Oz "Vessalius" (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
swornto) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
deercountry2022-06-09 07:08 pm
swornto) wrote in deercountry2022-06-09 07:08 pm
Entry tags:
it catches up eventually
Who: Oz Vessalius, Xerxes Break, & Close CR
What: Oz becomes corrupted and dies, then Break gets stuck in a miserable timeloop.
When: June 15th (forward-dated)
Where: Pandora House & The Forest Around
Content Warnings: Suicidal Ideation, Beasthood Suicide, Child Endangerment
A Cycle of Misery
Please use the top-levels below, because there are timeloop shenanigans to keep orderly!
What: Oz becomes corrupted and dies, then Break gets stuck in a miserable timeloop.
When: June 15th (forward-dated)
Where: Pandora House & The Forest Around
Content Warnings: Suicidal Ideation, Beasthood Suicide, Child Endangerment
A Cycle of Misery
Please use the top-levels below, because there are timeloop shenanigans to keep orderly!
cw: more talk of sacrificial suicide
It's definitely not something she ought to ask now of all times. Perhaps it's not important at all, given the fact that Oz is definitely the one among Break's kids she knows the least, so Ange shakes her head to herself, shrugging off the questions.
Answering the question feels more important to her. Mostly since she can tell it's bothering Break.
And while Ange can't do a thing to erase what happened, and since Break seems to think - and Ange would reluctantly have to agree - that trying to kick the Pthumerian's butt is a bad idea, maybe this is all she can do for the man here. Trying to at least figure out this much, to give him that tiny bit of peace of mind. ]
Maybe.. that Pthumerian's idea of it being "right" meant that Oz would have to make that choice for himself, rather than it just being something that happens to him accidentally.
[ Though that idea still feels cruel, making her frown even as the words roll off her tongue. After all, that still means that creature implored Break specifically to make things 'right' by getting one of his beloved kids to sacrifice himself. ]
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[With a sarcastic smile, Break lifts his hand to massage at his temple. Helpless, and betrayed, too, honestly. He'd been so certain they'd all make it out that time, and he'd called the others out to ensure that, and in the end they'd all had to watch in horror as Oz died in front of them. Nobody seems to be blaming Break for it, either, and that honestly just makes him feel worse.
So long as he can take responsibility somehow, it means that somewhere along the line, at some point, he had control. The Pthumerian has robbed him of that now, too.]
Perhaps I'm receiving a slap on the wrist for my meddling.
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[ The single word flows out of Ange's throat so quickly after what Break himself says, and with such a difference in volume - much louder - than a moment ago, that there's absolutely zero doubt that it was intentional in any way. Or that there was any thought put into it.
It's like it escaped out of sheer instinct. It also shows in the way Ange suddenly goes quiet for a moment after that single call, like she's hesitating. Usually she wouldn't think as much about following up on it, but it feels a little more delicate to scold Break while he is in such a mood.
Ange would never want to hurt him, after all. But watching him hurt himself by saying such things, and just sitting by and doing nothing.. that is also absolutely unacceptable to her.
It's why she does continue after that brief pause. ]
A slap on the wrist?! You can't call it that, not even in jest! I won't allow it! [ Ah, see. That's apparently what managed to raise the
cathairs on Ange's back enough to make her let out that sound in the first place. Maybe it's a little hypocritical, considering how she was blaming herself only a few weeks ago, but it's always easier to see this sort of thing that causes hurt in others than it is to see it in yourself.There's a sudden sound, like she's standing up from her seat, though she isn't moving over to Break. ]
Dying isn't the only way of being a victim of such a horrible situation. That thing was messing with the way you're kind enough to look out so much for those you care about, and I'll never forgive it for that! [ Listen, Ange has never needed much material to carry grudges.
Which means she will gladly carry them for other people's sakes. ]
So don't go around and blame yourself on top of how bad you must already be feeling! Or I'll-- [ A slight pause, like she's looking for what to say here, before adding: ] I'll go beat up an eyeball..!
[ Nailed it. ]
no subject
To that end, despite being blind, he stares at her through this tirade as though she has grown a second head. Baltus, deeply impressed, also slowly sits up so he can observe. His ears are erect and he still has a few extra fangs sticking haphazardly out of his mouth.
But it has the desired effect. He can't help but laugh a little at her stunning conclusion, muffling it as a faint cough into his fist, and his omen stands up and gives himself a good shake. The last time a favorite young lady really came at him, he was mostly upset about having embarrassed himself, and Sharon took it as a fantastic opportunity to explain to him all the ways in which he is disagreeable and immature. He'd burst out laughing properly then. He doesn't do so again now because the tone is so painfully different -- it's a close death he's upset about, and Ange is talking about fighting on his behalf, of all things. Even so, he can't help but feel a little cheered up by her energy.]
I keep forgetting I'm only "some middle-aged guy who thinks he can do everything on his own," and these days I'm supposed to look to the young people. [An echo of Sharon back then. Given the slight sarcasm in his tone, no doubt Ange will be able to tell he's quoting a previous scolding directly.] Even so, you'd better not. If I hear you've gone and beat up the eyeball without me, I'll never forgive you.
[But the dark, dour atmosphere in the room lifts away, somewhat. The shadows begin to recede to more normal sizes, and the sense of the raging hearthfire that doesn't actually exist eases.]
no subject
Especially when the combination of that with Ange's own words seems enough to make things recede a little here. Ange is pretty sure everything is not immediately back to normal, especially not considering what happened to cause Break to be in such a mood in the first place..
.. but it's better than nothing. ]
I guess that means I'll have to stick to beating up your habit of beating yourself up. [ Ange says, back to a tone that's at a slightly more normal volume and emotional level.
She already stood up, and that makes it very easy to just walk over to Break's seat, putting her hand on top of his own. Usually she tends to make contact like this with Break through Baltus, since it's a whole lot less embarrassing to cuddle a very dumb noodle dog, but in this moment she doesn't hesitate to touch the other, kneeling down next to his seat with her hand still there. ]
Don't forget that just as you wouldn't want to see us be hard on ourselves for stuff these Pthumerians cause, none of us want to see you doing the same thing either. These things seem so determined to break us down, but that's exactly why we can't let them. [ Look. Once might call her a hypocrite.
But Ange would say it's infinitely easier to deal with mysterious godlike beings than it is with the hurt of family trouble, okay. So her letting that get to her is clearly so much more valid. ]
no subject
It isn't really enough to jog him away from this entirely. Not on its own. After all, Ange wasn't there to see any of this for herself, and he still hasn't told her the parts of his past that made the day even more impactful. But it does remind him that Oz himself has reached to pull him down from this same ledge in the past too, even when Break was blaming himself for the loss of Oz's beloved uncle.
With Oz's death being his own choice in the last timeloop, even Break can't quite bring himself to believe he wouldn't be agreeing with Ange just now. He may not be willing to let himself off the hook here entirely, but he can recognize that Oz would tell him to. So, he doesn't retreat from the comfort offered by her hand.]
These Pthumerians may be the cause of this and that, but -- how we react to such is up to us. [It's both a denial and an agreement. After all, while he couldn't have done all the horrible things he did so many years ago without the Chain, it was still Break himself who agreed to the plan and then saw it through. He will always take full responsibility for that. Still, the fact remains that he would not have spent the day in those loops if it weren't for that meddling subpar eyeball.] I suppose they can't all be so delightful as Milady Very Large Snake.
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(She knows it's not the only reason, but rendering it as such for a moment in her head gives her some levity in the middle of all of this.)
Ange doesn't remark anything about it out loud though. Even though Break is getting better, Ange isn't imagining it either that just this talk has fully cleared up his mind. How could it, right after something so heavy and important happened? Instead she just lets a moment of silence hang in the air before she speaks up again. ]
.. I can stay here like this with you for a bit, if you'd like.
[ It's all up to what Break wants right now. Him listening to her and seeming to get a bit better is enough that she wouldn't worry to leave him alone if he'd need some space to himself, but it's not like Ange ever minds staying in Break's company for longer either, if he values her companionship during a moment like this. ]
Ruby will figure this is where I am anyway. [ So it's not like the other girl would worry if Ange was gone from their room for a bit.
After all, it's not like Ange is particularly subtle about who her favourite member of this house is out of all the people who come from that odd world filled with Chains and nobility, and she's well aware that Ruby obviously would have picked up on that anyway. That girl is way better at sensing this sort of stuff than anyone gives her credit for. Surely she'd know Ange would have gone to try and lighten the mood of Break specifically. ]
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If that's what suits you. I imagine that...it will please everyone else to know that I've not been left unsupervised.
[That Ange was willing to run off with him to help him kill the thing can be their little secret.
Break is not fooling anybody with his casual talk, though, and Baltus, as usual, manifests the truth of the matter. Having done a restless circuit around the room to sort himself out, the omen slinks up to them and sits his very large posterior down in Break's lap, one hind leg jutting out awkwardly. His front end, he drapes over Ange's lap, as this is where the really good ear scritches are going to be.
His person, of course, remains blind for the moment. He has to pat around on his omen for a moment to figure out just what is happening here, but you can see the exact moment he does in the way his expression shifts to knowing bemusement.]
Ah, I get the end with the bum. I see how it is.
["Boof," agrees Baltus. He settles in, providing a physical connection between them that allows the two of them to keep to their own personal spaces, right here next to each other.]
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And there's a certain fondness and warmth in him joining her on her level. In them sharing a noodle lapdog.
Taking advantage of the fact that Break can't see it, Ange leans forward to press her head gently against the top of Baltus' head, basically burying her face against him, and pressing a light kiss against the crown of the dog's head before moving to sit up again. Don't snitch on her now, pal. It's just the easiest way to release her relief and fondness. ]
Watch out he doesn't fart on you.
[ It's all she says though. She's more than happy to just quietly enjoy the company of Break and his omen for a while - or to talk with the man about whatever he might wish to in these moments.
Just some calm, quiet company. ]
no subject
[I could fart if it suited me, Baltus announces, and Break stops short as he considers this new information. His omen settles in comfortably as though he has not just announced himself as a potential biohazard, draping his noodle head over Ange's shoulder. Behind him, his tail whacks the floor a few times, smugly. Of all the things Break thought he was going to have to think about this evening, this was decidedly not one of them, and for at least this small moment all his previous lines of thought have been thoroughly obliterated.
Baltus is the omen Break deserves.]