snowblindrpg | [log] Party at the Toe House [closed]

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[log] Party at the Toe House [closed]

Characters: Steve, Beckett and Rydia
Location Building #44
Date: Day 56, evening/night
Summary: Team Bad Life Choices experiment with blood drinking, burn something they shouldn't, and regret everything. Just another day in Snowhell.
Warnings: Have I mentioned blood drinking? Possibly something resembling self-harm.

As shelters go, the house is... passable. Maybe. If one ignores the mould on the couch.

Beckett isn't inclined to, from past experience, but frozen, exhausted beggars can't be choosers. The three of them have trudged through the blizzard all day, and even he is ready to admit that he'd lost feeling in parts he didn't even know he was supposed to have feeling in to begin with. The neighbouring house had seemed nicer, but they'd wanted to keep exploring, and now lockdown is approaching fast. But there is a roof; there is a closed door; it will do.

There is also a fireplace, Beckett realizes once he'd dropped his pack in one corner and finished rubbing the life back into his hands. He eyes it warily. A human might see it and think warmth; a vampire only sees Frenzy waiting to happen.

"Well, here we are." He glances at his two companions, before looking back about the house. The room, really. "Not much to spread out and explore, how sad. So what will it be first - dinner, the usual treasure hunt, or are you two ready to experiment?" From the way his eyes gleam at the word, it's clear what he means by it, and what his own vote is.

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Sorry what Beckett did you say something?

"Oh my God, a fireplace." Steve makes a beeline for it, crouching down and ducking his head in to peer up the chimney. "Chimney looks clear, too." He shuffles back, looking around a little, and—holy cow. Holy. Cow.

"Oh my God, firewood!" It's just sitting in a little pile near the fireplace, off to the side. He picks up a piece; it's dry and light, perfect for burning. "Food and bloodletting can come later, we are having a fire right now." He picks up the pile and drops it on the hearth, pulling one of the pieces to the side. He stands up, holding the piece in place with one boot, before taking careful aim with the sharper end of his poking stick and stabbing the wood as hard as he can, burying the point in the wood. Then he starts smacking the wood against the hearth, trying to split the wood for kindling.

The other house was better but there was no turning back at that point, was it? And as long as it could cover hem for the night any shelter would do considering the weather slowed them down and a lot of time already passed from the warning message, it was either the building or the snow. Anyway, whatever her initial negative idea of the place was it just vanished as soon as Steve mentioned the fireplace. That was a welcomed sight- and there was wood too! Bless Idfrit and its glorious flames for once in a while. The woman clapped her hands happily and jumped on the spot even if, Rydia had to admit it, she was exhausted: a good night of rest was all she needed, there was no way to sleep properly without a blanket or anything to cover them, and the idea of resting with a fire nearby was just...

"Oh, Bless Asura's three heads, I could use some warmth" che commented with a shiver before stiffening up and turning to look at Beckett. It was really time, wasn't it? Even if she offered herself as blood donor and they already wandered around for too long without attempting anything to recover their powers. "I'd say, let's do it. I... should warn you my pain tolerance is really low, I confide in your vampiric skills to keep it to minimum." She paused placing her back and the basket with her plant near the entrance "Steve, would you be a dear and start the fire while we... take care of a couple of things?"

Of course they both immediately jumped at the fireplace. Beckett stiffens, stopping close to the door, his reluctance and sudden unease obvious. He doesn't really know what would happen if they did start a fire - he walks the daytime now, with no particular trouble but an enduring discomfort that he suspects will never really go away. The animal terror that was Kindred's response to open flame might no longer be relevant, either. But the conscious fear, not only of the danger of the fire, but of the utter loss of control in Frenzy, is still very much with him.

"I wouldn't do that." He doesn't quite snap at Steve, but his voice is taut and leaves no room for argument. "My kind don't do very well with fire. I doubt either of you wants to be attacked in a blind panic." He doesn't even hedge on admitting that that might happen to him. Pride is all good and nice, until it comes to fire and sunlight - fledglings who don't learn this lesson don't survive.

He wants to address Rydia's offer very much - his eyes are openly hungry, darting her way - but this must be cleared up first. The only thing worse than going into Frenzy at the sight of the fire would be going into it with all his powers restored. As he is, they might restrain him, between them; if he get his strength, his claws and fangs back, he's likely to tear them both to pieces.

Edited 2015-11-18 00:09 (UTC)

"Yes ma'am, I am on it," Steve agrees heartily.

Steve leverages a split in the wood open with a sharp crack before freezing at Beckett's words and turning to look over his shoulder. "...Seriously?"

From the tone of his voice and the look on his face you'd think he was a kid and someone had just told him they'd cancelled Christmas. Actually, this feels worse. Steve wants that fire. But obviously he doesn't want to do something that will harm Beckett, or cause him to harm Rydia and Steve.

"Great"

There was a strong note of sarcasm in her voice and with a sigh the woman just picked the handcuffs from her backpack. Rydia was familiar enough with 'monsters' to know that any kind of human predator in frenzy and in such a small shelter wouldn't mean any good. "Then my suggestion is... let's try to see if feeding with blood will give you some kind of power back. If it does, good, if it doesn't..." Rydia stopped for a moment "Would you agree to be restrained while we warm up the room?" It felt wrong asking such a thing but, hey! She was desperate for some warmth.

"I can in part relate to your fear of fire, my friend, even if I cannot comprehend how one may feel when your own blood dictates your own reactions but... having a fire would benefit everyone in the group. Even you if feeding doesn't bring your natural powers back."

It's like kicking a puppy, but Beckett has never been the type to mind that. This is to protect them as much as himself, honestly. But Rydia suddenly producing a pair of handcuffs, of all things, is a little harder to dismiss than Steve's stricken look. A part of him instantly approves of her practicality, not to mention daring.

Another part considers being bound next to an open fire. He knows how bad Frenzy can be. Panicked animals in a trap gnaw off their own limbs.

"I also doubt I want to break my own hands fighting to get out of your restraints," he says, dryly. He glances at Steve, wondering if between the two of them they'd have the nerve - or the desperation - to decide to force him. "How did you plan to light the fire, anyway? Do you have any matches, or anything that could produce a spark?"

Steve's eyebrows climb alllllllll the way up his face when Rydia produces the handcuffs. He's staying out of this; it's Beckett's decision, obviously. Although it sounds like he's not super into it.

He's happy to answer Beckett's question, though. That's an easy one.

"I have a few matches...."

He glances at Rydia.

Edited 2015-11-18 22:34 (UTC)

[She's not even looking at Steve at the moment, she wants her Shiva Forgotten fireplace and she's ready to fight (verbally) for it. She grabs her backpack again and shows Beckett a lighter- the woman may not have those in her world but studying it a bit was enough to realize it could produce fire.]

"And Plant-" [She seriously named her plant plant] "Seems to be poisonous. Licking a leaf was enough to make my tongue numb for a while, maybe taking a small bit would help in containing your... body during the panic attack. And avoid damages and broken bones." [Geez, wow, no it sounded even worse] "It's true I still have to check it to see what kind of reactions it gives to humanoid bodies but... well, it still is a suggestion. If you're handcuffed and somehow paralized you shouldn't get harmed. And for equality I'd be willingly to try the same amount of poison with you. And..." she glanced at Steve "Shall we maybe try with a small small fire and see how bad the reaction is? This thing will turn off almost immediately if I let go" the woman waved her lighter in front of the vampire "and... do you return to yourself when the fire is gone?"
[Come on, man, be with her for science! She pauses for a long moment before sighing]
Yes, I do want to spend a good night of sleep so bad but- don't worry, I'm not going to force you if you're not okay with it.

Any hopes that Beckett might have had of avoiding the subject on a technicality are gone. But he is really starting to approve of Rydia. The woman is not just ruthless but prepared to execute her ruthlessness. If only it wasn't at his expense.

That doesn't mean that licking strange plants in the hopes of being sedated, rather than poisoned, is anywhere on his agenda. But a small flame, a test... he flinches back from the lighter, but there is also a degree of curiosity. What if he doesn't enter Frenzy? What if he need not be afraid of fire anymore than sunlight? There are few enough advantages to being human. He might as well...

"I'm willing to try a small flame," he concedes, with more honest interest than resentment. He glances to Steve again - now it's his turn to make some uncomfortable requests. "But you should restrain me, and be ready for a struggle. If I don't regain control in a few moments, smash my head against the wall. Pain can override the panic reaction." He sounds really very calm about the whole affair. This is far and away not the craziest thing he'd ever done for curiosity's sake.

Steve's eyes bug out of his skull at Rydia's suggestion. "Whoa, what the heck, Rydia—no, nobody's eating poison, that's a terrible idea!" Step away from the plant, Rydia. He will tackle you. Don't make him tackle you.

He blinks, startled, at Beckett's request. "So what's the thought here, are you thinking... with all your other... vampirey things taken away, maybe your panic response will also be lessened?"

He frowns seriously, thinking the request over. "Are you sure this is what you want? Because I can do that, if you're sure. I'm not as strong as I used to be, but I can think of a few holds that should be able to safely immobilize you." He'll hit his head against the wall, too, if he needs to; he knows how hard to do it so it'll hurt but not cause permanent damage. It's a somewhat distressing request, but he can see how he'd want to know for sure one way or the other, if he were in Beckett's place, and this is all pretty solidly within Steve's skill set.

Rydia rolled her eyes "I am not trying to kill him, Steve, any poison if dosed correctly can be... handled. Leviathan's nostrils, even water could kill you if you drink too much." No, bad Steve, don't tackle her, she's made of glass ~~And has one of the lowest hp pools in her game~~. And Sorry, Beckett, it's hardly being ruthless when you're so stupid to say you'll taste the poison yourself as well.

The woman listened in silence and just prepared her lighter after taking a couple of steps away from Beckett "Okay then- when you're both ready. When you are... I will turn on this... auto-fire thing I found earlier."

"That's the gist of it, yes." Beckett does appreciate Steve's caution - he'd be much more cautious himself if he could afford to be. But with no previous experience to fall back on, all they can do is probe their way forward, and doing that is rarely safe or nice.

He braces himself where he stands, trying to relax and fix his mind firstly on not reacting when Steve does get him in what he hopes would be a very effective hold. "Have you ever restrained someone in an uncontrolled rage? I will be stronger than you expect," he warns. And he isn't weak to begin with - some vampires owe all their strength to the blood, but not Beckett, whose frame isn't tall but is hard and tightly muscled. He can only hope Steve is as good as his word, if this experiment goes spectacularly awry.

Held down with fire waved in front of his face. Well. He's about as ready as he'll ever be.

"That's true, Rydia, but you don't know the dose! And you don't even really know what it does, 'makes your tongue numb when you lick it' could go all sorts of directions at higher doses, if it's enough to paralyze someone what's to say it wouldn't stop their heart?" He can't believe they're having this conversation.

He turns to Beckett. "The hold I'm thinking of? That's kind of what it's for. I haven't used it in combat yet, but the woman who taught it to me is 5' 3", and I've seen her use it to subdue big burly Strike Force guys twice her size."

Steve approaches Beckett slowly, projecting his moves; he knows full well just getting into a submission hold voluntarily takes a lot of trust. "All right, we're going to get nice and friendly, just so you know." He stands behind Beckett, slowly bringing his right arm around his throat and his left hand behind Beckett's head, not tight enough to be a chokehold but clearly easily converted into one. "OK, now we're going to sit, please, have a seat, legs out in front." He guides them both carefully to the ground, his own legs bracketing Beckett's. "Now if you'll put your hands in your lap..." This is all so odd, he's never done this slowly, with the other person voluntarily cooperating. When Beckett's hands are in his lap, he pins Beckett's wrists and forearms with his left leg, then brings his right leg up and around as well, hooking his ankles together.

"And there we go. Now that we're both nice and comfy... Rydia, you can turn on the lighter whenever you like. Just be ready to turn it off again if things get out of hand."

"... you're right, Steve, I shouldn't feed other people Plant's poison without knowing its effects." That will only mean she'll experiment on herself, congratulations Captain. But, you know, she will be extra careful, what if yhe team actually needs poison at some point? She better know it.

The talk about holds somehow interests her, some moves to use even if she's small and weak would really be glad to have some clues on how to defend herself but that's not the better time to investigate further.

"Okay, Beckett, here we go..." she steps closer holding up the lighter, kneels down in front of the vampire and gets read to jump back if necessary. It's blatant she never really used a lighter before considering how she struggles to lit the small fire but after a long moment the fire is there, dancing a few inches from the older man's face.

It does take considerable effort to allow himself to be caught and immobilized like this; Beckett focuses so much on cooperating with Steve, rather than lashing out as all his instincts tell him to do, that he is efficiently distracted from the promise of fire. A good thing that Kindred all develop great awareness and control of their own bodies over time - he could never have gone through with this without it. But eventually the exercise is a success and he is sitting down, not very comfortable but quite effectively stopped from most movement. His body is almost painfully stiff with tension, throat muscles working faintly against the chokehold, but he stays still.

"Good," is all he says. This should do it. He closes his eyes tightly and opens them again to look at the lighter. He's suddenly aware that his heart is hammering with ferocious speed and strength against his ribs.

At the sight of the flame so close, close enough that he can feel its heat despite its small size, his chest fills with terror like ice water. Fear - but not Frenzy. It's a moment before he realizes as much, and realizes that some part of the reaction is due to building himself up to it. No panic, no lost control. He takes in a hissing breath, another, fast and loose, but the third is already easier. Breathe, breathe, breathe... Lilith's blood, it worked.

"It's - all right," he rasps, swallows, and speaks more calmly. "You can let go. It worked. Let go." He isn't about to snap, but he definitely wants the fire out of his face.

"You're darn right you shouldn't," Steve grumbles, then squints a little, suspiciously, his brain catching up to her choice of words. "...And that goes for you, too!"

Steve tries not to hold his breath as Rydia flicks the lighter. This sort of hold is... pretty damn intimate, obviously; he can feel how tense Beckett is, can feel the pace of his breathing and the hammering of his heart. If Steve tenses up, Beckett would feel it, and it would likely wind him up even tighter; more importantly, Steve needs to be relaxed, ready to react to whatever happens. He breathes easily, calmly, eyes on the lighter, and waits for the flame to catch.

When the flame blooms to life, he feels Beckett's tension ratchet up—and then bleed out, slowly, with each breath. He's clearly not happy, but not panicked either.

"All right," Steve says. "If you're sure." He cautiously undoes the hold so that Beckett is able to move away, but ready to move, to grab him again and wrestle him down if he lunges at Rydia or swings an elbow or something. Steve doesn't think that's going to happen, but he's not going to put all his money on it, either.

She rolls her eyes: You can prevent her from feeding poison to others, Steve, but someone has to try Plant's magical properties, right? She's not promising anything here, sorry. But since she has such an hard time lying Rydia just leans closer to touch his shoulder in a reassuring way.

"Don't worry, Steve, I'm not a fool."

And then- it's time. Rydia is tense and holds up the lighter for a moment that seems to last forever: as much as she dislike flames it's almost reassuring having a small one between them, mostly because panicked animals should tend to run away from the source of their fears. At lest she hopes. Rydia waits in silence, almost holding her breath, staring at the vampire behind the small flame and only when he confirms that everything seems fine she finally relaxes, in part abandoning her defensive stance.

"Okay... what a relief. Ah... ahah. Oh, Leviathan, for once, that's a good thing." She pauses for a moment "Even if we should probably repeat the experiment after your feeding. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy a warm night for once."

Able to move away once the unwelcome contact is broken, Beckett feels much better - not looking forward to a larger fire as Steve and Rydia seem to be, but not nearly as wary. He pushes himself up, takes a deliberate step to one side - reestablishing his personal space - and stretches his shoulders and neck a little, pushing the tension out. Actually, what just happened was amazing. He is slightly giddy with it. Unlike the immunity to the sun, which feels disturbing and unnatural, discovering this ability to handle fire is a rush.

"Thank you," he says to Steve, because it's earned, much as that was less than comfortable. Close it off with that, he hopes, let them not discuss this again. Rydia makes a good point, though, and he thinks about it for a moment.

"If the feeding does restore anything... you will not be able to keep me down again," he notes. "In which case, I'm willing to postpone the experiment to tomorrow, since you two are clearly very keen on the opportunity." He isn't thrilled at the delay, but since they are in effect doing him a favour, it seems fair. He might also be just slightly looking forward to the idea of enjoying a fire, himself.

Steve rolls lightly to his feet, dusting off his hands. He gives Beckett a short nod. "You're welcome," he says simply.

Steve nods when Beckett points out that blood-drinking and fire might not mix well. "Yeah, that did kind of occur to me. If you don't mind, I'm inclined to take you up on that. I'd really like to be warm, for once." He moseys back over to where he had been splitting wood, picking up his poking stick again.

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[log] Party at the Toe House [closed]

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and beckett's been trying so hard not to get any cuddles

He will give up sooner or later.

Noooooooooooooo...

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