eyemind | event } was there somethin' that made you come back again?

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event } was there somethin' that made you come back again?

WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: Missing passengers return to Navi, trauma recovery begins (or not).
WHERE: Anywhere on Navi.
WHEN: March 21 until the next event (date TBD)
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! And if you end up getting lovingly strangled by another passenger, please record it on the death page.

There’s no fanfare to signal the return of passengers who’ve been missing for the past few weeks, just a sudden influx of familiar faces, returned to their respective cabins like they never left. Anything that was on their person at the time when the shift occurred came along for the ride, so those bellbottoms from the magic closet? Yeah, you’re stuck with them now.

Another thing the returning passengers will be stuck with is their memories of their time in Xanadu. Add those to the memories of their time on Navi, before their “death,” which have all now been restored. Ain’t the multiverse a wacky little thing?

Have fun getting to know your new neighbors and reuniting with old friends! Oh, and watch out for goose droppings - the feathered menace’s reign of terror hasn’t entirely been cleaned up yet.

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A shame that being blinding light was something of a default state for Murmur. One he didn't particularly enjoy, nor intend to maintain over long.

With no war to fight and no enemies at the gates that blinding, overwhelming rage he'd arrived with faded like a dimming light bulb. A thread of worry breaking through, he'd not initially been in his room but he could be there quickly yes.

Of course, Kankri, he remembered the way things worked here now.

You're distressed. I will make haste. But first he had to get the light under control. Easy enough, though the bloody wings would take longer. He'll just have to deal with that.

This damned link through their head made it hard to hide that he was, in fact, not having a good time of it. Between being 'dead' and not dead at all, after being alive again in some confounding and yet profusely usual twist of events, he really wanted out of the general area.

"Yes, please." he replied less verbally and with more clarity of how he should be replying. It made sense murmur wasn't in his room and yet at least things could be safer than with complete strangers who had no notion of propriety.

It certainly did, it also completely failed to hide Murmur's own rather unsettled state but he wasn't going to bring it up if Kankri wasn't. It was fair, wanting to escape, though Murmur had an inkling that it might be his presence causing the trouble...

Nevertheless, he has been called upon and he shall come. With their psychic link it's easy to pull himself to Kankri without even having to bother with the inefficiency of physical travel. A light tug as if the air pressure had briefly changed and he's there, reaching out to open the door and usher Kankri in. At least he wasn't a glowing beacon of horror anymore, just a bloody one. Oops.

At least the rooms were private, and safe.

It felt normal that suddenly they're being shipped all over and there's some anxiety involved, but maybe if he could think past his own need to find a nice corner so to speak, it would be easier. Sometimes the need to listen to that voice in the back of his mind reminding him he should be a hunted mutant was a little stronger than his need to be rational. Thank God Murmur was a seemingly understanding person.

The moment that the door opened, he waited only seconds to come in and close it, leaning his back up against it with his eyes closed. He let out a long sigh and started to talk before they opened. "Thank you, I apologize for my boldness in assumin—"

Once his eyes opened, they opened wider even still. Enough that he raised his eyebrows. "...Is that—" he paused again. "Are—?" He couldn't make words at the moment. "Are you bleeding?"

Anxiety. That's probably what all of this could be called, yes. Strange that Murmur never had a proper word for the feeling, or really a strong grasp. Then again it wasn't something he thought too hard about, he still wasn't great at the whole emotions thing.

If Kankri needed a few moments to collect himself, or have his panic attack then collect himself, Murmur wasn't going to be one to judge. He simply hoped that Kankri would grant him the same and allow him the time necessary to calm the Bloodrage he'd been right in the middle of before they'd been swept away again. As an entity purpose-built for war it was difficult to flip that switch back on the fly. At least he wasn't blinding anymore.

A wing fluttered in irritation, while the blood flowed it seemed strangely attached to the feathers in such a way that even if it appeared to drip it never hit the ground. "In a manner of speaking," He grumbled. "It should fade shortly. Was it my arrival that startled you? I apologize, if that is the case."

There were times in Kankri's after-life where he missed being alive, and missed the turmoil that came with not being stuck in perpetual schoolhive for idiots who never grew out of their concepts. This was not one of those times wondering what exactly was going on now as he looked on at the image of someone he should be visibly afraid of and yet felt nothing of ill intent through the link they shared.

The moments that he had to try to collect himself weren't exactly moments that he had to find sanity. "...I. Don't know." if it was him that had startled Kankri. The question of if it was Murmur's blood didn't fall from his lips, it seemed stupid when his head started processing words. "Why is it happening at all?" It wasn't the most eloquent way to ask, but he had literally nothing left to give. This whole ship ride had been terrible.

Being terrified would be a completely reasonable reaction, yes, though Murmur would admit he preferred it when Kankri wasn't. There was no malice, and even that quietly boiling rage had calmed, the blood along with it beginning to fade from his feathers. Murmur took a moment to turn off the room's lights, recalling that Kankri felt better in the darkness.

He gestured to the room to indicate that Kankri could make himself comfortable wheresoever he wished, hell he's tempted to throw a blanket on him. That totally helps, right? Murmur pursed his lips at the question, trying to figure out how exactly he could begin going about answering it. You know what? While he thought he was absolutely going to just go... get a blanket and offer it up to Kankri. Here, cocoon, those make everything better.

"That's... a long story. The abbreviated version is roughly that it is the calling card of a particular faction." One he didn't want to join.

"This has... never happened before." He was trying really hard not to think about what it all meant. Distractions, yes, he'd prefer those. "Do you... you were there, weren't you? On Xanadu? Did you escape them?" The robots he means.

That the blood had began its descent into obscurity, he could almost feel why. It made sense that the feeling went along with the undertones of what Kankri could feel from the link. So he was, essentially, a highblood. This wasn't something he had any unfamiliarity with and even if it was fading, calmed, it hadn't left by the time Kankri realized he had a blanket in his hand, the gesture to make himself comfortable and the lights were off.

Normally he might go off about the blanket, but he carefully and calmly folded it, despite the natural curiosity that came about with the actions. It was sincere kindness as far as he could grasp. Even if his eyes hadn't fully recovered the dark was helping and he made himself comfortable sitting down on the edge of Murmur's bed. "Let's put all that conversation aside. Sit down and I'll help you rid yourself of the rest of...That." It wasn't sassy, it wasn't upset, he just didn't have a name for this in the least. Not even of his own divining yet. "I'm safe now, so come here."

In a lot of ways Kankri wasn't wrong. In many ways angels, particularly Blood Angels, were very much like highbloods. Murmur was determined to not let this new aspect of his make him completely unpredictable and unreasonable, he'd never forgive himself, but he would have to learn how to keep it from getting out of hand in the future.

Deep down he would continue to curse Shateiel's name for eternity.

It's kind of Kankri to let him off the hook about the blanket, while perhaps somewhat obtuse in his mannerisms Murmur was trying to help. He did not always anticipate what might upset a mortal, nor what they would find comforting. With Kankri being a significantly different species than what he was accustomed to that only made the barrier wider. The answer earned something of a faint frown, not upset nor irritated, more of understanding. He didn't entirely want to talk about what happened on Xanadu either.

He'll set it aside. For a moment he hesitated, while typically not adverse to anyone touching his wings briefly accepting assistance with cleaning the blood out was... Sensitive. After a few moments of weighing the situation Murmur did settle on allowing Kankri to help. They're partners after all, this did have to go both ways, even if there was some small bit of pride that made him hesitate.

"Alright, though... it should fade on its own," He insisted more quietly while moving to join Kankri perched on the edge of his bed anyway, careful not to bat him with the unreasonably large wing in the process. These things really were just too big for polite company.

Right now he didn't know if he had it in him to fight anymore. The whole damn ordeal of being in that place had been enough for him. He didn't want to ever have that misconception again or the aftermath of realizing it was about to be a bloodbath. That was the last he needed. Here? A blanket could take the hit of not being turned into some social justice rant about the meaning of handing someone the item.

After letting him make the ultimate decision on if he was going to come sit down, and since it didn't seem like the blood spread farther than whatever magic held it there, he didn't mind the brush of his wings. "I'm not concerned with that." The fading. Instead he leaned in a little closer and sitting had put them at somewhat an even height. A small, but noticeable rumble began to manifest in his chest, a calming purr of a noise marred with the makings of a small, very bug like click now and again.

Kankri reached out and settled in against his partner's shoulder, gently patting his face against his cheek. This would help, for sure. It was the only thing he knew that worked when someone needed that last bit of calming comfort. If it worked on trolls, and some humans, maybe it would work for his partner.

That place had been taxing in ways most of them weren't prepared to face just yet. Given what had happened it was probably a moot point trying to hide what he was anymore, Murmur realized, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to keep it quiet. In his defense, Murmur would be horrified to know if the blanket was some kind of insult. Humans usually liked them.

Fortunately the blood did not spread nor drip nor stick to anything other than the feathers themselves. At least everyone was spared an inconvenient cleanup, it just took some time for the magic tied to the rage to fade and with it the visual manifestation. He'd expected Kankri might try to clean the feathers, instead... he was purring? At least, it was similar enough to call it that. Initially he was startled by the method of calming chosen but it was strangely effective? Maybe it was as simple as the intent translated successfully, whatever it was though it was absolutely working.

Gradually the last vestiges of the rage faded away, with it the blood streaks left his normally silvery gray-blue feathers, settling back into nothing more than the small stained patches at his shoulders. With the last of it fading all that remained was for the exhaustion to settle in. Murmur slumped faintly against his partner's shoulder, tucking the wings back to wherever it is they go when they're not out. He'd expended far too much energy on that battle, more than was likely necessary.

"Huh," He mused quietly, still stunned Kankri's method worked as well as it did. "...Thank you."

This wasn't his favourite thing to do, but he knew that he did it well. It was the one thing that he knew he could fall back on when the Empress inevitably changed if he was alive to see it. Knowing Meenah he would have seen it if it weren't for the game. Even still, normally he didn't want to be this close to someone. Not physically or emotionally, but either of these were options when you shared a link with someone even if it was artificial and the best bet to calm them was the contact method. At least it worked, he wasn't sure entirely that it would, just that he was keenly capable.

"It's alright, you're welcome." he replied quietly, nudging his cheek against the shoulder he had taken up as the perch for his cheek. "If it helps, then it's a simple thing I can do." So that neither of them were afraid over the link, either. "An image doesn't make a person, their actions do." And Murmur calming down meant that he had no intention of being that rage filled being that had startled him on his return. "Let me know when you're confident in your comfort." Until then, he would continue the gentle movement of his thumb across the other man's cheek and the soft, rumbling-occasional-click in his chest.

Nor was it Murmur's. He didn't loathe contact, it just wasn't something he normally got himself into. Worse was the fact he had to be calmed down at all. He prided himself on his emotional control, to lose it so thoroughly was humiliating. Moreover that loss of self control was worrying. He is too old and too destructive to be having temper tantrums.

Although, no one could say the Infernals and machines on Xanadu didn't deserve the hell he unleashed on them. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes as Jack would say.

That said, it never did suit him to wallow in failings. "I think I am beginning to understand some things better," He mused, studying his nails so he didn't have to look directly at Kankri. "And may owe someone an apology. One I'm not inclined to give them, mind you." If at least in part because it would mean talking to them and he doesn't want to do that. "I am well, thank you. Would you like some tea?" Because that's usually Murmur's go to when he needed to chill out and think.

There we're a few things that Kankri could suss out himself without the added help of being whom he was or what he was. This was one of those times and his head tilted to the side, looking back up at him and studying. His hand withdrew and he sat up a little more comfortably. "I think in the future you should be more open when you're nervous. Communication is key and I'm not opposed to understanding when someone's boundaries don't meet my own even in an attempt to help. However, tea would also be nice."

Listening as always Kankri nodded his head, quietly staying in his seated position, "Further, about apologies, if you were in your right mind you should apologize. If you weren't, you should apologize and however explain your needs. You don't have to explain your story, just how you need people to abstain from any ill will or maligned thoughts. Be honest to the point you can be and tell people when you can't say anymore."

For a moment Murmur looked lightly puzzled. "Is that what that emotion is?" He sounded genuinely confused by it. Truth be told while he was adapting quickly to his role of playing "human" he still wasn't entirely caught up on their intricacies. Least of all the emotional and social ones. Mortals were terribly complex creatures, or rather most sentient creatures were and Murmur was just really bad at understanding them.

He considered those words quietly for a time. They were certainly reasonable, that much he couldn't argue, but at the same time the tiny writhing thread of spite and anger was still more than he was willing to bypass simply for an olive branch he wasn't particularly interested in offering. "A reasoned response, and I will consider your words. However, I must admit I am not particularly interested in apologizing for being perhaps too harsh in judgement upon my murderer."

Yeah he just said that like it's the most normal thing in the world.

"Yes." An easy enough answer for Kankri. That most certainly was what the emotion boiled down to, though he was sure there was a few more stuck in there unceremoniously. If he needed to learn about emotions, Kankri was the one to go to. Even with a foolproof façade when he needed it, Kankri sure went through a lot of emotions behind that well held mask. "One you should be very forward about having, it can be socially awkward if someone finds out after." Like he just did. "There are polite ways of removing yourself from a situation or setting boundaries." Like contracts.

Kankri took everything in stride, standing up and adjusting his sweater down with a raised eyebrow at the idea of a 'murderer' being applied to this man. "Murderer? So you're dead as well?" Or were dead. "However, sometimes, if you're looking for the upper hand, your best defense is just the opposite of how you would normally act."

"Interesting, how do you identify that?" He does, actually, require help with understanding emotions. His relationship with them is complicated, and he's just really bad at the whole empathy thing. Even if it is a built-in feature. Contracts, on the other hand, are things he's very well versed in. They don't tend to end well for the person on the other end of them unfortunately.

Demons are like that.

"Murder may be an inaccurate term. Slaughter, perhaps, would be more precise. Regardless yes my existence was terminated. Then reinstated, also quite against my will." He's not particularly happy about the resurrection thing. He worked hard for that sentence to oblivion. "There is merit to your point, I will consider it." He's still probably not going to offer an apology, it wouldn't be sincere. At least, not at this juncture.

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