Pʀᴏᴜᴅ Hɪɢʜ Kɴɪɢʜᴛ Kɪɴɢ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
untilavalon) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rubycity_ooc2014-06-13 10:34 pm
untilavalon) wrote in rubycity_ooc2014-06-13 10:34 pm
Entry tags:
Time for something fun!
Need a little pick me up? Or just feel like playing something really stupid? It's time for a meme.
The Magical Swap Meme
or the 'oops, you done fucked up' meme
courtesy of Luc*
Directions
- Post your character with the name/canon in the subject meme. In your comment, put your preferences such as, "I don't want to do prompt #1" or "for the gender swap prompt, [character] will look like [this]" or "for the age swap prompt, my character will be 5 years younger".
- Tag each other and have fun.
- Body Swap: Holy shit. You're looking at yourself like you're looking in a mirror. The only problem is, when you're looking down at your own hands... you're in someone else's body.
- Gender Swap: Well, this is new; you're now no longer in the right body, but it's still yours. Were you always a girl? You sure weren't yesterday. Of course, this is probably another one of the city's tricks; no point in getting all up in arms about it, is there?
- Age Swap: Are you starting to see a pattern here? Now you're younger-- or older-- than you were a little while ago. Who're you going to bug about your height now?
- Canon Swap: Your entire history is different now. Suddenly, you're a homestuck. Or maybe you're an elf. Or perhaps you're not even switching canons with the person you're threading with. What's the damage?
- Power Swap:...Like the one above, but with powers instead of canons.
- Moral Alignment Swap: Suddenly, you're evil as hell. Or maybe you're really good now. Or maybe your moral alignment is "eh /non-commital wiggly hand gesture". I don't make the rules here, bucko.
- Luc, you didn't include this swap I wanted to do!: Well look at you, you have a bigger imagination than I do. What are you waiting for? Swap it. Just swap it. Do it, before it's too late.
You now have four minutes to save the world.**
*If it's a bad meme, it wasn't my idea.
**You do not have four minutes to save the world. In fact, there's really no point in worrying about world saving right now.
no subject
(He does know Italian, though--enough to get the gist of the quote. Terror's nothing but hard, fast justice, huh?
Black justice. His eye hurts.)
But he responds to the smirking offer not with skepticism or sarcasm, but cautious interest. He's had enough brushes with the Demon that--while Kuzuryuu knows better than to think he could ever predict his actions--he's sure the kid knows him well enough to understand that, in his own way, Kuromaku trusts him. Trusts the Demon to be what he is, to put his own agenda above all else; trusts him not to care enough about people to fuck with them unless it furthers his own goals.
And he...is kind of concerned about him. Sometimes Kuromaku still feels the underworld gape open at his back, waiting for him to stumble into its arms again. He remembers the smell of Peko's blood on his shirt. And the Demon's so young.
He's sure the kid's figured that much about him, too. Kuromaku lifts his chin slightly.]
Yeah? I'm listening.
no subject
I have information. Information you and your people need.
[ He pulls a flash drive from the canister, holding it up idly as he tucks the metal piece back into its case, leaning back against the desk. ]
About the Overseers.
[ Nobody, nobody, has information on the Overseers. But, somehow, he's gotten his hands on something that he, at least, considers valuable, if not game-changing. Something a whole lot of people would trade anything for. And he's offering it to Kuromaku. ]
Still listening?
no subject
[He breathes the word more than says it. For all his skills, he's never even seen one of the Overseers, and the information he and his friends have been able to gather, while varied, doesn't answer nearly as many questions as it creates.
If the Demon's really offering him something he can stand on, maybe they could change things.
If it's what he says it is. It's a trap. Kuromaku still knows that. But sometimes the bait's worth the fall.]
It's the eye that's missing, kid. I still got both my ears.
[One way to find out what the Demon thinks it's worth, at least.]
And you're asking what from me for it?
no subject
[ It's a tall order, and an audacious one. There isn't a jury who would consider anything less than capital punishment for what he's done. And that was just in Ruby City alone. ]
That's what I want. Sanctuary.
For my brother.
[ He doesn't even blink as he lets the information drop, heavy, like a stone, cool stare fixed on Kuzuryuu. Unless there's been someone kept out of sight at all times, the only logical person it could be is his handler - the one who'd ordered it all. Who orchestrated every attack. Who sent the young assassin to do his bidding, knocking down political leaders and crippling the city's stability. ]
Can you grant him that?
no subject
Not for him. For his brother.
--What?
Kuzuryuu stares as several things he knows about the world suddenly rearrange themselves and snap into place. He'd thought of the Demon as something like Peko, honed by his father into a perfect, unquestioning blade, but a brother--he thinks of his sister. He thinks of himself, watching men tremble on their knees before his father. He thinks of how impossibly broad it had seemed back then.
(Old Man Kirigiri wasn't so broad. He was taller, but it wasn't the same.)
This is the trap. Kuromaku couldn't have been more surprised if the Demon had walked up and held his throat over his blade. It's basically the same thing: a liability. A vulnerability. A calculated move, of course, but still. But still.
Goddamn it. The kid is a kid. He knew that, and yet.
Fuck. He must've asked for Kuromaku alone because he knew he was a fucking sucker.
He finally remembers to breathe out, and his voice comes out low and even.]
And what'll you do if I do?
no subject
He's patient enough about waiting for Kuromaku to respond, head tilted and watching his response without a ripple of emotion. Locked down tighter than Arkham. But the question, he shifts his weight to the other leg, and a flicker of something crossing his face, and it's the closest he's gotten to a real tell - discomfort, pain, smoothly wiped away in the next instant. ]
After delivering him to you? I'll disappear. For a while. Your city won't see or hear of the Demon for some time, I can promise you that much.
[ Dropping off the radar, both of them knocked out of the game? It's a deal in Kuromaku's favor, despite the high price. A deal a person who has nothing else to lose might make. He smirks, crooked and mocking. ]
Maybe take up a new hobby. I was thinking knitting. Might have a real talent for needlework.
no subject
One of the city's darkest, most incomprehensible shadows is unraveling right in front of him, and he swears he can almost reach the boy inside it.]
Does he know you're here asking me this?
no subject
We ran into trouble. He's indisposed at the moment.
[ Clipped. Short. Dangerous information to reveal, maybe too much, but the question's caught him off-guard. And he knows Kuromaku; knows the vigilante isn't the type to take advantage of a commander out of commission. ]
For the time being, I'm acting alone.
no subject
The Demon is a kid. And that means the Demon is human.
("A tool with a human heart!" the Puppetrix had crowed, laughing, and Kuzuryuu remembered the all-encompassing horror and despair in Peko's eyes as the sword rose before him.)
He sighs and closes his eye, rubs the back of his neck. Allows the Demon a moment of privacy, a moment without witness to what the kid's laying bare to an enemy.]
Don't think I'm happy about this, but...I got a condition to the terms. I dunno if you'll like it.
no subject
[ If nothing else, he still has a powerful bargaining chip in the information held in his hand. A better player than him might argue against any conditions - threaten to take the offer elsewhere - but Kuromaku's right. He's desperate, in a position so empty of support he's forced to turn first to the only enemy who's ever showed him anything but steel in the field.
They'd trained him well, but he was never prepared for this.
Still, he maintains a facade well, and when Kuromaku gives him that moment to recompose, his eyes are hooded calmly and he's turning the flashdrive over in his hands, more flakes of blood rubbing off his palms to drift to the floor. Unconcerned. Or maybe simply resigned to the terms already. ]
What's the price?
no subject
He removes his mask. The young man known in daylight as Kirigiri Fuyuhiko stares the Demon down.]
You come with me.
[He's stone-stubborn and serious, face too young for his expression.]
If you think I want the goddamn Demon fucking off somewhere where I can't keep an eye on him, you're an idiot. You want that fucker safe, you help me protect him with your own two hands. And not just with a blade in 'em. You help him by being someone I can trust. Being someone the city can trust with our backs. And our fronts. And in return...
[He lifts the fist that holds his mask. Even through his glove, his grip is tight, intense.]
If the place doesn't exist where you and your brother can breathe easy, I'll rip the bricks out of the ground for it my own fucking self.
Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko's a man of his word.
no subject
Lips thinning, he looks down at his hands, smudged with red. The trap's been turned - a two-for-one deal.
But acquiescence reads in the slow drop of his shoulders, decision made. Against everything he's been taught, he cares more for his brother than for his cause. Kuromaku's asking for his loyalty, and the Demon?
He'll give it.
Pushing up off the desk, he walks over, the clip of his steps rapping against the flagstone floor, to stand in front of the vigilante; the closest they've ever gotten in the field without the Demon flashing steel in his face.
Holding up the flashdrive, he drops it into Fuyuhiko's hand without a hint of hesitation. Terms accepted, deal made. ]
Damian. Damian Wayne-al Ghul. [ A smile, sharp and wry. Demon, indeed. ]
I'm holding you to your word, Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko.
Casually logs in on work computer
Maybe Kirigiri felt like this when he'd been brought a bleeding boy.]
Damian, then. [Kuzuryuu's not dealing with that mouthful of a full name. It's almost as bad as his.] And one thing: Tamahagane isn't my sidekick.
[Peko, similarly swathed in black but edged in silver, emerges from the shadows at the Cathedral entrance. Kuzuryuu's blue fire lizard is perched on her shoulders, silent, eyes narrowed. But he remains where he is, and Peko's sword is sheathed. She nods as well.]
She's my partner. How bad off is your brother?
welcome to the darkside
They've crossed swords plenty of times. She's earned his respect, grudging as it is. ]
It was a clever trap. Neither of us escaped unscathed.
He'll live, probably, but--
[ This close, it's easier to see the stress and pain, subtle and tightening at the corners of his eyes, although his tone remains cool. ]
--he won't walk again. If he wakes up.
no subject
Kuzuryuu straightens.]
Right. Peko.
[He hands the flash drive to her and murmurs, "Keep it safe," before addressing Damian again.]
You're familiar with Tsumiki Mikan, yeah? Keh, if I know her, she's probably already patched you up a couple times. [He looks at Damian, and then nods again.] You already know she'll keep her mouth shut.
[Peko is frowning, flash drive held to her chest, but Kuzuryuu waves off her uneasy "Bocchan..."
He already knows. It could still be a trap. Hell, there could be nothing on the disk, and it's all been an elaborate setup to separate the two of them. Bump off Kuromaku, and Tamahagane will crumple as well, and nobody profits because there was never any information to profit from.
But a child, no matter how he's been trained, no matter how exceptional he is, can't fake that desperation well enough to fool Kuzuryuu. He knows it too intimately himself.]
Peko'll meet us after she gets the nurse. I'll go with you to your brother. Where'd you bring him?
no subject
[ More than a few times. The Demon is skilled, but lucky breaks happen frequently enough. There's no such thing as untouchable. ]
He's nearby. Closer than you think.
[ Privately amused by something, the crooked smirk from before ghosts across his face, and he steps back to the desk, purposeful. It's the first time he's shown his back to Kuzuryuu, and he'd been coy about it with good reason: the shaft of a crossbow bolt is buried above his shoulder blade, snapped about an inch above his skin. Neither of them unscathed, after all; another lucky break.
He reaches under the desk to yank at something; a grinding noise follows, one of the flagstones nearby rolling back to reveal a set of stairs descending into the underbelly of the cathedral.
It's no wonder they disappear so easily; there must be hidden doors all over the city leading down into a network of tunnels, and they're familiar with each and every single one. ]
Right under our noses, even.
[ He thinks he's clever. ]
no subject
Before he can take a step forward, though, Peko touches his sleeve.]
Bocchan.
[He doesn't look at her, just frowns at the title. Softer, she tries again.]
Fuyuhiko.
[That makes him turn. Neither of them say anything, but concern is all that's visible of her face: a pair of red eyes, pale brows drawn.
Finally, he sighs and shakes his head.]
You've got Shozo.
[The lizard croons and tucks himself closer against Peko's neck. He and Kuzuryuu are telepathically linked. If something bad happens, Shozo will alert her and then leap Between to help him. Besides, Damian's injured. Even Kuzuryuu should be able to hold his own for long enough. Peko looks down, unhappy, but nods.
Kuzuryuu lifts his hand as if he's about to touch her cheek, but hesitates, and then returns his hand to his pocket.]
Che. Don't treat me like I can't take care of myself. See you in a little.
[She nods and exits, Shozo curled around her shoulders. Kuzuryuu approaches Damian and the tunnel stairs.]
Let's go.
no subject
Their exchange doesn't go unnoticed. He watches, patient, sharp eyes following the back and forth, but if he thinks anything of it, it doesn't show, and lets the moment pass without comment. When Kuzuryuu comes over, he turns, brusque, to the stairs. ]
She doesn't have to worry. I'm not suicidal enough to try.
[ That's probably meant to be reassuring, in his books. He fiddles with one of the cases at his belt, pulling out a small, wide-angled flashlight. Giving it a rough shake back and forth a few times, he flicks it on - Faraday design. Handy in the city, and especially in the tunnels, where you never know if your supply of regular batteries will run out. He starts down the stairs without looking back, one hand pressed to the wall.
The steps even out soon enough into a hewn chamber, inset with carved stones and eight different passageways spiraling off. After studying the passageways carefully, he takes the rightmost one. ]
They change, sometimes. [ An explanation. ] Like Daedalus' Labyrinth. Don't know if there's a Minotaur at the center, though.
[ They don't have to go far; a hundred yards, maybe, before the light spills upon the body of his handler, propped against the wall, unconscious. The boy pulled together some hasty field dressings, but blood's already soaking through the gauze and bandages; the man's a mess, breathing ragged. Damian sets the light up on the floor, before kneeling down next to the dark-haired man, gripping his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. ]
Grayson? [ No response, not that he expected any less. It doesn't stop disappointment and concern from pulling his expression down. ]
no subject
He pauses briefly--Damian's moving ahead with the light, after all--to inspect the entrance to the passageway the kid's leading him through.]
If these're part of the catacombs, I wouldn't put any kind of monster past 'em.
[And he's quiet for most of the journey, worried about how Peko will handle it if this does turn out to be a trap, a little incredulous about what he's doing, beating himself up because what if it isn't the right choice, what would the old man have said, and then they come across the Demon's handler and he just stops.
That really doesn't look good.
Kuzuryuu hangs back, again allowing the kid his space, though he doesn't look away this time. He's dimly aware of Shozo and Peko moving away from them, but their house isn't far from the Cathedral. They won't take long to return with Tsumiki.
In the meantime, he can keep watch.]
What happened to you two?
no subject
[ He doesn't sound bitter, just matter-of-fact, as he checks the man's dressings. Settling back to sit on his heels, he rests his arms on his legs and watches his handler drag in shallow, rasping breaths. ]
Easy enough to break in; not so easy to leave, not once we'd gotten the info. Like they were waiting for us to take it.
At one point, it was just a wall of arrows coming at us. We were lucky to escape at all.
[ That explains the bolt, buried in his shoulder. ]
He covered me. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't.
no subject
[Another mental readjustment: the handler, Grayson. The brother. He'd protected the kid. It was stupid and sentimental, but that made Kuzuryuu feel better about his decision. He'd always wanted to save Damian, if he could; the man cold enough to use a child like that was a different story.
He steps closer to crouch near Damian and his brother, gets a better look at his wounds. Makes sure not to infringe on the space between them. He's quiet when he speaks.]
Tsumiki's dealt with shit on this scale. [Well, maybe not quite this bad...but how likely had Kuromaku's survival been, back then? He exhales and stands again to resume his watch.] And when it comes to her patients, she doesn't let go. Your brother'll wake up again.
no subject
A reminder, however unintended, of what, exactly, Kuromaku's signed himself up for.
It's when Kuzuryuu stops short, speaks quiet, that he turns back to his handler; his hand makes an aborted gesture, as if to reach out to Grayson again (solely to comfort himself), but settles, restrained, back on his knees, fingers curling loosely. ]
Tsumiki is formidable. [ A truth. And an understatement. ] I've seen her all but raise a man from the dead, before. I was planning to go to her after, if you didn't show.
[ But not before. Too much of a risk, to abandon the man for long. And he didn't want to carry Grayson any further through the tunnels. ]
no subject
He lifts his head: It doesn't feel like Shozo and Peko are getting any farther away. They must be collecting Tsumiki. He looks back down at Damian.]
You thought I might not turn up?
no subject
[ He flashes a smirk, brief but wicked. Not only had he assassinated a key political leader, but he'd managed it right under Kuromaku's nose. Almost a taunt, if he had any sense of humor when he's mid-mission. At the time, it had just been the most practical method.
He rolls his shoulders back, though the movement is hitched by the thick bolt embedded above his shoulder blade; he lets himself lean forward in a slouch, to take some of the pressure off, resting his forehead against the crook of his arms as he stares up at Kuzuryuu. ]
Why did you?
no subject
[He's still annoyed about that, by the way. That guy had been a friend of a friend, and having failed...he hates coming up short, especially when it's important. Especially when it hurts good people. But he gave Damian his word--no harm or punishment for crimes past--and he's sticking by it.
He doesn't look at Damian as he answers.]
I put my life on the line every day for the things I believe in. If I couldn't do at least this much, I might as well just fucking quit.
[It should probably sound inspiring, coming from one of the city's sentinels. A speech about hope. But Kuzuryuu says it in a low, contemptuous tone, like there's something more he could be doing to beat himself up.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
i'm sorry i had to use this icon /MAFIA
LI'L MATCHES COME TO YOUR ANIKI'S BOSOM
the description of that icon is "swaggety." i am trash
No it's wonderful
li'l matches best tiny mafia baby
Adopted. So adopted. Li'l Matches can watch Kuzu cry every time he watches The Godfather.
Li'l matches just facepalms
It's like the story of his childhood okay
it's a really long movie. kiddo tuned out an hour ago.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)