that, instead of so much as letting his tongue flick out, he listens to and processes what's being said.]

Of course I won't!

[He says as he reaches out for Ryou, pulling him into a hug, getting one hand under and around his shoulders and the other around his waist. He is going to get Ryou off that overworked arm, get his head on Atem's shoulder, and hold him there a moment, doing his best not to jostle the injury too much.]

I don't think I could. Not when there was a single person here to fight for!

[What would that even look like? The kind of paralysis he experienced in Death-T? Atem would have to be terribly alone to feel that kind of despair again.]

Besides, [he says, since Ryou's words remind him of what had happened in reality, of what Daniel had been so frightened of but that the other Yugi knew was his element,] the darkness is a part of me. So, of course it can't beat me!

[Silly, he is the night. He's Atem, yes, but not Pharaoh Atem, not the living king ready to sacrifice himself to seal away evil. Maybe part of him is that, but another part of him is still the rising tide that carried him to Yugi's enemies when Yugi was truly angry, that let him understand what would rebalance the scales, what harm and revenge he could visit that would make things right again.

That's an easier thing to be, sometimes. It's not all he is, or he wouldn't be holding a different sort of shadow right now -- he's something like both, and neither, something capable of holding and supporting a beloved friend while also reminding that friend that his power came from a dark place, and that Atem doesn't mind that.]

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The evening of the 8th, action, in the apartment.

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tfw when u gotta reuse the icon

<Player1>

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<hotrod> - > action

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 * PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1>** If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.