fullcursemeal | [Limelight] Inbox Pt. Deux

[the box gives out a crack under the pressure of Curtain's fox teeth, but it's still not giving, so while Booker will probably get a deeper scratch the integrity of his finger is safe.

also still giving feral rabbit kicks against the dragon tail's grip.]

[Booker grabs, a marble? no, that won't work, the Ouija board? no that won't either, god dammit where is something useful.

his tail is probably heavily scratched up from the kicks, bleeding there, but nothing is going to make him let go there. He winces as the box begins to crack and tries yanking harder but-- his attention is split]

If you want to eat that ring you're going to have to take my finger, too.

[gives him a defiant look. he can't talk while the ring box is in his mouth (and still mostly intact), but his eyes absolutely spell "watch me".]

Of fucking course.

[his blind feeling around finally results in grabbing one of the visions he can disrupt this and. thankfully it's one that he only knows how it works because Asura once so helpfully told him.

He finds the squid plushie, and squeezes it, throwing them both into a rather dramatic vision that ends in fire]

[he was not expecting to be suddenly thrown into a memory, much less a stressful one like this. the tension remains throughout most of it except then it gets to the end and Kim Dokja (Yu Junghyeok???) is being burned alive.

the shock is quite a lot, even for a crazy person like Geto Suguru (but especially for a crazy person like Geto Suguru who is currently in the form of a fox).

when he comes to again he finds his teeth have successfully broken the box and his mouth is closed around its bits and pieces (ring included).

but there's something else too... something warm and scaly filling it with a dark salty liquid.

oops there goes Booker Storm's finger.]

[Booker was hoping to come out of that sooner due to his experience with it, to use a moment of distraction to pry the box loose, or at least to distract or -- derail Asura in some way. But it doesn't work like that, first of all, he gets it from the first person perspective, he's getting really familiar with dying in fire as a sensation by now, and it's worse the second time because the visions feel closer to real memories.

What jolts him out of it is the pain of his finger being bit off.

He frankly is a bit stunned at the series of events from set myself on fire to win at something > lost a finger to??]

[anyway then he curls his bloody hand into a fist and punches a fox in the side of his face]

[somebody call Estorian PETA this is animal abuse.

there's a whimper as he takes that punch in full and all of what was in his mouth finally gets spat out.]

[promptly grabs the mostly crushed ring box, pulls the ring out, and shoves it on one of his (remaining) fingers]

[luckily (unluckily???) for Booker, Geto is too stunned from the combo of having his entire body squeezed, seeing that memory, and being punched. so he stumbles on all four legs for a couple of steps before tipping over sideways, unable to get at the ring again]

[the memory takes a while to play, Booker's features shift into thoughtful intensity as goes, but his eyes stay distant.

And... if one were to look at his missing finger, they would notice that instead of meat and bone there is a strange darkness, something like the edges of torn paper instead of flesh, just under the surface. And the blood that was inky black a moment ago changes, into black characters, hangul but inarticulate and scattered, flowing out of his stumpy finger]

[he was more focused on Booker's face, but when something starts shifting out of the corner of his eye that catches his attention and he watches, ears perking up at the familiar characters]

[as the vision plays out and finally ends, he drops his face quietly into his hands. The tail releases Asura in his distraction.]

[well, he's too worn out from all of that struggle now, so he stays put, lying on his side, watching him (the finger stump, mainly)]

[it honestly gets like halfway through another playthrough before he pulls himself out of a sad reverie enough to pull the ring off, and he just sits back and looks up instead.

seems to have forgotten about the finger, frankly]

[oh, this is weird?

this is weird.

his ears flatten again and he wobbles to sit up as well]

Booker.

[looks at him eventually, not pissed just.

Unhappy.]

[then sighs, and says this knowing full well that for at least the next 24 hours, Curtain will believe it]

Jae isn't dead. He's just not here right now.

[blinks.

dumb dog headtilt.]

Oh.

[and his tail starts wagging a little, which he seems to be unaware of]

...and I don't know how long he's going to be gone.

[idly reaches out to pick up one of the other memories, the pen]

There are people in this world who care about Booker Storm's existence, and I have a responsibility to them, too.

[just uses the pen to write on the inside of his arm and trigger another vision]

[logically he can tell what is happening, he knows what is happening. but even being aware that this is Booker's blood at work, he can't find it in him to challenge any of what he's being told. it's true, after all. why should he? no... it doesn't make sense.

he can feel his heart beating fast in his chest, faster even than when he's a human... but instead of the fear or upset that tends to accompany it, there's nothing. it's as if the physical exertion was just the byproduct of having been running very fast for a long time, and now that he's arrived at the finish line, there's just a quiet sense of excitement and hope.

the tail wagging picks up a bit and he gets up to move closer to Booker, but his step falters and he's suddenly reminded that he's also bleeding from Booker's talons earlier.

strangely, he also can't seem to be upset at that.

he sits again, intently watching as Booker uses the pen.]

Edited 2025-04-03 03:12 (UTC)

[this one is comparatively brief, and he huffs out something dangerously close to a smile as it ends.]

then he grabs the box of bandages and begins to open one

this causes him to need to use his hand with the finger that's been removed and he finally notices that his blood is letters now]

...shit. I was going to try to bottle some before that happened.

[blinks]

Your blood?

[he moves again, but this time it's towards the finger that's just lying on the floor.

he goes... and noses it towards Booker with his tail tucked between his hind legs and ears drooping... just fully looking like a dog who knows he did a bad thing and wants to atone for it]

[...notices that and doesn't absolve him or rub it in, but does pickup the finger, honestly looking a little grossed out, and tries to reattach it while wincing... (it does not magically reattach itself), wishful thinking]

Yeah. I knew it was going to change if I kept taking them.

Not a bad thing, really. I'm happy enough to be free of that blessing. But it is useful stuff.

Re: Day 254, 3ish AM

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cw: finger loss

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