( one ) video

[stillnotouchie]

[ The video flashes briefly at Rob's fingers for a moment, as he tries to wiggle the seal around to aim at his face, quick enough to blur the little splashes of blood that are on his skin into something relatively nondescript and indistinguishable. Rob stares at the seal for a moment, his expression surprised, though his brow is furrowed into a

Comments

video; DOGS HOWLING, WOMEN SWOONING.

[w_oapplause]

Rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooob.

video; ghjkjfghjghjfghjklkh

[stillnotouchie]

[ ... small pause as he squints at the seal, trying to remember who this is. The face is familiar, too familiar, almost, as if nothing over seventeen years has changed. ]

Tinkerbell...?

video;

[w_oapplause]

[Tink beams at him.]

Hi! You're back! That's awesome.

video;

[stillnotouchie]

Yes, so it'd seem. [ Rob smiles faintly, but he still doesn't quite look content. ] It's good to see you again.

[ ... a little tentatively: ] You... haven't changed the slightest bit, since I last saw you.

voice;

[uponhiseye]

Hello, I remember you.

[Pause. A very observant one, as you will be able to tell shortly.]

You have a beard.

voice;

[stillnotouchie]

Er, yeah. [ He raises an awkward hand to rub at his scruffy jaw. ] I've grown older and ... well, lazier.

[uponhiseye]

Oh? [Anotha pause. This time to think.] How older?

[stillnotouchie]

[ UHM
going a little red(der) ]

U-uhm. It's been about ... seventeen years...?

action mayhaps a bit later? at our loveshack?

[mongoosegrin]

[i mean castle. obvs.

because Alex is just all up in this business; not a single nook or cranny will go unseen, tricky door handles be damned.

you will be spotted, dirty bloody old guy with beard. justyouwait.]

hjdffgjfglkdsfggf action it is

[stillnotouchie]

[ Trying to sneak into the castle... not really succeeding... He isn't exactly the most subtle individual in the world. ]

[mongoosegrin]

[ooooooh. stranger.

unseen, Alex's voice echoes from somewhere in that vast lobby, pleasant:]

Who goes there?

[stillnotouchie]

[ AAAHH Rob almost jumps out of his skin, spinning around suddenly and trying to find the owner of the voice. ]

Who- [ hjdfjkfdjfd swallows ] -my name's Rob. I'm, er, new here. Just arrived.

[ And he is rather embarrassed about the way he looks right now! ]

video;

[mykimlasca]

[Natalia is on bedrest from the poison epidemic, but she immediately sits up, a bit feverish, but eyes wide]

Aren't you?! ..Rob wasn't it? Oh, are you alright?

video;

[stillnotouchie]

Oh, I'm fine- [ SQUINT ] -are you alright? You... you look a little unwell?

video;

[mykimlasca]

It's nothing serious, you on the other hand, are bleeding quite profusely!

video;

[stillnotouchie]

[ WELP ]

Oh- no, no, I just have a small cut on my hand, that's all... [ The seal is very much trained on his face! He looks slightly panicked, hoping that Natalia does not further pursue the fact that he is bleeding. ] I'm perfectly fine, I promise!

action - some time later? ROB, COME HOOOOOME

[bloodaholic]

[Julian has fallen in to bad habits - he mutes his Seal during the day and often doesn't think to unmute it when he awakes. He struggles to find the enthusiasm to leave the castle at night: Splendor just isn't as fun as it used to be without Rob. Tonight is no different. He wakes, slowly and painfully, but there's nothing driving him to get up and move. He isn't even thirsty. He just feels... listless.]

[He stretches tentatively as he lies on the bed and his sluggish arms creak and ache as the life pours back in. Aside from twisting over on to his side so he can stare out the window he doesn't bother to move much further. He lies there, immobile and sad, and watches the sky colour from blue to black]

action - BAW JULIAN

[stillnotouchie]

[ Rob has been trying to find the courage to find Julian since arriving here. Now free of bloodstains and wearing clean clothes, he feels a little less self-conscious, but to be quite honest he's still feeling rather weird on account of the large, unpleasant mark on his abdomen, an unpleasant reminder of the fate that most likely awaited him if he returned home again. He shoves the thought to the back of his mind, refusing to think about it.

Upon finding out that Julian was indeed still in Splendor, he had a faintly sickly feeling that Julian was much the same as he was when that first arrived in
Splendor. If it had only been a few months...

The room was the same as before. Rob hovers outside for a few minutes before finally he raises his hand, knocking twice, softly. ]

Ju- Julian?

action

[bloodaholic]

[the problem with early evenings is that Julian's brain isn't altogether there - he hears the sound of the knocking and he registers that the voice that follows it is painfully familiar but on some stupid subconscious level he dismisses it as his mind playing tricks on him. It's too ridiculous that Rob would come back to Splendor and the voice at the door isn't quite right anyway. And Rob wasn't exactly good at knocking.]

[But then again...]

[Hope always springs eternal. He listens hard and lifts his head to stare at the door, wondering if the noise might come again.]

action

[stillnotouchie]

[ Rob takes the lack of an answer as Julian not being in. He sighs, dropping his forehead against the door in a distinctly dejected manner, with a gentle thud. ]

Damn it.