[Open Log] - The Change is upon us...

[coimiceoir]

Who: Anyone and everyone!
What: Becoming a supernatural creature isn't all fun and games
When: After sundown Oct 27th through Oct 31st
Where: The apartments, the forest, around the city at night... Anywhere you like!
Warnings: Blood, illness, vampirism, lycanthropy, violence, etc, etc...

Everyone has a lot of plans to do a lot of things this plot, and Jackie C, one of our lovely mods, has given permission to set up a gathering place for all the logs people may want to do!

Here's how this works:

1. Post a comment with your character's name as the subject line.
2. (Optional) Maybe a list of CR/scenarios you were planning on?
3. ????
4. PROFIT! Find the people you were going to log with and hop to it, soldier!

This does not invalidate Network posts! If you prefer posts or action spams, don't let this log collection stop you! Go right ahead and do whatever you're most comfortable with. The most important thing is to have fun.

Come on in... if you dare.

Comments

[dontmindmepleasecontinue]

Koizumi was tired and not feeling well, but he knew he couldn't rest yet. The day had been kind of a blur - he'd already checked on and spoken to Lin, Aisling, Kyon, Haruhi, and Sarah about what happened during the event. Everyone was mostly okay, and he'd done what he could there, at least for now. He was still worried about Sheska, though - he'd texted her earlier, then realized she was probably still asleep, and had lost track of time in a whirlwind of friends and apologies helping everyone else with what they'd been through.

It hadn't been easy on anyone - but he knew Sheska. She'd be taking it harder than most, blaming herself for everything that had happened. Soon enough, he found himself outside her door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really wasn't sure where he stood with Sheska, especially now - but even if things went perfectly, this wouldn't be an easy conversation.

Besides, there was no perfect. Especially not here. He shoved down the sickly feeling in the bottom of his stomach and knocked firmly.

[librariansheart]

Rook's head came up off her hip and he bayed a welcome without moving. ...Oh. Someone must be at the door. Sheska sighed softly without moving. She really didn't want to see anyone right now. Maybe they'd go away if she didn't answer.

Blessed silence reigned, even if Rook wouldn't relax again. But it only lasted a few moments. Another knock. Another bay from Rook, and the dog actually got up this time. She closed her eyes, unable to summon the energy to care. Rook whined at her elbow. Another knock. More determined and urgent this time. They weren't going to leave, whoever they were.

Moving was so much effort. She had to take it in steps. It took her a few minutes to get to her feet, but once she was there, she was committed, and she headed slowly to the door, feeling like nothing so much as a sleepwalker, unable to control her actions. She couldn't care that she was still in her rumpled pajamas from last night with a shapeless cardigan shrugged on over the top. She couldn't care that her hair hadn't been brushed yet. That her eyes were probably still red from the bouts of uncontrollable tears. That her hands were raw from scrubbing blood from them over and over and over...

The door was there in front of her. She didn't even check to see who it was. If it was the police, here to arrest her, it was only what she deserved. If it was the Once-ler here to break up with her, she deserved that too. It didn't matter. She swung it open. That wasn't either the police or the Once-ler. Not really. It took a moment for her to find her voice, and when she did it was low and rough, toneless and grey, as though she'd forgotten how to use it.

"Koizumi..."

[dontmindmepleasecontinue]

Kouzumi got more and more worried about her the longer she didn't answer. Not because he thought she wasn't there, because he was fairly certain she was. ...He should have come to see her sooner. She must be taking this even worse than he had expected.

Then she finally opened the door. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he drew in a sharp breath, momentarily frozen at the sight of her, instinctively understanding exactly what she has been thinking and feeling all day. In that moment, all worries about their relationship, all concerns about propriety and what he had done as a vampire, every concern about Once-ler was instantly wiped from his head. None of that mattered.

He didn't even say anything. He let out a breath and flowed quickly forward, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her hard, holding her like he never intended to let her go.

[librariansheart]

Sheska blinked, having not even had the presence of mind to stiffen before his arms are around her, processing. The warmth of him soaked into her chilled limbs, seeping slowly down to a level of awareness that had been dormant for hours. It woke. And something in her cracked.

Her eyes stung, and she shut them tightly, but that didn't stop tears from welling up and running down her cheeks. Her lips pressed against his shoulder as they began to tremble, and slowly, hesitantly, her hands crept up his sides to curl into his shirt just behind his shoulders. A small, helpless sound escaped her, and that seemed to be the cue for everything to come apart. Suddenly she was shaking, crying, silently clinging to her friend, completely overwhelmed by all the emotion she thought she had already used up. She hadn't intended to start, and now she couldn't stop.

[dontmindmepleasecontinue]

Koizumi had the presence of mind to edge the door shut as Sheska started to fall apart - the more people saw this, the more embarrassed she'd be later, and that was the last thing she needed on her mind now.

He held her as tightly as she clung to him. Though he talked to her soothingly, he didn't even try to say that everything was or was going to be all right. There would be scars from this, both mental and physical, for both of them - probably forever. What mattered, though, was right now. "Shh, I'm here, you're safe. Let is all out, Sheska.

I'm right here."

[librariansheart]

She swayed into him, pressing her forehead against his collarbone, too exhausted and worn out to present the smallest of barriers against the overwhelming tide sweeping her. She could try, but what would be the point?

Sheska had never mastered the ability to cry gracefully: it wasn't pretty. Especially now. Deep, gasping sobs, wretched half-voiced sounds, shuddering under the onslaught, sentences that might have been questions and self-recriminations had they been fully formed and not almost entirely muffled in his shirt, which was become steadily soaking wet.

Long minutes passed while she alternately sobbed till she couldn't breathe and hyperventilated till she recovered enough to restart the cycle all over again. But finally, finally, her body decided that it was too worn out to keep that up, and eventually left her swaying, completely emptied out. Her hands still clutched at his shirt, and if he hadn't been holding her when her knees threatened to give out, she would have hit the floor in a heap.

She felt empty. Hollowed out. Even more so than she had earlier. There were no thoughts. No feelings. No anything. Just a shell.

[dontmindmepleasecontinue]

He held her through the cycle, supporting her and trying his best to comfort her. He had no thoughts of the state of his shirt, or considerations of grace. If anything, he was a little envious of her ability to express herself, even (or perhaps especially) in such a way - there are many times he could have used the freedom to sob himself to exhaustion into somebody's shirt, but that's one freedom he doesn't feel he has.

For the most part, he held only care and concern for his gentle friend. When she cried herself out and just about stumbled, he hesitated a moment - then discarded his concern for propriety. He picked her up - a little surprised at how easily he managed it - carrying her close and moving gently toward her bed.

[librariansheart]

Another time, in another state of mind, she might have been alarmed, or upset by the sudden change of orientation, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care. Sheska clung to his shirt, blinking dully as though she didn't quite recognize what was going on.

The bedroom was dim, curtains drawn against the failing sunlight, abandoned books lying on almost every surface, several crumpled notes littering the desk. The bedclothes hadn't been straightened either, since the last time she'd attempted to sleep. Normally she would be embarrassed to let anyone see the room in this state, but she simply turned her face into him and let him do as he wished.

[dontmindmepleasecontinue]

He glanced around the room, concerned but unsurprised. He made his way easily through the mess, pulling the covers back and laying her carefully on the bed. He looked down at her for a long moment from his seat on the edge of the bed, expression fond and worried and a little sad. Then he bent down and smoothed her hair back, gently kissing her forehead.

He quietly took her hand. "You're tired. Rest, Sheska. I'm right here."

[librariansheart]

Very reluctantly, she let him pull free from her grip and shivered slightly at his kiss. She didn't even protest his diagnosis, but stared blankly up at the ceiling. Exhausted and haunted, the stress added years to the lines of her face and even in - perhaps especially in - that ridiculous overlarge sweater, she could have been fifty. Her hand held to his but loosely. She'd used up all her will to be strong.

Long minutes passed, and she didn't move much. Hardly blinked.

"What can I do?"

It was barely a whisper, a cracked, ragged sound, colorless in intonation. And yet somehow it conveyed a wealth of hurt and despair and guilt.