( V doesn't even know what to make of it when the device around his wrist lights up, vying for his attention. will.graham reads across the display, with (3) messages received and ready for viewing.
'Oh I'm sorry, is this interrupting your little chit-chat?' Griffon isn't super thrilled to be turning around at a time like this to find V texting, apparently. 'Tell your boyfriend that now isn't exactly a great time!')
For one very naΓ―ve moment, I had to think their ill attitude had something to do with some outstanding late fees.
Until I presumed it was a much more personal matter.
( there's a pause, but a brief one. Griffon gives them enough space once he unleashes a blast of lightning that rakes across the disgruntled group of masked assailants. the lightning blinds them, disorients them, which gives V and his familiar a chance to duck down and make an escape. )
Are you all right? ( asked as if V didn't just almost take a baseball bat to the face a minute ago. )
[ Will's just gotten back home, just gotten back to the safety of his dark and quiet little street out towards the edge of town. And his first thought after catching his breath had been for anyone else he knew who might not be so lucky in their housing.
He hadn't actually expected that the nighttime aggression of the townsfolk was actively ongoing, or even that V would even be awake. This rattles Will where he's already been rattled. ]
i am now.
sounds like you recently weren't? or currently aren't?
( Will is...worried. V blinks down at his device's screen, blank with consideration. it's unexpected, striking and sudden, but glows with something dim, a mesmerizing ember under the high-burning fire before him. interesting.
but there isn't time for it to consider. )
I've handled far worse, I promise you. ( V realizes he might not appear as sufficient as he knows himself to be, after what happened when the pollen bloomed through the town, but if V is capable of anything β it's learning from mistakes. shocking for him, considering his ultimate past, right? )
It will be difficult to lie low in the town. And as far as I know, it's impossible to tread past Deerington's limits.
They're coming after us...sleepers. ( a word V heard fall away from the ravenous mouths of the townsfolk, as they narrowed himself down as a target earlier. )
so have i. that doesn't mean i'm looking forward to figuring out how this goes from here. [ Of course, when Will says he's also handled worse, he's thinking more along the lines of gaslighting, manipulation, horrific crimes beyond most people's creative boundaries...not demons. So. Small differences in what they know to dread, there.
But the rest of V's reply inspires a spiraling dread in Will...alongside the knowledge that he thinks he should actually know how to fix this. Should he offer? ]
so far i've only seen them invade areas they're comfortable in. and usually in packs. the only good thing is they're easy to see coming.
and they don't tend to venture too far from the busier center.
don't you live there? [ Will doesn't live near the center of town, which is why he feels safe, and he's absolutely getting an idea, here. ]
Of course not. But, it means you're better prepared for what may come. ( V can't possibly give the 'power is best in the hands of those who don't want it' advice right now, given...everything in his sordid past. not even Vergil was that big of a hypocrite.
the insight Will provides makes plenty of sense, which is good news. possibly the best V has read all day. aside from that, none of the natural residents seem to possess any powers for themselves, which V might hypothesize that their advantage might be an immunity to the bizarre events that occur in this town? it will be a question for another day.
ideally, one with much less property damage. )
I do.
As it happens, my roommate has made the townhome an impenetrable fortress...that even I cannot gain access to. I think I'd rather it that way, even at the cost of my own safety. ( brilliant child wizard that he is, V would rather he stayed safe with his zoo of incredible creatures. V, shockingly, isn't very worried about Newt's safety. )
I was headed toward the quieter outskirts of town on a whim, already. It seems to be my only option left for the moment. I would hate to see anything happen to the library, you see.
hiding at the library might work. but i've seen them go in there sometimes.
[ Will's alone with his faded adrenaline now, in his two-story house in what passes for 'nowhere' here. He still has visible neighbors, but even he'd have a hard time throwing something into their yards from his own.
Will rubs at a knot in the wood of his kitchen table, ignoring the coffee he'd made when he got home and hadn't quite finished shaking yet. ] haven't seen them on my street, yet. [ A silent suggestion. ]
Hiding in the library could be equally dangerous as it could be brilliant. I also don't wish to ultimately invite more work for myself should the locals make a mess of things. ( do you know how long it takes to sort all these books a day? and it isn't even very many, admittedly. it would be lovely if whole bins could stop disappearing without notice.
besides the point, though. )
Is that so?
( there might be a breath of surprise there, not quite trepidation, but something unexpected. V might have expected something offered in the way of man-power, but to be offered solace, freely... it's interesting
he'll leave the thought at that. more pressing matters. )
I'm not far. Any provisions I should look for on the way? Weapons, fuel, hors d'oeuvres?
well i'd hate to be the suggestion that ruined your dewey decimal system.
[ Will chews on his lip and doesn't reply to the second text immediately. If he were back home, he'd fitfully pet one of his dogs. βIf he were home, he probably wouldn't be inviting anyone over at all.
The third response stuns him solidly enough that it takes him until the auto-dim on the screen starts to threaten to turn the phone off, before he remembers to respond. ]
only if you're hungry for something nicer than reheated ravioli. [ Which Will bought frozen from the store. He's not exactly a haut cuisine chef, sorry...not that Will actually knows anything of V's tastes beyond what he seemed to like for tea. ]
Oddly enough, I can't say I've ever had ravioli to start with. ( food has always been a luxury more than a necessity, especially while existing in the Underworld for stretches at a time. being half-demon has some economical benefits.
means you have to subsist on crystallized demon blood, which is arguably...much less exciting than actual food...
it's cheap, though! )
So fret not, I imagine I'll be easy to impress.
( getting another text five minutes later shouldn't be shocking in terms of wait time, seeing as V definitely isn't a five minute walk from Will's secluded home... but the contents of the message are on a markedly different train of mood from the last correspondence. )
It might be a little past due to say, but I hope you have a medical kit up there in your idyllic house.
where did you say you were from, again? [ It's asked rhetorically, or at least it is for now. Will fully realizes that now's not the time...and that V already alluded to an unusual life prior to Deerington, back at the cafe. ]
glad someone won't be disappointed by my cooking. i wish i could say the same about myself.
[ Will's got plates out on the counter in an innocent, likely ill-fated attempt at playing civil host, when he gets that text.
Well. At least this is more in-line with what he'd expect from his life. ] one of the first things i bought.
is it first aid-kit level? or should we discuss bringing you to the hospital? i'm not a doctor just because i'm first-aid certified.
I don't know of any doctors that aren't native to the town; might do more harm than good, given the current social climate. I'll certainly live. ( that's reassuring, right? )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
'Oh I'm sorry, is this interrupting your little chit-chat?' Griffon isn't super thrilled to be turning around at a time like this to find V texting, apparently. 'Tell your boyfriend that now isn't exactly a great time!' )
For one very naΓ―ve moment, I had to think their ill attitude had something to do with some outstanding late fees.
Until I presumed it was a much more personal matter.
( there's a pause, but a brief one. Griffon gives them enough space once he unleashes a blast of lightning that rakes across the disgruntled group of masked assailants. the lightning blinds them, disorients them, which gives V and his familiar a chance to duck down and make an escape. )
Are you all right? ( asked as if V didn't just almost take a baseball bat to the face a minute ago. )
no subject
He hadn't actually expected that the nighttime aggression of the townsfolk was actively ongoing, or even that V would even be awake. This rattles Will where he's already been rattled. ]
i am now.
sounds like you recently weren't? or currently aren't?
no subject
but there isn't time for it to consider. )
I've handled far worse, I promise you. ( V realizes he might not appear as sufficient as he knows himself to be, after what happened when the pollen bloomed through the town, but if V is capable of anything β it's learning from mistakes. shocking for him, considering his ultimate past, right? )
It will be difficult to lie low in the town. And as far as I know, it's impossible to tread past Deerington's limits.
They're coming after us...sleepers. ( a word V heard fall away from the ravenous mouths of the townsfolk, as they narrowed himself down as a target earlier. )
no subject
But the rest of V's reply inspires a spiraling dread in Will...alongside the knowledge that he thinks he should actually know how to fix this. Should he offer? ]
so far i've only seen them invade areas they're comfortable in. and usually in packs. the only good thing is they're easy to see coming.
and they don't tend to venture too far from the busier center.
don't you live there? [ Will doesn't live near the center of town, which is why he feels safe, and he's absolutely getting an idea, here. ]
no subject
the insight Will provides makes plenty of sense, which is good news. possibly the best V has read all day. aside from that, none of the natural residents seem to possess any powers for themselves, which V might hypothesize that their advantage might be an immunity to the bizarre events that occur in this town? it will be a question for another day.
ideally, one with much less property damage. )
I do.
As it happens, my roommate has made the townhome an impenetrable fortress...that even I cannot gain access to. I think I'd rather it that way, even at the cost of my own safety. ( brilliant child wizard that he is, V would rather he stayed safe with his zoo of incredible creatures. V, shockingly, isn't very worried about Newt's safety. )
I was headed toward the quieter outskirts of town on a whim, already. It seems to be my only option left for the moment. I would hate to see anything happen to the library, you see.
no subject
[ Will's alone with his faded adrenaline now, in his two-story house in what passes for 'nowhere' here. He still has visible neighbors, but even he'd have a hard time throwing something into their yards from his own.
Will rubs at a knot in the wood of his kitchen table, ignoring the coffee he'd made when he got home and hadn't quite finished shaking yet. ] haven't seen them on my street, yet. [ A silent suggestion. ]
no subject
besides the point, though. )
Is that so?
( there might be a breath of surprise there, not quite trepidation, but something unexpected. V might have expected something offered in the way of man-power, but to be offered solace, freely... it's interesting
he'll leave the thought at that. more pressing matters. )
I'm not far. Any provisions I should look for on the way? Weapons, fuel, hors d'oeuvres?
no subject
[ Will chews on his lip and doesn't reply to the second text immediately. If he were back home, he'd fitfully pet one of his dogs. βIf he were home, he probably wouldn't be inviting anyone over at all.
The third response stuns him solidly enough that it takes him until the auto-dim on the screen starts to threaten to turn the phone off, before he remembers to respond. ]
only if you're hungry for something nicer than reheated ravioli. [ Which Will bought frozen from the store. He's not exactly a haut cuisine chef, sorry...not that Will actually knows anything of V's tastes beyond what he seemed to like for tea. ]
no subject
means you have to subsist on crystallized demon blood, which is arguably...much less exciting than actual food...
it's cheap, though! )
So fret not, I imagine I'll be easy to impress.
( getting another text five minutes later shouldn't be shocking in terms of wait time, seeing as V definitely isn't a five minute walk from Will's secluded home... but the contents of the message are on a markedly different train of mood from the last correspondence. )
It might be a little past due to say, but I hope you have a medical kit up there in your idyllic house.
( uh ohhh )
v pls
glad someone won't be disappointed by my cooking. i wish i could say the same about myself.
[ Will's got plates out on the counter in an innocent, likely ill-fated attempt at playing civil host, when he gets that text.
Well. At least this is more in-line with what he'd expect from his life. ] one of the first things i bought.
is it first aid-kit level? or should we discuss bringing you to the hospital? i'm not a doctor just because i'm first-aid certified.
πγ°οΈπ
Incoming.