action & gemini network | un: lillium

[ornamentals]

WHO: Kni & You
WHERE: Action part takes place at the Cottage & Network is on Gemini
WHEN: 7/31
WHAT: Congratulations, your Butter Knife has evolved into a Steak Knife! (Kni canon updated and just woke up from a three day sleep)
WARNINGS: Spoilers for Episode 9 of Tristamp, possible talk of bodily injuries (past). I'll update and tag any threads that may need a warning.

[ action - locked to cottage crew ]

[waking up to that birthday-visiting skeleton as the last five years back on that sandpit of a planet slip through his mind like some vividly intense dream isn't exactly what he would have preferred, but it is what it is. the uninvited guest slips away in the moments between kni looking down at the gun he remembers giving to vash before--

ah, his head is pounding.

for now, the gun is tucked away into the back of his dresser as something to conteplate later. the sensation of waking up after so much happening, back in his bed in his room in this world is a jarring experience. he only notices after standing up that his clothes have shrunk - or that he's grown. of course, after five years...

he needs to go outside, feel something more tangible than wooden floors under his feet and maybe, if he's lucky, some rain.]

[ network - gemini | un: lillium ]

[network users are treated to video feed of three very plump chickens (blue, white, and black respectively) running up to kni as he walks towards the chicken coop outside.]

Did you miss me? It's only been a few days.

[kni's voice is different, definitely a bit older now.]

Mary, you look bigger... I bet Vash overfed everyone, didn't he? [mary, in all of her fluffy black plummage, clucks merrily with her sisters as kni crouches down to crumble up a cracker over the grass for the girls to scratch at. he sighs behind the screen.] I suppose it can't be helped.

Comments

Video

[ampersand_me]

Have a... mostly centered but still kind of weird angle shot of, well, what was definitely not a human face. Knuckles was working on the whole using the app thing but recent months were kind of crazy around here, okay?

"Do Earth fowls gain weight that quickly?"

Nope, he had no idea what all this talk about being gone or something was about.

[ornamentals]

[that's right, because this city was a hub for all kinds of world travelers. after five years of only humans to keep company (as if), he'd almost forgotten it wasn't like that here.]

The ones bred for consumption are, yes. The fatter the animal, the more meat it can provide to those who eat it.

But I'm not going to eat them.

[ampersand_me]

The app users especially were an... eclectic bunch, to be sure. Not that Knuckles paid any of that sort of thing any mind.

"I see."

Did he really? It was impossible to say.

"Those ones are your pets, then?"

video; un: captainkenway

[jackdawvision]

Oh, you too, lad? It might be going around, lately.

[The kid looks...familiar, now, in a way that doesn't just remind Edward of Vash, but also that man who'd leveled a city as an afterthought. That had been Kni's father, right? He's sure of that, anyway.]

They look fine! I think. Been a while since I worked on a farm. [A couple of decades, in fact.]

video; un: lillium

[ornamentals]

[oh edward, so close.]

How long was it for you?

[the time spent while under that enchanted sleep. his head still feels a little cloudy.]

This isn't a farm. [pause... well...] Not really.

[jackdawvision]

Four years. [A small smile.] I met my daughter. Spitfire of a girl, with her mother’s eyes to go with my own temper. You, lad?

[It’s clearly been some time. He sounded a touch older than he was the last time Edward had seen him.]

Mm, you’re right, it ain’t big enough to really count as a farm as I would’ve known one. But my parents used to keep chickens too… [He hasn’t seen them in—god, a long time.] How do you feel after that long sleep?

action

[advivo]

[ he'll find Dante outside once he gets out there, ruffling the fur of his Arcanine Lucifer as the massive creature tries to headbutt it's owner. it is only Kni's appearance that spares Dante from all but being balled over, Lucifer's gaze flicking up towards the young plant alerting Dante to his appearance.

(he knew the kid was up and about again, could sense him just like he can sense all the others.)

the devilhunter exhales patting the Arcanine on the side of it's head, a silent motion of approval, turning around to watch Lucifer pad it's way over to Kni and make a low rumble. ]

Look at that Lu, the beansprout's had a growth spurt.

action

[ornamentals]

[the first thing that hits him is the humidity, a little stifling in between all of the rainstorms this past month has endured. it feels like years, and it has a way, since he's smelled the scent of wet earth and grass.

he isn't given much time to follow that train of thought when he's greeted by lucifer. kni raises both hands for the arcanine to headbump and the force of it only has him stumbling back a step.]

You've seen how tall Vash is, it was going to happen eventually. [although, vash has grown somehow taller through magical effects granted by this place. details.] Beansprout isn't exactly fitting now.

[advivo]

[ Lucifer is incredibly happy to see the plant, nuzzling into the raised hands before lowering himself down onto the ground in front of Kni. his large, fluffly tail wags happily and he lets out a snort.

it's cute, warms the heart even. ]

Do us a favor and don't get as tall as Vash, not sure I could handle the two of you being that all. [ no, part of him isn't at all a little bitter over Vash's growth spurt. what are you talking about? Dante walks over lazily, stopping beside Lucifer to absently reach over and scratch at the pokemon behind the ear. ]

Guess it isn't, but you'll always be Beansprout in my heart.

video; un: kesitakame

[hoshikiri]

[Seeing the chickens is nothing new from either network, it's often greeted by critters first and users second. And given how much Takame stops by the cottage, he even recognized them. Regrettably, he also recognized the difference in one of the younger residents of it.

And his fists clenched. His guard rose.

That was Kni, but he was older. Different. And knowing the path his life would take to lead him to being Millions Knives... Takame was on edge immediately.

Still... he wanted to give the benefit of the doubt for now. He was already stressed. And it was a thing to be celebrated that Kni was still here, for Vash's sake if nothing else.

Either way, the feed did not show Takame at all as he wanted to gauge the returned young man's demeanor himself first. Instead there was a clear view of his well known Espeon that took a liking to Kni sniffsniffsniffin' away at the camera. And Takame's voice.]

Did it happen to you as well? A sleep that was long to you but to this realm was a mere few days?

video; un: lillium

[ornamentals]

[oh, hello espeon. his fingers twitch with the urge to scratch behind one of those ears.]

That's right. A few days sleep here ended up five years passing back in my own world. After what happened to Vash, I had wondered if I might go through something similar one day.

[hoshikiri]

[Oh! It's Kni but with a new haircut! Sakuya will bap at the screen now as if in greeting. Takame will let him but he did note that light finger twitching. Dare he let himself hope.]

It seems those of us from other realms are all susceptible to it occurring. [... He felt somewhat guilty asking this with an ulterior motive rather than fully our of concern.] Are you feeling alright?

Action

[playtag]

[Similar to last time one of the plant twins took a sudden and long nap, Eve wasn't far away (even if past experience had her slightly less worried). She is sitting crouched outside the door, a book open but barely read. Hoping her little brother will be up again soon.]

[The sound of feet and the door creaking open jostles her mind out of wistful staring. Eve quickly turns her head, heart full of relief. Relief that quickly turns to mild confusion.]

[...Oh, his hair changed too while he slept? And Eve may be sitting on the floor, but why does the perceptive make him seem so tall??]

Kni? You're finally awake.

Action

[ornamentals]

[so many little things have changed with the baby fat in his face gone and promising a strong jawline in the upcoming years. a little longer, a little taller that now all of the clothes he has stowed away and neatly folded are just an inch too short. he'll have to dig into vash's clothes, or maybe even wolfwood's until he can find something that will fit properly.

eve gets a small smile from kni, the lines of fatigue under his eyes one of the newer details he woke up with.]

Finally? That makes it sound like you missed me.

1/2

[playtag]

[All those little changes are adding up and Eve frowns at the implications. She stands up hesitantly and the shoe drops (as well as the book from her hand). No, it's not just her perspective. He is quite a few inches taller now.]

[This would be a shock for most people. But with Eve, that moment of shock transitions to a horrified realization.]

[HER LITTLE BROTHER]

[HE IS NO LONGER THE LITTLE BROTHER]

[She has been robbed! Robbed!!! Robbed of her dream of being the big sister. First she loses little Nick, now this??? What did she do to deserve this]

2/2 - A rare bratty sis occurance

[playtag]

[Gaze averted so she doesn't have to LOOK UP at Kni, her cheeks puff up in indignation]

I take it back. Go back to bed.

[Maybe he'll shrink again if he goes back to sleep and everything will be put to rights.]

action

[doubledollar]

[ it's been a tense few days. He can feel it, the silence in his head that'd been palpable. He'd done the same thing, after all, didn't he? 'disappeared' from this world, gone home, and then woke up after what was actually years for him, and yet nothing for those here.

a tense long weekend that ended with him waking up to tearful friends and family worried he'd died.

the first day that kni doesn't wake up, he started to panic, of course. Not leaving his side and speaking to a few of his friends that he's sure

he's sure it's happening again.
kni would surely wake up, he would he

grew in his sleep.
within a day it was noticable, how his hair got longer, the way he was lying in bed had changed to accustom the new length to his limbs

...the lines under his eyes got darker, with stress of the world that grew by the third day.
He started to look a lot more like the older brother he knew, and he's

worried

that by the third day, if Kni doesn't wake up...

...But that isn't a worry that lingers long on the third day, as he can feel that connection between them start to stir. A music that is so quiet, if he wasn't intensely focused on weeding the garden, he may have missed it. He's immediately to his feet and all but sprinting to the cottage, almost fast enough to trip up over his own two feet.

It is raining--lightly, a mist at best, but when Vash slides up to the other (taller now) plant, he looks soaked through. As if he'd been out there for hours. ]

--Kni. Kni, you--

[ he sounds breathless, terrified--worried, relieved, so many emotions at once...
Tears are starting to leak down his face. ]

You're taller.

action

[ornamentals]

[their connection draws them together, the moment kni wakes and shakes the sleep from his senses. the last he remembers is vash and it's the first thing that comes to mind as his surroundings return to him. all the memories crammed into one year spent here, the good and bad and ugly and

he's watched too many westerns. everything is so muddled right now, had vash experienced this kind of disconnection after waking up? kni couldn't remember, his own memories fuzzy from how much he'd cried then, safe to break down in the comfort of his brother's protective embrace. had he worried vash during his own sleep or was he okay knowing kni's hair wouldn't - hadn't - grown darker as the hours passed into days?

in his mind's eye, kni keeps coming back to the last image of vash. his vash, so angry and ready to shoot him, all while bleeding out-

his feet take him outside and before he can follow that familiar connection, vash finds him first. it's jarring, kni freezing on the spot as his eyes widen and mouth open as everything seems to come to a screeching halt. his heart hammers wildly against his rib cage, eyes flickering over vash from his face to his arm

the same arm he cut off. the memory is so vivid it rocks him a little, how easily it'd been to slice through flesh and bone and brother. kni's hand moves impulsively, grabbing at his arm just above where he remembers his blade cutting, and squeezes tight enough to leave little red marks for later. he pulls himself in tightly, arms crossed across his chest as he tries to gather himself into something presentable, someone dependable.

his eyes are burning as he looks back up to vash and his throat is tight, but when he speaks at least he doesn't immediately crack.]

And you're soaked. How long have you been out here?

action;

[asipofbride]

[ it didn't drive him sobbing to the Network this time, at least.

it's not that Kni's sudden sleep scared him any less, but... at least he didn't have the dramatic, deathly change in his hair color, in his overall gauntness of appearance. he seems to be getting bigger in ways, Wolfwood thinks, but it might also be a trick of the low, soothing light that they kept so that Kni could... rest, he supposes.

it's a long, long three days. Wolfwood checks in but tries not to hover; Vash sits vigil and that feels right, even if Wolfwood wants nothing more than to linger and stay, life has to continue.... especially since things are going bad.

he needs to get supplies, figure out movement, and be ready to pack his teapot and fuckin' go somewhere, anywhere, and it helps him pretend like Kni's not dead asleep and Wolfwood doesn't know if he's going to wake up again, or like how the younger Wolfwood was there and then wasn't.

it's a rough few months. it's a rough few days.

and Wolfwood glances up when the door opens, blowing smoke from where he's settled on his seat in the back of the house. ]

Back here.

[ he calls to Dante, to Vash--probably Vash, given the hum that's started in his ears. ]

action;

[ornamentals]

[kni knows, before he hears his voice, that it's wolfwood sitting out back. five years later and hearing it again the recognition is instant. every connection was different, from vash to their sisters, the same frequency but differing vibrations made every one just a little unique.

the warm humidity outside greets him as kni steps out, the smell of wolfwood's smoke making his nose wrinkle. pleasant only because of its familiarity.]

How many of those have you smoked today?

[kni is painfully aware of his own changes, a little older and a little closer now to the monster wolfwood knew him as. while the time here had only been a few days, he still felt disjointed and uncertain as to where they stood now.]

Action

[aslowburn]

[ Naturally, Persephone is in the garden- Cerberus lounging in the early morning sun on the grass behind her. As she is won't to do, she is tending to the garden, bringing just that little extra life to the plantlife growing there. This is a focal-point for her power, after all, she can't let it look even slightly shabby.

She turns when she hears the door open, starting a greeting before realising just what she was looking at, and confusion crossing her expression. She's more than used to seeing her loved ones in different bodies- it's how her kind continue their eternal existence, after all- but she saw Kni not long before now... and, well. Last time she checked, mortals didn't sprout that quickly. ]

...Have you done something new with your hair?

[She can make jokes. Sometimes. ]

Action

[ornamentals]

[her joke pulls a slight smile from him, raising one hand up to card fingers through the new growth as he pushes it back from his face.]

Been thinking of letting it grow out, actually.

[he steps across the grass to greet cerebus first, skin prickling with the warm humidity from earlier rain.] I know it's only been a few days here, but for me it was five years. [kni looks over to her.] It's nice to see you again, Persephone.

video: un:trienemybest

[droptheious]

[ Varian has been here a while, he's seen people go to sleep and awaken with time passed- never this long, though. ]

...Wow, that's uh- how long as it been for you? [A pause- he knows Kni's world is terrible.] ...Is everything okay?

video: un: lillium

[ornamentals]

Only five years. It really felt like nothing at all.

[not long enough, there was still so much left to do still.

his expression doesn't change by much, the slight pull of a polite smile only wavering just a little.]

Why wouldn't I be? Aside from being a little tired... I feel fine.

[not a lie, but definitely not the whole truth.]

Video

[prunedworlds]

"Kni...?"

That voice definitely sounded a little different, but she was pretty sure that was him. Probably.