[ it nails him square in the nose for the record. antler to nose impact. not fun. still, he reaches, fumbles for a moment, and manages to catch it before it hits the floor. while one hand comes up to place against his head, sore from somebody screaming deliriously at the top of their lungs... ]
Ugh... Did you have to throw it?
[ choi looks a little exasperated, but not all too unhappy as he lifts the mask for soleum to see in this thin stretch of lit living room between them. ]
[ what does choi mean, he screamed louder in soleum's head, and now he's suffering a small pang in his own. it's yet to subside, but the connection of the murmur being able to do that much, and realizing that impression is left there forever doesn't make him feel any better. his own fingers are pressed against his forehead, eyes closed to massage the area. ]
Wouldn't have had to if you let me go alone...
[ finally lifting his head, soleum looks over in choi's direction as he holds onto the mask. ]
[ and now that he's here, he can say with confidence that the decision is final. examining the mask in his hand for a moment—he's never seen it up close before—he'll sigh a bit as he makes his way up to soleum, holding it out for him to take back. ]
[ in the moment of losing his temper, he's made a mistake, one that he realizes by the way agent choi looks at the mask. he's never had it in his hands before. the texture, the curves, every detail is now ingrained in that head of his. this makes him a tad nauseous, but there's nothing he can do, and the last thing he wants is for agent choi to realize his advantage is a detriment to soleum's existence.
he stands and stares, his gaze rest onto the man coming close to return his mask, and soleum takes it back without any hesitation. ]
Only for five minutes. Don't you try to stay any longer.
[ hooking his mask back to his side, he'll begin leading agent choi to his room. ]
[ who's the one insisting they go in at all? if you ask choi, they should stay as far away from these voids as possible—it's just that it didn't seem to be such a simple matter, prying saheon away from the beloved 'things' he'd collected.
anyway, soleum will be allowed to lead him, but as they approach the void itself, he'll find choi's fingers wrapped around his wrist. not pulling him back, but keeping him near. ]
[ he doesn't expect his wrist being grabbed, it's why he stutters in his step and comes to a stop. it's brief like he's understanding there's no resistance, just acknowledgement, and soleum responds as confidently as he can. ]
I'm not going anywhere... not now anyway.
[ kim soleum will be right by him as he keeps moving now, and he starts by exposing his hand to the void. it's cold, and his hand comes to a moss-covered door knob that he turns as they stand outside the dark spot. the sensation sends a creeping sensation up his spine, it spreads through himself and wants to bite into his tether.
something soleum has experienced many times before, but those lingering fangs threaten to come down. the tips casually dragging against that connection, fragile only because of the constant assault the sensation has been met with before. ]
[ haha, wow. right now, huh? it's a reminder as much as a reassurance, and choi finds his lips curving into a smile despite himself even as the sensation spreads through his body too, beginning in the tips of his fingertips and crawling through his nerves to chill the surface of his skin and their tether alike. that door is opened up, and his eyes narrow, but he doesn't have an ounce of hesitation to him. ]
Yep~ Don't worry, I'll keep us safe, Grapes.
[ he knows soleum can get a little scared now and then. ]
...It's my room, there's nothing to protect us from.
[ there's a tone of because he knows that it's his room, he's very much aware that nothing will happen. he's fashioned his room as such.
upon entry, there's not much to it, it doesn't have the vibe of a bedroom with knick-knacks to call it their own. there's a bed, a drawer, a hanging light, and thanks to the void that's sucked out the color and light, there's moss and fungus that's grown all over different parts of the floor and wall. bushes too, what looks like a molded over limb grows from the wall, hanging overhead in dull colors with a thin, grey vine wrapped tightly in the shape of a noose hangs then swings left and right. it appears the ghost story is making up for what kim soleum lacks in a room.
it's my room, it's my room, it's my room. ]
Was it like this when you first entered?
[ it's like a miniature jungle now, there's effort he has to exhuast here, but luckily he knows where he wants to go. ]
...It's sort of uncomfortable having you here like this.
[ hard to say what he's laughing at. the assumption of safety in a place like this, or the discomfort he feels at having choi by his side. should he be offended? well, hurt might be a more accurate way to express it, but he keeps that strained smile going nonetheless, letting go of soleum's wrist.
there's only so much space for him to run in here anyway. ]
Nope, this is new.
[ and with that same grimace, he'll take his newly freed hand to slightly push the noose, watching it sway back and forth much like a cat might. if soleum sees his tail slowly sway from one side to the other—no he didn't. ]
[ it's not that agent choi is who bothers him in this setting, anyone would be uncomfortable with the idea of bringing another person into your room... especially when it looks like this. not only that, everything is laid out for him to see.
how soleum steps, where he goes, what's more interesting to him, and what he acknowledges more than anything else here. what makes him uncomfortable is to be seen, agent choi doesn't need to see his routine, and he doesn't need to see this little bit of what he has left.
out of the corner, which would scare him and cause the man to jump is restrained by his paranoia of this room is too small to conceal a threat. to see agent choi's tail match the rhythm of the noose is, okay, sure, while the man is distracted allows for soleum to slip off between two tiny bushes where he can fiddle with the floor paneling. ]
[ is it really so bad, having him here? of course choi is keeping a sharp eye, paying attention, but anybody pays attention to a person they care about. the fact that soleum just can't seem to look after himself is secondary, even as a chill begins to seep into those fingers that were moments ago wrapped around soleum's wrist.
in any case, his attention doesn't stay on the noose for long, allowing him to slowly trail after soleum and ensure his safety. his sharp eyes don't struggle to catch his silhouette as he crouches down behind some growths—bushy and full, much like his own tail, and he loops over them to watch. tilts his head a little to get a better angle, and see what it is soleum is fiddling with here in the middle of the floor. ]
...
[ better not to pull his attention while he's busy. ]
[ his attention is on the paneling, he's pulling until it wedges up in the way that he wants. though, he's already turning his head to check and see if those curious, blue pupils aren't looking his way. it's best not to keep agent choi unattended, knowing him, he's probably already curious at what soleum's doing.
...
this place lacks light, it lacks sound, everything that's alive is made by their own actions and desires. the moment agent choi comes into his orbit, soleum's hands are flat on the ground to pull himself together and realize the gravity of the situation. if the other knows, he knows too much, and he acts as if he's pulling himself out of the full bush to sit properly on the floor. looking towards the man, soleum crawls a few steps towards the wall to trick his perception of what's important.
the floor or the wall, what could kim soleum want here? ]
I'd like it better if you looked away... Thank you.
[ that's what he's here for, isn't it? but he'll allow his lips to curve into a stiff smile again as he speaks, replacing the fallen expression they had rested in and bringing up his hands to cover his eyes. ]
Is this better? Gosh, our Grapes really is shy.
[ he's already caught the spot that soleum was fiddling at anyway, so even if he only peeks now and then through a gap in his fingers, he'll still get a glimpse of whatever it is soleum deems important enough to return to a place in this state. ]
[ getting agent choi to do that much is a feat, and now he's wondering if he should ask him to turn around. it doesn't matter much, he guesses.
lifting the panel that he was sitting on, soleum digs his hand, his arm going further to dig through what's hidden there. a cold sting, his eyelids close shut, and he takes a steady breath before releasing it with a shudder. slowly lifting himself up slowly, and biting his tongue, what barely hands from his hands is a military dagger tucked away in a sheathe.
a simple weapon. pretty pathetic for someone like agent grapes, but bringing it to his chest to keep it there is a failed endeavor. his fingers already dripping, bits and pieces dripping onto the floor, audibly, as they're the only ones who can make noise, and soleum quickly brings up his better arm to grab the weapon. he's turned at an angle to make sure he's not in agent choi's line of sight.
he pushes the panel back into place with his knee. ]
O... [ breathe slowly. ] ...kay.
[ there's a feeling of dread, but soleum tries very hard to keep it in. as long as he doesn't show any concern or worry, as long as he acts normal. ]
it's a sound that causes the ears atop agent choi's head to twitch, his tail to swish, and his hands to lower as he once again leans for a better look at just what could be making that noise. his eyes are sharp enough that even in this lack of light, he can make out the motions of soleum shifting something from one arm to the other, moving his let to close whatever spot he'd been digging in, and choi makes a show of finding the nearby dresser that he himself had dragged in here for his own hoobae so very interesting. ]
Did you find what you're looking for?
[ choi says this, but still, it's a little odd. the way soleum holds something in his off-hand, rather than his main hand, and while he keeps his gaze evenly set to meet soleum's own, he's starkly aware of his peripheral. ]
[ he told choi at the start of this he could go in alone, and he could have without him complaining about this small trip. with all his shifting, he finds that his leg on that same side is a bit weaker, the moment he dug his arm within had he already signed the waiver of every consequence that could inconvenience him at the moment. there couldn't be a monster, or something in his way, it had to be something that targeted him.
drip, drip, drip.
it is cold, it helps that the temperature keeps the sweat from building on the back of his neck. with the dagger close to his chest, and his other arm tucked somewhat to the side and behind, he shifts his arm up and down in a show of scratching his back. ]
Yes... I have it.
[ he doesn't like the way agent choi looks at him, his brows furrowing before shrugging. moving his arm with the blade, he indicates it to prove there was something forgotten that he needed. ]
[ hmm... it's strange, isn't it? that he's making such a show of what he collected—a knife, a dagger, something like that. nothing too interesting in a place like this; while choi would prefer he didn't have to use it, he can't bring himself to believe that soleum would use it unnecessarily, or unwell. that's fine. what's suspicious is the way he angles his other arm away from choi—something that he can't help but notice.
his gaze doesn't linger on that arm though. it rests on soleum's face, smile seeming natural, if about as strained as it had been earlier. he holds out his own hand, offering it. ]
[ you're looking way too much. he's analyzing, isn't he? has his front worked, is agent choi accepting it as is? everything in this dark spot swallows his confidence that he thinks he might have felt nervous if not for how sure he is with his body movement. not a dancer, nor is he as agile as a cat in the way he moves, but he does come closer debating if he should ignore that offered hand.
he risks one thing.
extending his hand with the weapon, he places it securely in agent choi's palm so he can take a look. ]
It's nothing special, but it's nice to have.
[ he fills one hand, there's no need for agent choi to offer the other.
moving means offering energy, energy is what helps dark spots thrive as they feed. it nibbles away at kim soleum, to stave the dripping he presses that hand against his back. staining his clothes to prevent the sound growing louder by coming closer to the agent, but he never matches pace or come side by side.
[ has a good weight to it, and choi will spin it between his fingers for a moment. even sheathed, it doesn't seem so bad, but...
that's not really what he's interested in? ]
But Grapes, you just got here.
[ it's been a little over a month, sure, but compared to his time here, it's basically nothing. choi turns to look over his shoulder and see—yep, soleum's still got his hand against his neck. it's enough for him to stop, for him to turn on his heel, and even for him to take a step closer. ]
It's too early to be hiding things, don't you think? So be honest...
[ his gaze turns right to where that hand rests before meeting soleum's own. ]
Did you sleep on your neck wrong? Or are you hiding something from me?
[ the record scratch in his mind. perceived. his brows furrow. he debates taking a step back at the accusation. his heart skips. there's a waver in the murmur, it trembles before falling slack as kim soleum looks up to the other. ]
[ at that, agent choi really will allow his expression to fall, a frown replacing the curve of his lips. ]
Grapes...
[ he can feel it—in the murmur, in the air—kim soleum is, once again, lying directly to him. but what is he to do about it? call him out, and soleum will attempt to snap the tether. he's sure of it, but neither does he want to waste time in whatever it is that's drip-drip-dripping against the spongey layer of fungi underfoot.
his breath comes out in a huff, and before soleum can pull away any further, choi steps forward—snatches the wrist that's not pressed against his neck, and pulls him towards the way they came.
it's a straight shot, it shouldn't take more than a few steps to get him out of this darkness and back into the better side of the apartment. ]
[ he doesn't pay mind to it—to the murmur, ito the air—that agent choi, once again, doesn't trust him. he doesn't need the murmur to tell him this, though, he can see in the darkness the shape of his lips turned downward.
is it wrong to ignore the root of the problem with something else, isn't it better to handle these problems personally? it's not anything agent choi has to worry about.
a quick tug, he's pulled in the direction they came, and soleum kicks his feet forward to avoid tripping on his two left. step, step, step. drip, drip, drip trails right behind them, the same never fading, but only growing steadily worse. kim soleum breathes in, not too sharp to show his exhaustion because, a nasty cough as they go from one place to another.
outside the void, he catches his breath again, he exhales, leans forward and another deep breath.
drip, drip, drip.
unlike the dark spot where it blended into the ground difficult to see. on this floor where color resides, obsidian falls and stains the ground by his feet. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ it nails him square in the nose for the record. antler to nose impact. not fun. still, he reaches, fumbles for a moment, and manages to catch it before it hits the floor. while one hand comes up to place against his head, sore from somebody screaming deliriously at the top of their lungs... ]
Ugh... Did you have to throw it?
[ choi looks a little exasperated, but not all too unhappy as he lifts the mask for soleum to see in this thin stretch of lit living room between them. ]
no subject
Wouldn't have had to if you let me go alone...
[ finally lifting his head, soleum looks over in choi's direction as he holds onto the mask. ]
You still can.
no subject
[ now why would he ask that. ]
You're crazy. We go in together or not at all.
[ and now that he's here, he can say with confidence that the decision is final. examining the mask in his hand for a moment—he's never seen it up close before—he'll sigh a bit as he makes his way up to soleum, holding it out for him to take back. ]
no subject
he stands and stares, his gaze rest onto the man coming close to return his mask, and soleum takes it back without any hesitation. ]
Only for five minutes. Don't you try to stay any longer.
[ hooking his mask back to his side, he'll begin leading agent choi to his room. ]
no subject
[ who's the one insisting they go in at all? if you ask choi, they should stay as far away from these voids as possible—it's just that it didn't seem to be such a simple matter, prying saheon away from the beloved 'things' he'd collected.
anyway, soleum will be allowed to lead him, but as they approach the void itself, he'll find choi's fingers wrapped around his wrist. not pulling him back, but keeping him near. ]
Stay close.
no subject
I'm not going anywhere... not now anyway.
[ kim soleum will be right by him as he keeps moving now, and he starts by exposing his hand to the void. it's cold, and his hand comes to a moss-covered door knob that he turns as they stand outside the dark spot. the sensation sends a creeping sensation up his spine, it spreads through himself and wants to bite into his tether.
something soleum has experienced many times before, but those lingering fangs threaten to come down. the tips casually dragging against that connection, fragile only because of the constant assault the sensation has been met with before. ]
Ready?
no subject
Yep~ Don't worry, I'll keep us safe, Grapes.
[ he knows soleum can get a little scared now and then. ]
no subject
[ there's a tone of because he knows that it's his room, he's very much aware that nothing will happen. he's fashioned his room as such.
upon entry, there's not much to it, it doesn't have the vibe of a bedroom with knick-knacks to call it their own. there's a bed, a drawer, a hanging light, and thanks to the void that's sucked out the color and light, there's moss and fungus that's grown all over different parts of the floor and wall. bushes too, what looks like a molded over limb grows from the wall, hanging overhead in dull colors with a thin, grey vine wrapped tightly in the shape of a noose hangs then swings left and right. it appears the ghost story is making up for what kim soleum lacks in a room.
it's my room, it's my room, it's my room. ]
Was it like this when you first entered?
[ it's like a miniature jungle now, there's effort he has to exhuast here, but luckily he knows where he wants to go. ]
...It's sort of uncomfortable having you here like this.
no subject
[ hard to say what he's laughing at. the assumption of safety in a place like this, or the discomfort he feels at having choi by his side. should he be offended? well, hurt might be a more accurate way to express it, but he keeps that strained smile going nonetheless, letting go of soleum's wrist.
there's only so much space for him to run in here anyway. ]
Nope, this is new.
[ and with that same grimace, he'll take his newly freed hand to slightly push the noose, watching it sway back and forth much like a cat might. if soleum sees his tail slowly sway from one side to the other—no he didn't. ]
no subject
[ it's not that agent choi is who bothers him in this setting, anyone would be uncomfortable with the idea of bringing another person into your room... especially when it looks like this. not only that, everything is laid out for him to see.
how soleum steps, where he goes, what's more interesting to him, and what he acknowledges more than anything else here. what makes him uncomfortable is to be seen, agent choi doesn't need to see his routine, and he doesn't need to see this little bit of what he has left.
out of the corner, which would scare him and cause the man to jump is restrained by his paranoia of this room is too small to conceal a threat. to see agent choi's tail match the rhythm of the noose is, okay, sure, while the man is distracted allows for soleum to slip off between two tiny bushes where he can fiddle with the floor paneling. ]
no subject
in any case, his attention doesn't stay on the noose for long, allowing him to slowly trail after soleum and ensure his safety. his sharp eyes don't struggle to catch his silhouette as he crouches down behind some growths—bushy and full, much like his own tail, and he loops over them to watch. tilts his head a little to get a better angle, and see what it is soleum is fiddling with here in the middle of the floor. ]
...
[ better not to pull his attention while he's busy. ]
no subject
...
this place lacks light, it lacks sound, everything that's alive is made by their own actions and desires. the moment agent choi comes into his orbit, soleum's hands are flat on the ground to pull himself together and realize the gravity of the situation. if the other knows, he knows too much, and he acts as if he's pulling himself out of the full bush to sit properly on the floor. looking towards the man, soleum crawls a few steps towards the wall to trick his perception of what's important.
the floor or the wall, what could kim soleum want here? ]
I'd like it better if you looked away... Thank you.
[ and now he waits. ]
no subject
[ that's what he's here for, isn't it? but he'll allow his lips to curve into a stiff smile again as he speaks, replacing the fallen expression they had rested in and bringing up his hands to cover his eyes. ]
Is this better? Gosh, our Grapes really is shy.
[ he's already caught the spot that soleum was fiddling at anyway, so even if he only peeks now and then through a gap in his fingers, he'll still get a glimpse of whatever it is soleum deems important enough to return to a place in this state. ]
no subject
lifting the panel that he was sitting on, soleum digs his hand, his arm going further to dig through what's hidden there. a cold sting, his eyelids close shut, and he takes a steady breath before releasing it with a shudder. slowly lifting himself up slowly, and biting his tongue, what barely hands from his hands is a military dagger tucked away in a sheathe.
a simple weapon. pretty pathetic for someone like agent grapes, but bringing it to his chest to keep it there is a failed endeavor. his fingers already dripping, bits and pieces dripping onto the floor, audibly, as they're the only ones who can make noise, and soleum quickly brings up his better arm to grab the weapon. he's turned at an angle to make sure he's not in agent choi's line of sight.
he pushes the panel back into place with his knee. ]
O... [ breathe slowly. ] ...kay.
[ there's a feeling of dread, but soleum tries very hard to keep it in. as long as he doesn't show any concern or worry, as long as he acts normal. ]
no subject
it's a sound that causes the ears atop agent choi's head to twitch, his tail to swish, and his hands to lower as he once again leans for a better look at just what could be making that noise. his eyes are sharp enough that even in this lack of light, he can make out the motions of soleum shifting something from one arm to the other, moving his let to close whatever spot he'd been digging in, and choi makes a show of finding the nearby dresser that he himself had dragged in here for his own hoobae so very interesting. ]
Did you find what you're looking for?
[ choi says this, but still, it's a little odd. the way soleum holds something in his off-hand, rather than his main hand, and while he keeps his gaze evenly set to meet soleum's own, he's starkly aware of his peripheral. ]
We should get out of here. I'm freezing~
no subject
[ he told choi at the start of this he could go in alone, and he could have without him complaining about this small trip. with all his shifting, he finds that his leg on that same side is a bit weaker, the moment he dug his arm within had he already signed the waiver of every consequence that could inconvenience him at the moment. there couldn't be a monster, or something in his way, it had to be something that targeted him.
drip, drip, drip.
it is cold, it helps that the temperature keeps the sweat from building on the back of his neck. with the dagger close to his chest, and his other arm tucked somewhat to the side and behind, he shifts his arm up and down in a show of scratching his back. ]
Yes... I have it.
[ he doesn't like the way agent choi looks at him, his brows furrowing before shrugging. moving his arm with the blade, he indicates it to prove there was something forgotten that he needed. ]
Let's go.
no subject
his gaze doesn't linger on that arm though. it rests on soleum's face, smile seeming natural, if about as strained as it had been earlier. he holds out his own hand, offering it. ]
Good, c'mon then.
no subject
he risks one thing.
extending his hand with the weapon, he places it securely in agent choi's palm so he can take a look. ]
It's nothing special, but it's nice to have.
[ he fills one hand, there's no need for agent choi to offer the other.
moving means offering energy, energy is what helps dark spots thrive as they feed. it nibbles away at kim soleum, to stave the dripping he presses that hand against his back. staining his clothes to prevent the sound growing louder by coming closer to the agent, but he never matches pace or come side by side.
he's always one step off.
following the agent is his best bet.
drip........ ]
no subject
[ has a good weight to it, and choi will spin it between his fingers for a moment. even sheathed, it doesn't seem so bad, but...
that's not really what he's interested in? ]
But Grapes, you just got here.
[ it's been a little over a month, sure, but compared to his time here, it's basically nothing. choi turns to look over his shoulder and see—yep, soleum's still got his hand against his neck. it's enough for him to stop, for him to turn on his heel, and even for him to take a step closer. ]
It's too early to be hiding things, don't you think? So be honest...
[ his gaze turns right to where that hand rests before meeting soleum's own. ]
Did you sleep on your neck wrong? Or are you hiding something from me?
no subject
Agent Choi, I've told you what's important.
[ he sounds confident.
the murmur tightens, it twists and turns.
it's still... surreal. ]
Anything else pales in comparison.
no subject
Grapes...
[ he can feel it—in the murmur, in the air—kim soleum is, once again, lying directly to him. but what is he to do about it? call him out, and soleum will attempt to snap the tether. he's sure of it, but neither does he want to waste time in whatever it is that's drip-drip-dripping against the spongey layer of fungi underfoot.
his breath comes out in a huff, and before soleum can pull away any further, choi steps forward—snatches the wrist that's not pressed against his neck, and pulls him towards the way they came.
it's a straight shot, it shouldn't take more than a few steps to get him out of this darkness and back into the better side of the apartment. ]
no subject
is it wrong to ignore the root of the problem with something else, isn't it better to handle these problems personally? it's not anything agent choi has to worry about.
a quick tug, he's pulled in the direction they came, and soleum kicks his feet forward to avoid tripping on his two left. step, step, step. drip, drip, drip trails right behind them, the same never fading, but only growing steadily worse. kim soleum breathes in, not too sharp to show his exhaustion because, a nasty cough as they go from one place to another.
outside the void, he catches his breath again, he exhales, leans forward and another deep breath.
drip, drip, drip.
unlike the dark spot where it blended into the ground difficult to see. on this floor where color resides, obsidian falls and stains the ground by his feet. ]