open / and I've been putting out the fire with gasoline

[brushoff]

Who: Dorian Gray & others!
What: body horror, creepy portraits, murder???
When: early May & onwards
Where: Milton, Lakeside

Content Warnings: NPC murder, will edit as needed

( open & closed starters in the comments! )

Comments

closed to jopson, mid-month, lakeside

[brushoff]

With his lovely new condition, traveling is a bitch. But thankfully, the travel to Lakeside involves a lot of time in the mines. Unfortunately, the mines are kind of disgusting. But they're a disgusting that doesn't involve being in direct sunlight, something that knocks Dorian on his metaphorical ass. He feels weak, he feels awful—keep him out there for too long and he feels like he's going to fall over.

But he came to Lakeside for a reason. Roberto helped satiate him for a month and some change. But it's been a while. And Dorian can feel the pangs of hunger, the pangs of want and desire and yearning. Best to head it off right now, before things get worse. And best to head it off in Lakeside, where he hasn't killed before. Spread it around a bit, as it were. Find someone to supplement Roberto.

Idly, Dorian wonders if Toby thought this way, thinking of his meals by their names. He forgets the name of that cute little thing that lived with Toby, someone who he drained dry the first time Dorian came to visit—idly, he remembers that very room. A converted church flat. He really is turning into his dead boyfriend, something that Toby would give him so much shit about.

It's still light when he gets to Lakeside. Annoyingly, this is the time of year when there's not much in the way of darkness. But as it's around nine pm, the brief hints of evening are starting to show. And as Dorian staggers his way towards the houses, he realizes just what an absolutely terrible idea this was. Christ, he'll have to recuperate here for at least a few days, possibly more.

He looks like shit as he staggers towards one of the resort cabins. These look relatively abandoned, he can hole up here for the night. Though the key word here, unknown to Dorian, is relatively. As he spots the poor woman who Dorian doesn't know is Paula Hoffman, a regular at Lakeside, he decides to chance it. After all, he's so hungry.

From his cabin, Jopson can hear a muffled yell and the noises of a struggle. From his window, he can see Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally tired looking man in his twenties, manhandling Paula. One hand is on her wrist, holding it tight, clinging to the bare skin. The other hand is over her mouth, to keep her from screaming.

[lieutenantsteward]

Thomas is tired. He's tired and he's sad and the world is moving on around him, without him, like he's just a part of a dream that he can't wake out of. He knows that things are happening around Lakeside and Milton, but that doesn't really matter to him. He can't make himself care.

But there is no part of Thomas that will ignore someone in need. The sounds arouse suspicion enough that he peers out the window, and then he bolts outside, not even bothering to get his coat or shoes on. The cold doesn't touch him.

He throws his shoulder forward, aiming on slamming the other man to the ground.

[brushoff]

Two things happen at once. The woman goes limp in Dorian's grasp, leaning forwards slightly. And then Dorian is tackled. He lets go of Paula's arm right as she falls to the ground in a crumpled heap and he slams into the ground with a thud.

Dorian has a sneaky feeling that this remarkably attractive yet remarkably cool to the touch man is going to have a little bit of a problem with his actions—actions that Dorian isn't entirely sure how he's going to explain. First thing's first: he needs to get out of kicking range. Still on the ground, still sluggish and lethargic due to the sun, Dorian attempts to scoot away from Thomas's person, attempting to get out of grabbing range.

This won't work. He will still remain within manhandling range. But a guy can try!

[lieutenantsteward]

Thomas recovers from the initial blow and then turns to throw himself on Dorian, to try and pin him into the ground. "What are you doing?" he wonders and turns his head to the woman's limp form on the ground. "Did you kill her?"

[brushoff]

As Dorian attempts to wriggle out of Thomas's grasp, two things are obvious. 1: he looks like shit in the sunlight. There are bags under his eyes, he looks tired, this is the air of a man who looks like he hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in a week. 2: he's got skinny little noodle arms and can't push Jopson off of him.

Dorian absolutely knows that he killed that woman. Dorian is also going to lie like a bitch about it. He's a decent enough liar—let's see how well it will go.

"Kill who? Look, get off me! What are you talking about?"

[lieutenantsteward]

And Thomas rears back to hit him square across his pale, terrible face. How did he ever think that he was so handsome?

He's a pretentious little shit, just like Thomas had predicted. And he's not going to let him get away with fucking murder.

[brushoff]

Dorian lets out a yelp of pain as Thomas hits him. He moves his hand up to his nose, which he knows must be bleeding. As he does so, he looks over at the woman on the ground.

Time to put his acting skills to the test.

"Wait. She's dead? That...you've got to understand, I didn't try to kill her."

[lieutenantsteward]

The punch lands and Thomas glares down at him, his hands pinning the other man by the shoulders.

"Of course she is. What were you doing?"

He's not anywhere close to believing him, but at least he's stopped hitting.

[brushoff]

"It's complicated," Dorian frowns. There's no point denying that he killed that woman. She's there, she's dead, better take responsibility. But if he can spin it as 'this was an honest mistake' or 'this is the fault of my new odd gifts,' maybe he'll get out of this without being punched again.

"And it's never happened like that. I just...look, can we talk about this inside? I don't do well in the sunlight."

Case in point, he looks terrible at the moment. No lying there, he looks like shit.

[lieutenantsteward]

"No," he says but stands up. "You're going to bury her."

Because he looks terrible, because he looks awful, Thomas wants to make his life worse. "It's the least you can do while you tell me your reasons for killing her."

[brushoff]

Dorian looks up at Thomas. He rolls his eyes a little before pointing out, "We're going to talk about this inside. Otherwise, I'm going to pass out halfway through burying her, and you'll have to finish the job yourself."

Which he's sure Thomas will be fine with. He seems like he'll be perfectly fine letting Dorian collapse. But now that he's fed, now that he's drained that woman, he's noticing something about his body. The hunger inside is satiated. He'll be fine for a while, like he was beforehand. But he still feels like absolute dogshit in the sunlight. And considering that he's been in the sunlight for a while...yeah. He's going to pass out.

"Like I said. I don't do well in the sunlight. And part of the reasons why I accidentally killed her involve that."

[lieutenantsteward]

"Then go," he says and trudges over to the poor woman himself. "Wait inside."

He's not going to let her sit and freeze out here. She's not going to be a body frozen in the arctic for the elements. He's not going to let another person be forgotten like that. He picks her up and holds her close, grunting a bit with the effort.

[brushoff]

Dorian gives Thomas a little nod. Pushing himself up, he makes his way to the house. Door open, go inside, find a chair. And the moment he's sitting down, inside, not in the sun, a little bit of color starts to come back to his face. He still doesn't look great. There are far too many windows in this place and he's still getting some ambient light. But when Thomas comes back inside, he'll find Dorian, not having moved from the chair that he slumped down in, taking deep breaths as if to calm and re-center himself. And hey, he is looking a bit better!

backdated to late june

[gildedlife]

[The affliction that had prompted James to return to Lakeside and then further, to Milton, doesn't alleviate with time. It only gets worse and worse over the next few days, until one morning he wakes up gasping and certain that this is it, he's truly running out of time. It's a hauntingly familiar feeling.

But he also notices the strange visions. Senses more than sights, leading toward a person, and James suddenly realizes in an odd spark of both hope and anger that he knows what this is. He isn't sick, it's a trick of this place, another thing attempting to shove people together.

Hickey is not right about these events, he's just coincidentally correct this time.

And, fortunately, the person James is getting a sense of is someone he's seen before, and in fact quite recently; it had only been a few days since the whole 'murder confession in the church' incident. He's not hugely enthusiastic about needing to seek out someone whose new power apparently drives them to feel the need to kill people, but he'd also like to not suffocate to death, so he'll take his chances.

Which is how James ends up staggering into the church, driven by single-minded determination as the world grows black at the edges. He just has to find Dorian, and that should solve this--it has to solve this, he doesn't know what else to do--and then he can worry about any explanations that might be necessary.]

[brushoff]

[ Honestly, Dorian would like to just stay in the church and sulk. He knew the whole 'murder confession in the church' wouldn't exactly go smoothly. But it truly was remarkable how many people seemed to think this was solely his fault. It's interesting how people are willing to overlook the whole 'made this way by a horrible eldritch monster' thing when they were dealing with someone they didn't like. Interesting and annoying.

So Dorian's in the church, artistically leaning against one of the pews as he reads a book and debates who he can bother for a cigarette...when that tall, attractive square-jawed man he saw at the murder confession meeting burst right in the sacristy. ]

You look like you're in a rush, [ Dorian muses, with a little frown. There's a moment before, ] Fuck, don't tell me there's something out there trying to kill you. That would happen here, wouldn't it?

[ how dare it inconvenience him!! ]

[gildedlife]

[Were James not immediately focused on only the task at hand, he might've taken offense at the idea that he's running away from something dangerous. If something were trying to kill him, he'd probably still be out there with it.

Unfortunately, what's trying to kill him has no physical form, though he has the strange sense that the cure does. Dorian is conveniently present, and all James has to do is move closer, hope that his unexpected presence and approach aren't threatening enough that Dorian retreats, and reach out to touch his shoulder.

The moment he makes contact, air floods his lungs and he has to struggle not to collapse in relief, instead leaning heavily on the nearest pew as well while he catches his breath for several seconds. It's only then that he remembers Dorian is there as more than just a way not to die, and James quickly tries to find his voice to explain, though he also doesn't let go of Dorian's shoulder just yet.]

My apologies, there was... There's...

[...How is he going to explain this? Hopefully the fact that he's still having to break every few words to breathe will illustrate part of the situation, but after a moment he tries to elaborate again.]

It was one of the... Strange occurrences of this place. It seems it wanted... It wanted us to be in proximity.

[For some reason. Why them specifically?]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian blinks for a moment, taking this all in. Something weird is happening. And that something weird has forced the attractive man right by Dorian's side.

...thank you so much, universe.

Seriously, half of the time this place throws so much bullshit at them, this is a gift! He's so happy about this!

He so happy that hey, don't mind Dorian as he lightly rests his hand on Fitzjames's chest. ]

Honestly? That tracks for this place. Though I must say, I prefer this round of nonsense compared to something that tries to kill us.

[ Dorian is blatantly giving Fitzjames a once-over. ]

[gildedlife]

[The hand on his chest is a little weird, but James doesn't immediately think as much of it as he might've otherwise, as he's still catching his breath. Surely Dorian just thinks James is at risk of falling down, which to be fair is entirely valid.

He's recovered enough, though, that Dorian's remark earns an unimpressed look.]

It did try to kill me.

[Though it's not trying to kill both of them, he supposes, so still an upgrade from usual.]

[brushoff]

Yes, but it wasn't killing me. Besides, now I get to hang out with with a remarkably attractive and chiseled man, [ Dorian points out, with a saucy little wink. ] And frankly, I'd consider that a net gain.

[ Is the flirting blatant? Yes. Does Dorian care? No. ]

[gildedlife]

[...Oh. Well. This is not at all subtle, especially not to James, who is of course Victorian and used to this sort of thing being done in a far more discreet way when between a man and a woman, let alone any other type of pair. Of course, he's also gotten used to how many here come from another time, and how that comes with very different social norms.

And it's also not the first time he's been flirted with here, so he's a bit less surprised than he might've otherwise been. In fact, shameless flirtation or not, 'remarkably attractive' is a nice thing to hear, even if he's less sure what the 'chiseled' part means.

He weighs, briefly, how to react to the situation, and decides for the moment to simply not react to it. He's curious if Dorian is trying to get at something--besides the obvious--and just how long he might keep up such brazen behavior.]

Seems an unbalanced arrangement.

[He makes the comment dryly, almost a joke, because it is inherently humorous in a morbid sort of way. But he supposes that at least Dorian doesn't seem to oppose James' presence; he doesn't really know what he would've done had this affliction required him to make contact with someone who refused to assist, so if Dorian wants to also compliment him at the same time, James can't bring himself to be too bothered.]

[brushoff]

[ Mostly what Dorian's trying to get at is a little fun. It's been so dull here lately. Murder confessions, having people bother him about murder confessions, the fact that torture and mindfuckery is becoming routine (thanks, aurora!). It sucks. Dorian doesn't like it. So sue him if he wants to indulge in a little flirting and get his groove back with this handsome officer! He deserves this! He's only done a little bit of murder. ]

Then we'll have to balance it somewhat. Surely there's something I can do to make your stay with me more...pleasurable.

[ there's a saucy wink after that last word. ]

[gildedlife]

[Not subtle at all. And, for that matter, not very skillful; as much as James enjoys flattery, and may or may not also appreciate the ego boost of someone clearly desiring him, those feelings are certainly dampened when they don't feel particularly individual. With how bold and shameless Dorian is being, James thinks this behavior is probably not a particularly rare occurrence.

So he gives Dorian a flat look, unimpressed.]

Do you have anything to drink?

[Alcoholic or otherwise. It's both meant as a distraction--to see how Dorian will react--and a genuine request, as now that James' attention is no longer mostly taken up by the stress of potentially suffocating, he finds himself very tired and a bit dehydrated.]

[brushoff]

[ The blatant dismissal of his flirting earns Fitzjames an annoyed little frown. Rude. People are supposed to flock around Dorian! Still, this is only a minor setback. He's certain he can charm this man into liking him by the end of the evening. He's Dorian Gray, after all. That's what he does.

So the annoyed frown lasts for a moment before being replaced by a breezy, easy-going little shrug. ]

I have water, that horrid pine wine, and some Crystal Light packets that are probably at least ten years old. I've got something vaguely liquid made from serviceberry that I'm trying to brew in a mason jar I've found. It might be wine, might be juice, or might be toxic—I've mostly been letting it do it's own thing.

[gildedlife]

[It's hardly the first time that someone's given James that look, and although typically James would not be pleased with someone being annoyed with him, in this case it's the goal. He demands Dorian put a little more effort into this if James is going to even pretend to entertain it.

But then at least he's answering the question, even if the options only get worse as Dorian goes on. James hates the pine wine--he could barely convince himself to drink it at the last sunset party--and he has no idea what a Crystal Light packet even is. And some sort of at-home attempt to make wine that may simply be poison is not appealing for many reasons.]

Water will do. Thank you.

[Though, as James says it, he realizes there might be a problem; if Dorian goes to fetch the water, what will happen? Do they have to remain in contact?]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian doesn't realize there might be a problem until he's a few steps towards the kitchen. Just how long is this tether between them? If he goes into a different room, what will happen?

Might as well explain, ]

If you suddenly stop breathing, there's a little apartment off the side of the church right there, [ said as he gestures to a door. ] It's got a kitchenette. I know you've got eyes and you'll see where I'm going, but just to be safe, I'll be inside, getting the water.

[ Please don't die, dude. Dorian continues to walk towards the door to the apartment, listening to see if Fitzjames suddenly stops breathing. ]