consequences pt. 2

[brushoff]

Who: Dorian Gray, Thomas Jopson & ota!
What: somebody's in trouble~. also, lore drop about the Darkwalker powers!
When: mid-June
Where: Milton, the church

Content Warnings: talk about murder.

One day, a note is tacked up to the Milton bulletin board.

Tomorrow evening
Milton church
Murder confession

Blunt? Yeah. But look, he doesn't want to have to tell everybody. Might as well cast a wide net, see who shows up, get this all done at once, never talk about it ever again. Because honestly, Dorian would rather not talk about this. In fact, he's done a damn good job not talking about this for the past month and a half! But one lovely visit from Thomas Jopson and one broken nose later and urgh, fine, alright, he'll be a good boy and confess to a murder. If he gets this done quickly, there will be fewer questions asked. And though he loves talking about himself, he only enjoys it on his terms. And these? Absolutely not his terms.

When enough people have gathered, Dorian (who's sporting a visibly broken nose), gives the assembled group a once-over.

"Right. Might as well get this started. We've all been changed by the Aurora, no need to rehash that nonsense. But during the last change...for mine, the Darkwalker showed up. I don't know what it did, I don't know the entirety of how it changed me, but it did. I suppose the closest thing you can call me now is a vampire. I can't stand the sunlight. I skulk around in the shadows. And I hunger. There's something inside me, a driving hunger that food and drink can't satiate. Only...I don't know what to call it. Energy? The soul? There's something in us, in people that are changed, that I yearn for."

Dorian's voice is very matter of fact. But as he talks, it's obvious this is a man used to spinning a story to get what he wants. His voice softens a bit when he talks about the hunger, he puts a little sadness and yearning in there. For the more naieve interlopers, he really is sad about all this. For the more worldly interlopers, hot damn is this guy trying to actively manipulate people.

"I can satiate that hunger by touching people and...draining them, for lack of a better word. But sometimes, the hunger gets too strong. It's easier to make rash decisions then. Like when I killed a woman in Lakeside, around a month and a half ago."

Dorian lets that bombshell sit for a moment before tiredly musing, "Any questions?"

( feel free to start threads directly responding to Dorian in front of everybody, lingering around to chat with him later, or just talk among yourselves—treat this like an open post! Start your own threads! I'm game! )

Comments

closed to jopson, before all this mess starts

[brushoff]

This is the worst time of day for Dorian to be out: it's sunny. Still, a man needs to eat. And Dorian's at least figured out there's one type of berries that he can eat without getting horribly sick. (He still relies far too much on the community center and mooching food off of other people but look, he's trying to be a little self-sufficient, that's a big step for Dorian 'absolutely useless' Gray.) And at least with traveling in the forest, it's shady. There are trees. When he feels completely drained, like he's going to vomit, he steps behind one of the trees to take a moment and catch his breath. And it's as he's doing that, as he tries to bolster his strength, that he spots Jopson.

Unfortunately for Dorian, the food that he knows is safe to eat is close enough to Crozier's old cabin that it's easy enough to run into someone who is currently living at Crozier's old cabin. Whoops.

"I thought you lived in Lakeside?" Dorian sighs. This is the last person he wants to see right now.

Re: closed to jopson, before all this mess starts

[lieutenantsteward]

Thomas is still trying to air out the place. He wants to ensure that everything is going according to plan. That Crozier's place is well suited for living.

He hates that he has to think of his friend in the past tense, but he's been busy working on a memorial of sorts for him, which is what has him outside, checking the traps for rabbits when he spots Dorian.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see," he says with all the sarcasm of someone who feels the exact opposite.

Re: closed to jopson, before all this mess starts

[brushoff]

"Trust me, I'm just as pleased," Dorian dryly responds. He looks over, taking notice of the traps, before asking,

"Did you make those yourself?"

Shit, if he learned how to trap, that would solve a lot of his problems. Also, if they talk about traps, hopefully the conversation can sloooowly shift away from the fact that Dorian hasn't told anybody about the murder yet.

Re: closed to jopson, before all this mess starts

[lieutenantsteward]

"Some of them," he acknowledges. "Soke of them were made by a different hand."

He stands and puts his hands on his hips. "It has been a while since we last spoke."

kieren walker | in the flesh | ota + also for dorian

[burying]

[ Kieren's silence isn't uncommon. He's quiet at the best of times. He'd come here because some small part of him wondered if maybe the note posted in the Hall had to be some kind of sick fucking joke. Did someone seriously post up a literal poster for a murder confession like they're having a summer bake sale?

He keeps to the edges of the room, resting against the wall. Those around him will note how visibly uncomfortable Kieren looks as Dorian speaks. He's been in this position before, and he won't be looking at anyone in particular for the duration.

He's not... exactly buying it. Not completely. But he's also in no position to say shit about the guys, all things considered. But does have a question: ]

What did you do with her? The woman you killed.

[ And no, before anyone thinks it: Kieren's not looking for a snack. ]

[brushoff]

[ Kieren's question is easy enough to answer. ]

She's buried. A grave was dug and she was buried over in Lakeside.

[burying]

[ Kieren's mouth shrinks to a thin line as he presses his lips together. A little bristled, but he nods stiffly. ]

Good. She at least deserves that.

[ Yep. This is awkward. ]

So, what— basically you're saying you've got a messed up power? That's supposed to be Enola's deal. Not the Darkwalker. The Darkwalker gave you this?

Konstantin Veshnyakov | Sputnik

[sputnik]

OTA:

Konstantin has historically been absent from these little meetings conjured up by members of the community. But these days he's much more directly involved in things (and these days he's feeling much more fiercely protective of his close ones thanks to that Old Bear's Blessing; if someone's making murder confessions he probably needs to see what the hell that's about.)

It ends up being a good decision to poke his head in, because one of the people he's so fiercely protective of is Dorian. The sight of that broken nose is enough to get Konstantin's anger rippling, hot and fast. Someone's hurt him. (This is doubly concerning because Konstantin knows about Dorian's supernatural secret, and it's worrisome to see a wound on his beautiful little visage!)

Through the confession, Konstantin sits right up front, attention fixed and senses alert, keeping a close watch on things. He doesn't interrupt, but he's keeping a close eye and ear on how other people react.

And so, after the confession, Konstantin's going to be sticking close to Dorian like a club bouncer, shoulders back, body language no-nonsense. If anyone seems confrontational towards the younger man (or just gets too close while Konstantin's around), he might even step in front of Dorian as though to guard him. His eyes, usually warm and cheerful, are harder, darker. The Old Bear's Blessing is a rush of hot adrenaline in his blood, and he lifts a hand, palm out, like a warning. "Why don't you take a step back?"

He'll also directly approach anyone who openly expressed anger or seems upset with Dorian, to make sure there's not going to be a lingering problem here. "You do realise half of us in this room likely have someone's blood on our hands by this point? He's doing a service and informing the community." Which could put a target right on Dorian, Konstantin knows that all too well, and his hackles are more than raised about it.

---

FOR DORIAN:

At some point when he manages to find Dorian alone, he's closing in on the other man, visibly concerned and jaw tight as stone as he lifts a hand to hover at his face, but doesn't make contact with that freshly broken nose. "What happened to you? Someone did this?"

[brushoff]

Dorian is so thankful that Konstantin is here. Konstantin, who's sticking by Dorian's side like a guard dog. Konstantin, who looks like he's about to throw hands with anyone who looks at Dorian the wrong way. Dorian's used to the attention—usually, people flocked around him. But the protection? To have someone protective of him like this? That's new.

He's starting to like it.

"You needn't worry, storozhevaya," Dorian answers. "What happened was I got into a fight about the very thing I came here to confess." Sort of. Kind of. Technically speaking that's the truth, practically speaking there are a few details that Dorian is leaving out. "It won't happen again."

[sputnik]

A fight? About this matter? That rolling hot feeling in Konstantin's blood tightens, burns hotter, and his dark eyes are giving a quick flash around the room as though scanning it for this very perpetrator.

"They weren't happy about your new 'ability'?" he guesses, because that's what it has to be, right? Someone must have found out, and came for Dorian. It's exactly what Konstantin's been wary of since his own arrival here. People finding out about what's wrong with him, and turning on him.

His eyes snap to Dorian again, looking over that injury. A broken nose is painful, and it's not like they have proper medical care in this fucking place.

"How do you know it won't happen again? Do I need to talk to this person? Make sure they know never to touch you again?" He feels the threat coil in him, an anger that makes him want to do something about it now.

cw: misogynistic language

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach and Konstantin have had a.....complicated relationship up until now to say the least. But right now he's not backing down and not about to start playing nice.

"What's the matter? He managed to kill someone else but can't protect himself now? Instead he has to hide behind your skirts like a little girl. That's convenient." Rorschach's psychic voice is harsh and angry with the mental impression left behind after he speaks of being lashed with a whip. It's also deliberately projecting to anyone around him because Rorschach just does not give a damn right now. Not over a matter as serious as this.

[sputnik]

That familiar mental voice comes through as abrasively as a weapon, and Konstantin's rounding in on it. This guy. He knows from experience how much of a problem Rorschach can be to someone he doesn't think highly of, and now Dorian's become a probable target for him.

Konstantin will not let anyone hurt him. He moves right to the other man, eyes flashing with anger.

"Lay off him! He's young and he needs our help right now!"

Konstantin knows that Dorian is not actually as young as he looks, but technicalities don't matter; he's still young. He has to be protected.

heading off

[dies_irate]

John doesn't directly approach either Dorian or Konstantin, but he's plenty obvious about how much he thinks Dorian is full of shit and how little tolerance he has for Dorian's antics. He doesn't notice Konstantin until he's nearly on his way out but when he catches the other man near Dorian, looking angry and protective, there's a moment of feeling intense betrayal before he meets Konstantin's eyes, lets him know he sees him there, and pointedly turns away.

Don't worry, Konstantin. He'll keep his distance. From both of you.

But don't think he's going to let Arthur get anywhere near both of you alone. (Well, not without an argument.)

[ ooc: happy for him to get caught on the way out or for them to talk later. ]

[sputnik]

( ooc — I'll see how things play out with Arthur and then return to this, whether for him to catch John on the way out or if it'd work out better they talk at a later time! )

Being Approached

[lestercraft]

Konstantin's been lucky in that he's never actually seen Arthur being angry before. Sure he's been stubborn about the way Kostya treats his parasite, and frustrated and tired and sour when their fishing is a bit thin in the water, but not genuinely mad.

But when Konstantin sees Arthur standing by John, a hand on his partner who looks more like a frustrated pile of blankets than a genuine threat, Arthur catches his eye back, and the way the gold flickers in his irises looks dangerous, and Arthur only leans up to give John a brief word before he steps away - and gets tugged to a halt when John immediately grabs him, and there's a hissed conversation between them before John, giving a glowering, sour glare at Konstantin, lets Arthur go, and Arthur finally approaches Konstantin properly.

[sputnik]

Konstantin's been paying close attention to everyone's reactions here, and he knows both Arthur and John had spoken up through the meeting. It's clear they're less than thrilled with Dorian, and so he is on alert around the pair. It's not personal — but there are so many unknowns involved with this situation. In a normal town, things could be handled more normally and objectively, more simply. But here... people are constantly under some influence. They were coaxed to tear each other apart in the past. How does he know that might not happen again now? And he's seen how quickly a mob mentality can form when people think there's a villain.

So while he's not openly aggressive — despite the rush of heat through his blood, he doesn't want to make any of this worse — he is tensing his shoulders as he watches the pair converge to themselves for a moment. Both of them give him a respective look, and it's clear they're not too thrilled with him, either. As Arthur steps up to him, Konstantin's expression is devoid of any of its usual brightness but instead guarded, severe. He certainly didn't miss that sharp flash of gold in the other man's eyes before that hissed conversation between them.

"Arthur. Was there something more you two wanted to discuss?"

John Doe | Malevolent | OTA + Dorian

[dies_irate]

[ The broken nose? Deeply fucking satisfying to see.

He'd come because he wanted to know what this was, wasn't familiar with anything like this: do people do this? Put up fliers to announce that they're confessing to murder? Or did someone else have someone ready to confess to murder? How does any of this work?

So he shows up entirely to figure out what strange social ritual he's never heard of and has no context for.

When Dorian takes the stage, he almost stands up and goes after him; he knows he's pretty hard to miss, so hunting him down had seemed like an unlikely proposition, and one that would more than likely end up with him getting in trouble instead of the asshole. That's the part that keeps him just shifting in his seat and waiting, not knowing what's going to happen or what he's supposed to do in this situation.

When Dorian speaks, he rocks in his chair. He- he killed someone. He just killed them! This fucking asshole-

He could have killed Arthur! Oh, he is- he is livid and his own eyes light a color much closer to red than yellow as he glares up at the stage. ]

Have you killed anyone else?

[ This is definitely someone who doesn't buy the sympathy act. He's empathetic as shit, but Dorian was a shit to him, and treated him like some kind of monster. Funny that, how somehow he's managed not to hurt anyone but Dorian is the one who killed someone, their life ended to satisfy him.

Given how selfish he'd been when they'd been talking, and knowing his own tactics when he was being shitty, he's asking.]

[brushoff]

I haven't killed anyone else.

[ It's a lie. But it's a lie delivered with so much conviction, so much strength, that it's damn near believable. ]

She's the first person. And hopefully, the last.

[ It's a lie. He's killed so many more people back at home and one more here. But Dorian is delivering that lie as realistically as he possibly can. After all, he doesn't want others to ask questions. ]

[dies_irate]

[ It's a very convincing lie, which is why John believes him. But not because he thinks Dorian is thoughtful or caring. Not because he thinks Dorian is genuinely regretful. ]

And what are you going to do to prevent yourself from killing anyone else?

[ The glowing eyes narrow. ]

After all, if you couldn't help yourself then, how do you plan to help yourself now?

[moralabsolutism]

[Rorschach has been skulking about in the back of the room and in the shadows as he's prone to do on occasions when the Interlopers gathered together. He observes, watches, and waits as he usually does while making a decision. But in the end he can only come to one conclusion. Nope, that's it, Dorian's gotta go one way or another. But he was prepared to give it time. Living here for as long as he has showed him patience is needed in situations like this.]

Someone like him never has a body count that stops at just one.

[The voice projected into John's mind and his alone is deep, harsh, and really fucking angry. He's glad to see someone else judging Dorian for his crimes as harshly as Rorschach himself is. As if in response to his actual emotions, the black spots on the white mask he considers to be his true face move around a little faster. Though perhaps that's just coincidental with the amount of body heat being produced in the room.]

[dies_irate]

[ John doesn't know who the owner of the voice is but having someone in his head is...

Well, it's a unique experience to have from this side. Given the gruffness and the anger, for a moment, he almost wonders if it's his own internal voice. Which is the thought back is almost automatic and entirely unfiltered. ]

He didn't even pretend like he had a solution! [ Just as livid. Snarling. The mental voice is lower, the anger simmering instead of boiling over now.] I can think of a solution...

[ He doesn't need to say what that solution is. The tone does.

Only one possible other death. Seems like a bargain to him. ]

Rorschach | Watchmen | OTA

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach, as usual, hides in the back of the crowd. For someone with such a distinctive appearance, he's got a knack for hiding out in the shadows where no one ever pays him any attention. Call it a talent he's cultivated from years of living as a borderline homeless man in his day-to-day life in New York City.

He listens and the rage blooms within him. Maybe some of the others are taken in by Dorian's sob story but not him. Rorschach knows him for what he truly is: a murderer, one who clearly has no remorse for what he's done and just wants to make excuses to seem sympathetic. It's clear in his body language, that barely contained rage that is running through his shoulders and the balled-up fists at his sides.

"If he does this once, he'll do it again." For once, his mental voice isn't restricted to just one person. He's deliberately projecting it to the group at large and making his thoughts on the matter quite clear. "If he's truly sorry, only an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is going to make up for what he's done. Let him die."

Arthur Lester | OTA

[lestercraft]

Arthur comes, of course, arriving with John, and when he sees it's Dorian on display making his appeal he's immediately narrowing his eyes before he can help himself, deeply and openly suspicious.

He's the one who traded bodies with Dorian during that fucking nonsense, so he knows the exact sensation that Dorian's referring to.

"That's what you were feeling when we swapped bodies, wasn't it?" he calls out, unashamed and brusque. He's got no room to talk himself about killing people, so instead he focuses on the part where Dorian was actively lying to him when he was addled. "That Darkwalker power is- i-it was awful, during the day. You tried to brush it off as coming down from fucking cocaine."

[brushoff]

"It was," Dorian admits. Anyone else, he'd lie, he'd try to say 'no, that was absolutely just the cocaine.' But Arthur is different. Having being stuck inside the man's body, having Arthur experience just that drained nature of being in the sun, there's no way he can fight that. Dorian's got to admit to that much.

That being said....

"Though the cocaine certainly didn't help. I did arrive with some and might have indulged a teensy bit the night before—I honestly can't remember."

And that much is true. It's a damn shame he's run out of the coke now, it made this place so much more tolerable in the early days.

[lestercraft]

"One would think you'd remember having willingly taken fucking drugs," he points out coolly. "Even if the aftermath was more difficult."

Admittedly he doesn't know if coming down from cocaine is much worse than a hangover, but he's had some pretty bad hangovers. "You would have been far more lucid in my body, at least."