Death Incarnate

“ Aha, I wouldn’t call it tragic, exactly… But I can say it’s pretty different from a city like this, you know? ” Hm… His favorite, huh? Ashton ponders that a moment, Gyoro and Ururun also uttering a thoughtful hum behind him, before perking up once he reaches a clear winner from all the rest.

“ There’s a cafe that serves hot chocolate with peppermint in it. The peppermint really brings out the flavor of the dark chocolate, I have to like it best. Ah, but, I don’t suppose you have a favorite of your own, do you? ”

“I suppose that makes sense, with the great wealth of times and places this city draws its inhabitants from.”

“ Ah, right, right. ”   Now he understands. His dragons each trill something to the effect of their own understanding, while Ashton visibly brightens at the mention of the other merits of winter.

“ I think a warm drink is the best part of cold weather. And here it seems like they have all kinds; any time I pass a cafe, there’s always something new on display in the window. It’s a little amazing, my home wasn’t like that at all… ”

“Then you have good taste, mortal, even if your world sounds like a tragic place.”

Kind of a dark way to look at it, isn’t it…? Ashton’s somewhat taken back, but he considers the words regardless.

“ I suppose all things come to an end when you look at it that way, but I’ve always thought of winter as of what’s to come, you know? Spring always follows, right? And it couldn’t without winter. ”

“Of course, this is why I said renewal. Life and death spiral together.”

“ Oh, it’s snowing..! ”

“ The city looks nicer with a layer of snow over it, don’t you think? Almost like it’s a completely different place. ”

“Like all things, death comes to the year too.”

This wasn’t as... Demeaning as she assumed it would. The maid outfit was ridiculous, there was no doubt about that and being seen outside of the castle in it, well, it didn’t bear thinking about. But the rest... Well the castle wasn’t quite as dark as she’d like but it still suited her tastes. It was a nicer environment than her apartment and it wasn’t as lonely. 

Cleaning was so bad either, even if she’d never say that out loud. She’d done far worse after all and half expected that human to make an even more unreasonable request. It gave her something to do in this mostly deathless city, and there was always work to be done. Recently she’d been throwing her head up to look at the highest bookshelves, unfortunately the last time she’d thrown it she’d gotten stuck on top. 

Her body had looked distressed, as it was want to do, and she’d had to verbally dissuade it from clumsily climbing up the shelves after her. She had been content to wait, her body could either go and collect someone or they’d show up eventually. Which they did! However, she hadn’t been expected the lady of the house. 

“... Hello, lass.”

Several people had complimented her on her outfit for a change, which was nice; finally some recognition in this bizarre city. Or it was nice, until she realised people were calling it a costume and the ‘edgy look was good, even if over done. What are you, a vampire or something?’

Festive nonsense, it appeared. Well she hoped to have no part in it but it already seemed to late for that.

“Remind me again; have you simply changed your hair or is this something else?”

⇄ “Oh! I guess Saturday is my birthday… according to the calendar here, anyways. Ruby Rose turning a year older is the real scariest part of Halloween! Muhahaha- ACK I BIT MY TONGUE!”

“What, pray tell, is scary about turning a year older?”

Event Starter | @gancheann​

“Look, see, it’ll fit perfectly.” Mezzarin had doffed her red-and-white striped helmet and placed it onto Lala’s head now (after floating up to even reach that height in the first place).

“Now, because I’m a fucking pro racer now I’d say you won’t need the helmet because I’m never gonna crash, but… your head’s a special case.”

“High speed turns and all that are more dangerous when you can do that whole dullahan thing. So now when your head comes off during a sick drift—” As she said it, she lifted the helmet again, and took Lala’s head off with it. “—and goes flying into the windscreen, you won’t get hurt.”

“I do not need-” Was all she’d really managed before the helmet was plonked right onto her head. She had time to give a faint look of embarrassed indignation from behind the visor though. “I am not sure I like the way you say special case...”

“Listen I am well accustomed to riding at speed, I am the rider of death, you understand. I fear not your sick dri-” But then her head was pulled from her shoulders. While her expression remained mostly the same, her body did flail around for a moment before it settled down and just accepted it.

“But if you aren’t sad, this brings me back to my original question… why so blue, edgelord?” She didn’t get it the first time. Midna was certain she wouldn’t get it this time either. That didn’t matter to her.

“Does it still count as missing if it never existed in the first place?”

“Edge lord... I suppose my blade is so sharp as to severe a soul from its host, so lord of the edge may be a fitting title... Perhaps Lady of the Edge.”

“That doesn’t sound like reason to be so sad to me,” she said, amused just as much by the fact that it seemingly went right over Lala’s head. “Need some cheering up?”

“This is my ordinary style of clothing. Is something wrong with it?”

“Sad? I am not sad, this is merely the aura of profound darkness that surrounds one such as I.” Ordinary style... There was barely anything to speak of!

[ @gancheann​ ]

“Oh, I’ve been absolutely waiting to use this one.” she said, to herself really but out loud so Lala would hear it anyway as Midna tapped her on the shoulder. “Ahem—”

“Why so blue?”

Was this woman talking to her? Apparently so. “What? Why am I blue? Because I am death incarnate, a rider from beyond the veil.”

✦ Putting aside the fact she didn’t know what ‘canny’ meant, the professor took a moment to compose herself after getting snarked at by a disembodied head. Not that it was easy to tell her composure had fluctuated at all in the first place. She didn’t see any real benefit in opening herself to another off-handed comment, so after setting the head down on the grand she knelt in to untangle the hook from her hair. It only took a moment.

“So where is the rest of you? Is there a ‘rest of you’ to even find?” Maybe she was just a head? Assuming might have been rude so Byleth had at least thought to ask. She honestly had a lot of questions about this encounter.

It wasn’t the most pleasant experience having a hook and line untangled from your hair, but it beat simply leaving it in there. Just. “Thank you for your assistance, mortal. I will not forget this.”

@gancheann​

✦ Trapped on Nommin Island there was very little Byleth had to do. Living outside? Scavenging? Building shelter? These were all things she knew had to do thanks to having a mercenary for a father. She’d already set up her own beach side shelter, and so after fashioning a crude fishing rod she’d set up on some rocks a little ways down the beach to catch dinner. Any fish went in the basket she’d fashioned from tree bark, but this catch? Certainly was no fish.

“Uh…” Tangled on her line was a decapitated head. Those were usually lifeless, right? But this one was moving and talking without a body attached, fishing line caught in its mass of hair. Cautiously she set it on the rocks beside her. “You’re a head.”

Humiliation. She’d decided that was the only reason she was here, possibly the only reason she still existed at all. Maybe she had failed somewhere along the line in her duties and this world was divine punishment. She’d been separated from her body several times already but this time she had no idea how it had even happened. She was just suddenly in the water, no explanation. 

Then there was pain. Yanked up by something caught in her hair. Not pleasant, but at least shortly after she wasn’t in the salty water anymore. 

“...Oh, you’re a canny one aren’t you lass.”

At the very least, the sight of the head laying upon the ground and watching them approach didn’t seem to be a trap.  Of course all the best traps didn’t reveal their nature, but Margaret didn’t see much reason to doubt this individual.  She looked to be in quite a helpless position anyway, and given that she was still accompanying her body, there was leverage to be held should the need arise.

Fortunately, from the enthusiastic nature with which the headless form would suddenly lean into her and squeeze her hand, she didn’t believe such a thing would be necessary.  She just laughed at the friendly contact, letting her hand slip from the other as it walked to the shade to complete itself.  With thanks offered, Margaret bobbed a small curtsy toward the other young woman(young in appearance, at the very least).

“It was my pleasure.  As something of an agent of darkness myself, think of it more as a show of camaraderie and less as a favor.”

She pulled up to stand straight once more, observing the other with a smile across her face.  The blue skin had been shown in part on the body, but she could not predict the striking black and gold eyes staring back at her.  Quite lovely, they were- befitting of a being such as this at any rate, especially if her recollection of macabre tales informed her properly.

“Quite exciting to find a dullahan in this city.  Are you a recent arrival or have I just not been fortunate enough until now to meet you?”

Someone with manners, something that came as a welcome surprise compared to most of her interactions in this city in her stay so far. Far from the least pleasant person who’d... Recovered a part of her, even before she took a moment to admire the style of her clothing. Compared to how low the bar had been set by some previous undesirables, this was already fantastic.

“Oh? How curious. Raven’s of a feather, I suppose.” Definitely better than being indebted to a traitor from the homelands. She wanted to know exactly how this person was akin to an agent of darkness, but it wasn’t cool to ask. 

She did an excellent job at keeping her expression still, but her chest rose at the following words. Recognition. 

“Ah, I see you are well educated.”

“Few these days recognise death incarnate, and fewer still would consider it fortunate to meet them. Recent enough in the grand scheme, I have only been here a couple of months.”

Hmm... Something was missing. Oh.

愛 “Are you getting that excited over sunbathing? What’s so great about the sun? It eradicates everything it touches, its flames little more than a means to the end. At any day that star could explode and you could die.”

“Hn, huh- what?!” 

Where was she? What’s going on? Why- oh. “Excited? No, I was...” Talking in her sleep... No, that was too embarrassing to say out loud so instead she simply cleared her throat.