deernet | accidental video; un: JustD

Entry tags:

accidental video; un: JustD

CW: Suicide, murder, gore, body horror, parasites

[The video starts with D sliding his sword into the stomach of a man with skin as perfectly pale as D's, but with red eyes and lips and a pair of obvious fangs.

The vampire sinks to his knees as D releases his grip on the sword, and a young woman rushes to the vampire's side.

"Please, try not to shake me so much." The vampire says, pain obvious in his voice and a wry smile on his face.

"You did well to dodge that strike," D says as he closes the short distance between them.

"Why did you miss?" The vampire asks.

But there's no response from D as he bends over to cut a long lock of hair from the young woman and then to pull his sword from the vampire's stomach and sheath it. "So long as I have some of her hair, the sheriff's office will be able to confirm her identity. Baron Mayerling and his human love are dead. Never show yourselves before mankind again."

D has a few more words for the other young woman in the room, a lady with dark hair and eyes and dressed for a fight. "There's the ten million right there. Easy money."

A silver arrow shoots down to pierce the vampire's heart, and D immediately retaliates by hurling a nearly foot-long sliver of needle at the attacker on the ceiling. The new foe defies gravity, standing upside down and dodging. The attacking figure is clearly not alive, half his face is missing all its flesh and a massive hole in his stomach shows bits of bone and remnants of internal organs.

The battle is brief before the undead attacker is on the floor, and something tries to crawl out of the corpse only for D to grab it in his left hand. His left hand, which is audibly chewing and eating whatever the grotesque worm-like thing is as it gives out a brief scream over the sound of flesh and bone being chewed up.

D turns back towards the two women, where the young woman in love with a vampire lay still beside her lover. She had taken his hand and pierced her own chest with one of his claws, but there's an amazingly serene and almost happy look on her lifeless face.

"Love's so great... so why does it have to go so wrong?" The young woman kneeling over the girl to check her pulse asked. "She said thank you."

D takes the lock of hair out of his pocket, and lays it on the lifeless young woman's shoulder. As the pair of hunters leave, D gives a very generous amount of gold to a shabbily dressed drifter in exchange for the man burying the pair. The sounds of the derelict spaceport cut off abruptly, but the image is slower to fade.]

You too?

[The video fades to D, wearing the cloak he was given when he arrived and looking up from a less than neat patch job in his dark, worn coat. The building he's in is run down, the only thing other than D in the room is a small pile of cloth and a saddle with saddlebags. He's already reaching for the omni sitting beside him when the next video starts.]

[The second video starts with D and a young woman with dark hair and dark eyes standing in the snow, next to a small shack, a very sturdy bench, and a wooden wagon pulled by mutant six-legged equines. The pair of them both look like they're in their late teens.

The serious expression falters, and the young woman suddenly blushes. "I hid behind you, remember?" Her voice is almost as heated as her face as become. "The first time I saw you I was really scared, but as soon as I heard what you said I shook it right off. 'While it's impossible to halt the progress of time, you would do well to show some respect for that's been lost' - when you said that, you seemed so sad.

D looks away from her, down the snow covered road, and his voice is emotionless when he speaks. "You've got good ears and an excellent memory. The sun will be down in a little while, so we'd best be on our way. It's about time for the fiend to make another move on the woman from this morning."

The young woman speaks up again as they return to the wagon, her tone suggestive as she elbows D in the side playfully. "Hey, could you get your work done in the next five days and leave the village with me? I've got an awful bright future ahead of me."

D still doesn't look at her, and answers only with a maybe as they climb into the wagon. The young woman watches him from the passenger seat with a mischievous grin on her face. "You really don't want to lose that scowl, do you, you big worrywart? I'm going to make a prediction for you."

"A prediction?" D asks, a slight glint in his eyes even though he still doesn't look at her.

"That's right. See, mine are almost always right on the money. Let's see... okay, I got it." She says as she looks at him as if hypnotized. "You'll definitely be wearing a smile when you leave this place." Both the sound and sight fade at once this time.]

[D is less than pleased, and having a staring contest with his omen, which means he's staring directly forward with a disapproving look in his cold eyes as the video cuts back to the present. A small voice that's neither D nor the omen speaks up. "Heh, looks like your omen doesn't have as much self control as you do."]

Enough.

[The word is said by both D and his omen, who have the same low, smooth voice right before the video cuts off.]

((ooc: and so D becomes disappointed in his omen due to it failing to avoid becoming part of the memshare plot))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

To paraphrase... he wants me to be more social.

Hey, it could do you some good. Unless there's a specific reason you're not into being social.

[ She understands that some people aren't big on socializing. Hell, that used to be her and it's taken her a long while to adjust. ]

I'm not the best person to be around right now.

So? Sometimes, that's the best time to be more social. It's hard to get stuck in your own head when you're dealing with people.

That's not why I'm not the best person to be around right now.

But if you want to come over and start a few fires, he could stop bothering me about that and feeding him.

[The small voice speaks up loud enough to be heard. "And bring some fresh clean dirt with you, too. None of that blood-soaked stuff."]

[ Fresh clean dirt, huh? ]

I'd be happy to do that. Tell me where you're at and I'll come over ASAP.

If you humor him too much he'll try to get you to stay.

[D sends over instructions including a small sketched out map to the abandoned building he's been frequently camping out at on the outskirts of cellar door]

He'd have to try very hard.

[ There's a hint of amusement in her tone.

When Sharon receives the map, she sets out only moments later. It takes her some time to gather the dirt, uncertain what area would produce the best for Left Hand, and ends up jarring some from the garden beside her mother's cottage. She jars more on her way from another area of the city in a separate container, a backup just in case.

When she finally arrives, she feels a hint of trepidation at the sight of the building. It's clear it's not well lived in and she can't imagine that it's much of a comfortable place to stay. It doesn't look like a good place to call home. With an intake of breath, she raps on the door. ]

[Home is a generous word for the place D camps out occasionally. D opens the door soon after Sharon arrives to reveal an inside that looks like a mostly abandoned house. Most of it's clearly not used, there's no furniture or anything to indicate anyone lives there. Only the relative lack of dust and dirt gives any indication of use.]

Are you nervous? This is only slightly more isolated than that alleyway was.

[D keeps his distance once the door is open, returning to a few freshly collected sticks he's been testing the strength and flexibility of as he sorts through them on a window sill.]

["Stop trying to scare her off and stop playing with twigs. Girls who can serve up fire whenever they want don't grow on trees and you're being rude." The small face in D's left hand scolds, biting off the tip of the stick D is working with with a small but loud snapping noise.

D concedes and puts the sticks down and turns around to hold up his left hand in a reasonably comfortable position.]

He doesn't need to eat, you know. He just enjoys it. Drinking, too.

What can I say? It's beaten into girls back home not to go into abandoned-looking buildings. [ It's an instinctive nervousness that has little to do with D and more to do with the building. An alleyway is, at least, outside even if it isn't in the open.

She shuts the door behind her, looking around with vague interest. It seems more like a haunt than a home. She hadn't had much in terms of expectations but she'd thought it'd be a little warmer, homier; a place to live, not just exist. She shifts the tote on her side, lifting the flap and retrieving one of the jars of dirt. It's dark in color, pebbled with remnants of plant fiber and tiny little bugs. ]

I don't blame him. I'd do the same, honestly, even if I didn't have to. It's the little things in life, you know? [ She offers the jar. ] I wasn't sure what he'd like the best so I got two different types of dirt, from different places. This was from my mother's garden.

It's not a bad lesson to teach.

[At least not here, and not where D is from either. Even the brash, stupid young men are usually smart enough not to go wandering around such places alone. Not all of them, but most of them.]

Eating unnecessary food always seemed selfish and pointless.

["That's because you're doing that horrible self deprivation thing. It wouldn't kill you to enjoy yourself." D takes the jar, not being particularly careful of the face poking out of his palm as he unscrews the lid. He cuts off anything else the left hand might say by nearly stuffing his hand into the jar.]

It's not pointless if you enjoy it and I don't think it's selfish to find enjoyment in the little things, even if they're not necessary for your survival. It's those things that make life easier to get through when shit gets dark. [ When Left-Hand mentions that D's been depriving himself of things, whatever they may be, she frowns lightly. ]

Do you not do anything to enjoy yourself? [ There's a hint of concern in her voice. D's quiet and seems the type of man to remain distant from others but given where he's been staying and the lack of creature comforts, she suddenly sees that he might truly do nothing to bring himself joy. That seems a sad life to live. ]

There's a difference between enjoying a nice evening and enjoying a limited supply of something that someone else might need for survival.

[D has very little in the way of things he enjoys doing and allows himself to do, but he's not completely miserable.]

I enjoy seeing the sun, and having a drink now and then.

[And at that moment, his left hand is noisily eating and chewing dirt. Clearly it meets his standards since he hasn't stopped to complain about it.]

[ She lets out a hum at his first response, clearly understanding even if she's not sure she agrees entirely. To her, a single meal occasionally would be negligible in this place, even when food is more scarce.

As his left-hand eats, she begins to walk around the room and eventually heads towards the window sill he'd been working at, observing the pile of carved wooden needles for just a moment. ]

I like to see the sunrise. I don't do it often, I like to sleep in too much for that [ She's more a night owl than a morning bird but the sunrise is more beautiful than the sunset in her eyes. It's more uplifting ] but some mornings, when things are quiet, I like to get up early to watch it. You could come with me sometime if you wanted.

I could even bring you a drink. [ She offers, finally looking back to him. ] What do you like to drink best?

It's nice, seeing light return to the world.

[D naturally feels more tired whenever the sun rises, his body more attuned to the biorhythm of a vampire.]

Tea or wine.

[At that point the left hand stops chewing long enough to add, muffled from his current position. "He likes blood best, don't let him lie to you. But strong booze is good too."]

[ The added comment from left-hand catches her off-guard and she blinks in surprise. She'd made an off-hand comment about blood when they'd first met but had assumed that Leftie was the one who had liked blood; she never would have guessed it was D himself. ]

Is that true? [ Her question is one of pure curiosity and, perhaps, some mild amusement. She looks at him a little closer now. She knew D was different, probably not even human, but that seemed to be the case for a handful of people she'd grown to know here. ] I could get blood for you instead. It's not like it's a big deal here.

But... I'm curious, what are you? [ Is that rude? Maybe but it's rarely something she considers when she's curious. ]

I'd rather have tea or wine.

[It's a question D doesn't mind. He might not volunteer the information to strangers all the time, but most can tell what he is or know by reputation. Being something unknown here is very different.]

I'm a Dhampir. One human parent, one vampire parent, if that word means something to you.

All right. [ She says with a shrug. She can only hope he isn't too picky about teas or wine because her knowledge of both is immature and limited. ]

Oh. [ She steps closer to him to get a better look, not at all bothered by the revelation, curious expression lingering. She wonders if that's why he's so hauntingly beautiful. ] We have vampire lore in my world but... it's more horror and fantasy than reality. I don't think I've read about Dhampirs, though.

Do vampires in your world burn in the sun? And need blood to survive? Or do they shimmer in the sun like diamonds? [ She's read a few books, okay, and some of them really romanticized vampires to the point of ridiculousness. But she's also read the classics and seen a few movies. ]

The reality is probably just as horrible as the stories, or worse.

[D remains still as she steps closer to examine him, the closer one looks at him the more his humanity seems like an illusion, skin too perfect and his face with far too much symmetry.]

The sun does burn vampires, and they do need blood. Starving them of blood won't kill them, but usually drives them mad. Vampires are rarely anything other than stunningly beautiful, but none shimmer in the sun.

I think you'd be surprised at the stories they tell where I'm from. Vampires have become kind of... romanticized. [ She says it with a tiny grimace. They weren't the kinds of stories that would strike fear into any heart except, maybe, parents who had to buy them for their teenage daughters.

This close, she can see now that his beauty was alien in its perfection, well beyond anything human, like something born from the dream of an artist. It's almost uncomfortable and Sharon finds herself suddenly aware of her own imperfections, of the blemishes on her skin, and how one of her eyes is a little smaller than the other. She looks away a little too quickly. ]

I guess being beautiful would make them better predators to humans. [ Humans did have a tendency of desiring the beautiful regardless of the danger to themselves. ] What kills them if starving them doesn't? Stake to the heart?

That happens with the real thing, too. There's an appeal in beauty and immortality, and a rush in being so desired no matter how terrible the price of pleasure.

[D glances over at the wooden needles he's working on. Each is about a foot long and very sharp.] Yeah. Wooden stakes work best. Sometimes you have to hold them in for a while. Decapitation and keep the head away from the body. Sunlight.

[ She considers his words and frowns lightly. ] I guess I can see how that might attract certain types of people. Immortality doesn't seem like such a grand thing to me. [ She could see the appeal in beauty but both immortality and being desired were things that have haunted her throughout her life and held much less interest for her, though she could understand to a degree how it might draw in others.

She turns her attention back to the wooden needles, realization dawning on her. ] Oh! I see why you like to have so many, then.

It helps that they're free and easy to make.

[There are other reasons too, such as the fact that D can throw them faster than most bullets can travel if he needs to.]

They usually teach girls how to use a spear or crossbow for that reason too, in addition to 'stay away from abandoned buildings'.

I guess girls everywhere have to learn the same bullshit. [ there’s a touch of bitterness in her voice. ] There’s always someone or something out there that wants to hurt us or use us.

[ she’s aware it’s not just girls but girls are often targeted for their perceived weaknesses. ] “Don’t go into abandoned buildings. Don’t tell anyone your name. Pay attention to the people around you. Don’t go home if someone is following you. You’re safer around groups of people than alone.” [ she mimics her father’s gentle but serious voice with ease, somewhat exasperated, as she pulls out the second jar of dirt she’d gathered, setting it upon the sill. ]

When you have to deal with everything from vampires to lesser dragons and blood thirsty sprites, they're not bad lessons to teach.

The boys have to learn too, but they're taught to go into danger while they're young enough to think nothing bad could happen to them. They're deluded enough to think they're in less danger because they're men, when really their towns just view them as the most expendable.

[D is sometimes very cynical about humanity's shortcomings.]

The only predator that cares about a little more muscle or a few inches of extra reach is another human, but even then it rarely matters.

[He pulls his hand back from the jar when it's finished with the soil from the first one. "Excellent, very little of that lingering blood flavor. Let's see what's behind door number two."]

You're not even working that hard these days.

[But D still opens the second jar so the face in his left hand can chew noisily. The soft sound of disapproval indicates it's apparently not as good as the other one was, but the noisy chewing clearly says it's good enough to keep eating.]

Edited 2022-07-06 00:28 (UTC)

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