daemonized | RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

you should've seen his face, she kept listing all the stuff she'd learned how to do living there, stuff like dusting the sticks

riding the rail

polishing the knobs

skinning the sausage

choking the chicken

that's when he started questioning her

his reaction when she talked about wringing its neck and chopping the head right off was priceless, i'm not sure he ever realized she wasn't a prostitute

Edited (i really just want to destroy your new ic post before you say anything about it don't mind me) 2017-09-19 20:30 (UTC)

Hey, I need to ask you something.
Do you have the time?

You should come over.
I got something that I think you would like to see.

[they text, sure, but sometimes a phone call is better. immediately, hearing it ring, Grell's certain she should have asked for this in person, but in person ran the risk of completely deciding to leave things alone for another day. so having already contacted her moral support, she can't bring herself to put it off longer.

what did help was making sure nothing was going to interrupt her as she took this call, sitting on the rooftop. it felt right, and she's not going to stop a dramatic impulse.]

[she'll finish the story she accidentally sent Aria if it kills her

and considering who it goes to next, it just might]

So I look up and what do I see before me? Freaking anime porn. On Brad's laptop. In the middle of class. You don't get to call *me* shameless again.

[Togusa hopes that Ardyn appreciates this stuff still. But he gets a rather large envelope from Togusa this time.

Inside, first, is a summary of research by Dr. James Halliday. Apparently he was a memory researcher who theorized about increasing human recall by deep-brain stimulation of the entorhinal cortex (underlined, with a sticky note attached that comments that it contains the hippocampus and other memory-related structures).

Behind that is a copy of a head MRI, the multi-colored brain pictures might mean nothing to Ardyn, which is why there is another note commenting 'normal function of hippocampus, nothing odd.'

Behind that is a copy of a head CT, a few pictures of the brain in varying shades of grey, or in this case, a lot more white than is generally expected, like there's an extra lining in all the major pathways of the brain.

"Extra solid matter within the channels of the brain, if we didn't know what we were looking for, you'd think this was the brain of somebody with advanced dementia."]

[l.....ate at night, ardyn's phone will buzz and the screen light up]

things have been pretty busy since classes started
i guess i'm sentimentally attached now? rip
hey ardyn
thanks for looking after me

🖕

[ Apparently the chat with Grell went 'well'. Why can't Pitou be as gracious as Prompto, huh?!?!?! ]

well what do you know

looks like you were right, noct's figured it out

maybe this sitcom scheme of yours will pan out after all

hey prof, have you ever given grell roses yet

actually hang on, let me rephrase the question: do you want a bouquet of roses to give to grell

[Attached is a picture of the bouquet he's just received from Elliot, sans the thank you note that was attached.]

don't ask

Have you ever tried to heal something less obviously physical?

Like shock, I suppose.

There are physical symptoms to it, after all, it is only that the cause isn't an obvious wound.

[ Perfectly normal things to contemplate at 4am right Ardyn. ]

[it's obvious that once the news of the...incident breaks, when Grell sees people in the hospital - Anya, Rosalind, Dante - that there's an undercurrent of strain in Grell's demeanor. something that shifted harshly, expressed in silences that are a half beat too long, and finally now, when she goes to find Ardyn, her face unreadable.]

I have come to the conclusion that I am going to go out, and most likely come back bruised from picking a fight with someone.

[no preface to that.]

Else I think I'll feel my mind break into pieces.

[he didn't go to your friday class at all, ardyn, but on saturday after his work shift, prompto is basically freeloading on the porch of ardyn's house. he hasn't rung the doorbell nor has he knocked on the door. he's just sitting there, on the steps, fiddling with his camera, despite the cold october chill.]

[after a moment, there's a loud yelp of surprise and a flash.]

[he managed to flash himself straight on like a total n00b]

[This one couldn't be hiding in Ardyn's mailbox, but got left on his doorstep. Mail call, but for a funny purpose, instead of a questionable one, this time.

The box is quite large, nearly a yard square, and then another foot and a half deep. But it's pretty light. The giveaway is the card on the top, which reads: 'Happy Birthday, next time we travel in style.'

Of course this is what's inside. Somebody's been sitting on this one for a few months.]

[ There is a box on the kitchen counter. It has holes in the lid and bounces around a little when the thing inside of it rolls over.

You know where this is going.

There's a six month old calico kitten inside with big black eyes rimmed in green. Two of Ardyn's measuring cups have been re-purposed as food and water dishes inside.

The note says: ]

Happy 40th!
This is Penelope!
--P

[waking up that morning, Grell knows exactly how important it is, even if he wants to keep it quiet. so he can't escape her coming up behind him and gently humming "Happy Birthday" as her arms wrap around him. when she finishes, she presses a kiss to his shoulder.]

You're not allowed to work too hard today.

[an echo of words he told her months ago.]

[This wouldn't be happening if you weren't so determined to mercilessly tease her every opportunity you got, Ardyn.

Seriously: years of friendship and you've always been a torment, cruelly teasing her over her paramours, hideous in your pointed provocation. She has suffered. God, but she has suffered; it's been years of having to put up with this.

So when she shows up that night, armed with a large department store shopping back and some very expensive scotch, he really only has himself to blame.]

i can't sleep
i'm too hype

Coffee.

[It's something Ardyn will only find once he's managed to get into his office, once all the balloons have been dealt with and his office unwrapped (or at least unwrapped to the point where it's usable again!). There's a USB drive taped to the screen of his computer, beneath the wrapping, separate enough that it wouldn't be missed and accidentally thrown away along with everything else.

When he plugs it in to the computer, there are only two files on it: a video and a text file.

>> 20171101153257.mp4

Since Ardyn's been to Dante's apartment now, he'll recognize the piano sitting in front of the large windows, Dante sitting at the bench. The smile that's on his face isn't his usual self-confident one (that one's hasn't been seen since everything had gone down with Malik), but it's a genuine one nonetheless.]

I know I promised to play this for you in person, but... well, the only reason I can do this right now at all is thanks to you.

I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with. But you've been looking out for me since before I was ready to accept it, even when I tried to push you away. [He glances away, and the smile turns a little more sheepish for a moment.] So... thanks, prof. For always being there for me. I don't know where I'd be without you.

This is one of the songs I was thinking about for you and Grell.

[He turns to the piano now, and you already know what song this is. It's not a self-indulgent performance, but there's definitely a sense of freedom to the music, a relief at how his hands can dance across the keys still. This is the gift you've given him, Ardyn, and he will never stop being grateful for it.

The text file, when Ardyn opens it, contains only a brief message:]

Happy birthday, prof. I hope it's a good one.

Edited 2017-11-05 02:42 (UTC)

[it's a usual day in their house, getting up, getting ready for the morning, Grell rising later than Ardyn and heading towards the bathroom to get dressed and ready...

except for the part where, loud and as heartbroken as could be, a cry rings out]

No! Absolutely not!

[she's gone and locked the door by now to keep herself in.]

so
that thing we can do
i think i finally got it down
if you need help

[ At some point in the day -- should Ardyn leave and come home -- he'll find a package at his doorstep, seemingly normal except that it has not an address on it, but simply the word "Uncle." When opened, the box contains what you might expect on Christmas Eve: a few presents, carefully wrapped in cheery paper.

The first of these is a scarf, though unlike many of Yu's past scarf gifts, this one isn't meant to be silly or funny. It's silk, in muted cool colors that suit Ardyn's usual color palette. What's taking up most of the space in the box is what turns out to be a hat, with a gift receipt and a note that reads: I hope it's to your taste.

There are two more things tucked away at the bottom. One is flat and rectangular, and it turns out to be a nice picture frame, with a photo of Ardyn and the twins smiling and laughing together. It seems to be from the twins' birthday. The other is a card, that once again simply says "Uncle" on the envelope. Within is a handmade coupon for a three course dinner at the time and place of the bearer's choosing, but unless the bearer wants to deal with a haunted stove, perhaps the bearer's home would be the best place, just a suggestion. The card itself has kittens in Santa hats on the front. It's a blank card, no pre-made message. Yu, a person of few words in normal moments but even fewer in emotional ones, has only written a few words:

Thank you.

Merry Christmas, uncle.

It's signed with just a paw print. ]

[ merry christmas ardyn!! majima gets him a set of the bunkers and badasses books, because roleplay! enjoy. ]

Uncle? I'm sorry to bother you on a holiday like this, but could I come by?

9/20 misfire

9/21

9/21 misfire oh no

9/30