♛ A knife in my heart couldn't slow me down ♛

[devouringdeep]

Who: Childe (and the rest of you wildlings)
When: All of October
What: An open Catch-all for the Bastard (bc I feel he's gonna need it this month)
Warnings: Mild self harm (as in, "exclusively just to trigger the dimension shift" kind of mild), brief mentions of gore, suicide mention

Comments

[devouringdeep]

[He pauses, thinking over his options and wondering if it's right to bother Jason with his thoughts. They're... While Childe wouldn't say they're not friends, he wouldn't exactly consider them all that close either. They haven't known each other for terribly long, but Childe enjoys the way Jason thinks. Likes having him around for companionship.]

More or less, though I suppose they went about as well as they could have, all things considered.

[He gives a lazy little kick in the water, letting out a slow breath.] Could have been better, of course, though that's nothing new. Personally I would have settled for at least one person remembering who I was.

[redoutlaw]

[Ah.

Yeah, that makes sense.

He was starting to see a pattern here.]

Yeah... I know how that is.

[He pulls his knees up to his chest, unlacing his shoes and rolling his sweats up to his knees. He set his shoes to the side before letting his feet dangle in the water. If there was a monster in the water, he wondered how fast it would come to eat them with two pairs of bait now.]

[devouringdeep]

[He does glance over then, idly watching as Jason joins him in the leg soaking. He himself has left his boots and pants on, as if a little water could damage either then he really shouldn't be wearing them.]

Yeah? Been forgotten before, Stripes? You seem fairly unforgettable to me.

[redoutlaw]

[This time he couldn't help but laugh. He leans back on his hands, legs kicking back and forth, bringing up some water every now and then.]

Yeah, well... You'd be the first to tell me.

[It's been years, and his relationship with the Bats has gotten better, but he still feels replaceable—— still feels like he's just a memento inside a cage and not really a person.]

Either way, you're pretty unforgettable yourself.

[devouringdeep]

[The comment draws a small snort out of Childe, and he's rolling his eyes in response.] Thanks.

[He tilts his head back to look up through the skylight, trusting that Jason will warn him if something comes up to bite. Or maybe he won't. Either option would be interesting to see.] Ah, it's fine. I've been through worse, really, so this will blow over fairly quickly, I'm sure. [He pauses, giving a few more lazy kicks of his own.] Honestly I'm mostly just dealing with the aftermath of being dead... Then not dead. It's a bit disorienting.

[Not a lie. But not the whole truth, either.]

[redoutlaw]

Yeah, been through that too.

[He didn't think a lot of people had that sort of experience under their belt, really. At least not normal people.

Normal people didn't die and come back to life multiple times, anyway.

Not that he knew of.]

It's a weird experience. But at the very least you're coherent after coming back. Dying sucks though.

[devouringdeep]

[He doesn't move his body, even as his eyes dart to the side to regard Jason once more. There's curiosity blatant in his gaze, and he hums softly in response, giving a small click of his tongue.]

C'mon, Stripes. You're gonna keep all your best stories from me? You can't just tease like that and not elaborate.

tw: talk of death and murder

[redoutlaw]

[Jason glanced back at Childe for a moment, a small snort spilling past his lips. He was in a place in his life where talking about it didn't really bother him all that much.]

Not much to tell. I was a cocky ass kid when I was younger. Ran off on my own and got caught by the world's shittiest clown. Proceeded to get most of my bones shattered by a crowbar, then got caught in a bomb blast after trying to free my mom. Died. Woke up later in my coffin.

[He says this all very matter of fact, like this was just a normal thing. There were details he was leaving out, sure, but it got the point across regardless

Most of the people he knew already knew his story.]

[devouringdeep]

[He pulls one waterlogged leg up and out of the pool, dripping everywhere as he bends his knee to fold his arms atop it. Resting his chin on his forearms, he turns his head just the slightest bit to keep an eye on Jason as he talks. It's not as glamorous or exciting as he would have expected it to be; no tale of grand battles and glorious defeats, simply a child caught where he wasn't supposed to be.

And oddly familiar.]

When I was a kid, I ran off on my own and fell through a tear in reality. [It's not a tale he's spoken a word about to a single soul... Other than the Traveler, of course. But they were different. His equal.

His own parents had never even known what had happened to their son in the Abyss. Not even the Tsaritsa knew the specifics, though Childe didn't doubt that she'd mostly figured out bits and pieces on her own. She was smart like that. Brilliant. Awe-inspiring. Regardless, it seems only fair to share a story of his own in exchange.]

Imagine all the terrible, monstrous beings you could ever possibly think of. Make them twice as deadly and thrice as large, and then picture me. An untrained boy of fourteen summers with nothing but a rusted sword and a bag of bread. [He chuckles softly to himself, almost as if he's speaking of a fond memory.] Hopelessly outmatched, you can imagine. I would have died a thousand times over if my master hadn't found me and taught me how to live.

[redoutlaw]

[Honestly, the last thing he had expected was Childe to share his own story. There was something about the man that made it seem like the little facade he put up was a wall taller then Mt Everest.

Jason stretched his legs out, toes wiggling in the water. If there was a monster in there it sure as fuck wasn't biting.]

Ya know, I'm starting to think we're a lot more similar than we originally thought.

[He laughed softly,though the topic was anything but humorous.]

I thought I was tough shit. I was trained by the greatest detective in the world, one that could break bone as easily as breathing. He was everything I looked up to. I was an angry kid, though.

[He rubs the back of his head, almost as if he was suddenly bashful.]

I thought I knew everything. Or what was best, I guess. Or... I just really wanted to believe that something good could happen to me. Which, come to think of it, the experience definitely taught me better.

[devouringdeep]

[He hums a little at Jason's words, drumming his fingers against his knees in a thoughtful manner.] Nonsense. Clearly you've had good things happen to you, otherwise you wouldn't still be trying to stick things out. Right?

[He pushes with his bent knee, a fluid and graceful as he stands in one simple movement, his other leg sliding out of the water as well.] You found your resolve, yes? Your drive? No child should ever have to go through the things you and I have gone through, but we did. And we came out stronger because of it, strong enough to decide what we deserve in this world. Strong enough to determine who we are.

In the end... That's a good thing, right? Not the act itself, of course. But the results. The strength, the determination. The drive.

[redoutlaw]

[He tilts his head back, watching Childe as he spoke. He raised a brow, the corner of his mouth slowly curling into a smile. He looked back at the water, kicking his feet back and forth.]

No, you're right. We crawled through hell to stand where we are now. And i think we're pretty badass.

[devouringdeep]

See? Exactly.

[A soft snort escapes him, hands on his hips as he looks up at the sky through the skylight once more. A quiet breath slips out of him, and then he's stifling a yawn as he rolls his shoulders around in their sockets.] Anyway. Want to try and kill each other for a bit?

[redoutlaw]

[This time he laughs. He lays down on the ground, feet still dangling in the water as he watches Childe. His grin all but split his face. He quickly rolls back, jumping up to his feet.

He attempted to dry them on his pants. He slips his shoes back on, rolling down his sweats. He's gotta look presentable if he's gonna kick the shit out of Childe.]

I thought you'd never ask. Honestly, I was beginning to think you didn't like me.

[Is the grin cheeky?

Yes. Yes it is.

He's a little rat bastard.]