[closed] they told me all of my cages were mental

[ordinar]

Who: Wilhelm & miscellaneous
When: throughout October & November
Where: Thorne, Horizon
What: Catchall for dramatic bitch fall
Warnings: will adjust as needed


Closed starters to follow. Maybe some open starters eventually.

Comments

[thedevilwhorose]

If Lucifer were less mature he would toss his arms up in a what can you do hopeless gesture--

Who's anyone kidding, that definitely happens as he turns around and follows after Wilhelm.

Mildred is going to kill him for this, that's all he can think. But he doesn't know what else to do, it's why he was hoping maybe, somehow, Jack would work. Could probably still work, really. They already don't like each other, what's breaking a child going to do; Jack would hardly be surprised.

It's a long, agonizing walk. Worse than the walk through the Hunting Grounds. He sometimes lags behind the kid, sometimes takes the lead, mostly makes sure Wilhelm doesn't wander off in the distracted bedraggled duckling that he is.

The only blessing is that when they get to the Winking Cauldron Kell isn't on shift. Lucifer doesn't think he's really seen him in a while.

He frog-marches Wilhelm to a table, not Lucifer's usual, putting him in a corner instead of having his tears all on display by a window. Then he moves to the counter and hollers towards the back.

Mildred takes one look at Wilhelm, then immediately turns sharp eyes back to Lucifer. He spreads his arms, nearly pleading, more because of Mildred than Wilhelm.

He had a good thing here. He's not so sure how well that will hold up after.

"I'm sorry, I don't know, please get him something warm that isn't an experiment and something simple to eat and just take care of him for a little bit--he doesn't want to be around me so I need to go."

"What you need to do is talk about this," she argues, hushed. "What did you--what happened?"

"Me. I happened. Please."

"Fine, only because he looks like he needs help. Go, get out of here. You owe me, Lucifer."

"I know, I know."

He slumps back to Wilhelm's table, hands shoved deeply into his pockets and looking like a tense bowstring. "Don't run off. She'll chase you down if you do. She'll take care of you."

And unless Wilhelm says anything else, he's gone, not even walking out the door, just disappearing from thin air.

[ordinar]

On the slog to the Winking Cauldon, Wilhelm keeps his head down and his arms crossed, as if intending to hold himself together through physical force. He sets his countenance in the sullen anger that marks someone who is trying to pretend he wasn't just crying. His face stays dry, though his glossy eyes betray him.

Somewhere along the way, he wonders why the hell he's still following. He wants to be alone to lick his wounds, but the thought of being alone also makes his chest tighten. The empty silence of his room seems suffocating.

Somewhere else, it strikes him that Lucifer could have left at any point. And he chose to stay, to ensure Wilhelm wouldn't be left alone. He chose to stay despite his awkwardness in dealing with others' emotions. Wilhelm doesn't know what to do with that ill-fitting piece. Clutch it close or fling it away.

Once inside the teashop, he folds into a chair at the table he's led to. He avoids looking at Lucifer; he says nothing. For his trouble, he gets a half-shrug, a tensing jaw. When Lucifer vanishes, the world doesn't end, though his heart momentarily contracts like one of those stars that's burned up all its fuel. Mildred scoots something hot and fragrant in front of him, and a warm hunk of bread slathered in butter to go with it, which gets a terse thanks out of him. He tears into it less because he's hungry, and more because it provides a reason not to talk.

Like the tide going out, Sannleikr's influence recedes. As familiar faces repopulate his memory, the sharpest emotion he's left with is his anger. Used again. Betrayed again.

But it's never that simple.