[Video+Action, post moon-warp]

[wereperrito]

Hello all!

This is Jack, from my little nook in the convoy where I make and repair clothes.

[He smiles at the camera, showing off the fluffy little fox ears he is now sporting instead of regular ears, and the white streaks in his blue-gray hair, then turns his radio device around to show the little shop. It is, frankly, less like a shop and more like a workspace, with fabric in cabinets on the walls and a pair of tables and some chairs, with more fabric strewn across them, some in good condition and some in less-good condition.]

I just wanted all of our new people to know that if the moon warp ruined your clothes, I can probably help. I have mostly figured out trousers, I think, and I am still working on proper shirts, though I can make, um, cloaks and drapes and things.

[He sets the camera down on one of the tables, and sits down to face it.]

I did want to, er, also tell everyone something else. I know we are all... changing. Into something we might call monsters, some of us. I just wanted to say I was a monster before I came here. Not a-- not a bad person, no, not a cruel person, but a werewolf. I turn into a beast once a month on the full moon, like moon warps here.

So. So I just wanted everyone to know, I have done this before. This changing, this becoming something else for a time. I don't know if it will help anyone, but if it can-- I wanted everyone to know.

[He has "come out" piecemeal to various people, here and there, and it's gone well. But now he's doing it to everyone, to people he's never talked to. It's a little scary, but he's doing it.

And now that he's done it, he hesitates, then fumbles for the radio to turn it off without further comment.

He will be available in his shop most evenings, for people to come by to get clothing repaired or measured for, or for people to ask questions, and of course he's around the convoy or in his van during the day when they're on the move.]

Comments

[bufudine]

Even though he had been fairly certain Jack would listen to him even after the Moon Warp, it's still a relief to hear. Taking the other seat in the shop so he's not looking down at Jack when he's talking, there's a long pause as he tries to work out the words for what he wants to say.

"There's... more, besides the demon and hunger."

If Jack can find the courage to reveal his secrets to the Convoy at large, then he can talk about his own to someone he cares about, right? And yet it feels as difficult a struggle as drawing blood from stone. It was his hunger that had been the catalyst for what had happened that night, his devouring that had driven John to lash out at him.

"My original world and all the people within it, we are creations of another world called Nirvana. That's why we were without emotion. When we gained our demons and emotion, we also gained incomplete memories of humans who died in Nirvana. But... some of my officers and I, we faintly recall our human life in Nirvana. And I..."

His hands curl into fists where they rest on his knees, his voice quiet.

"There's always three people. In the life before I came here. My life as a human. Now. And someone is always killed. Because of me." He lifts his gaze to Jack, his worry showing in the tension in his wings. "I don't want that to repeat again."

[definitionofcrazy]

If we run into, like, mothman or some shit, I'm blaming you.

[The slight smile gets a little more firmly ensconced. Figures talking to him would cheer her up.]

I didn't think to pick up scarves, though. You wouldn't... have any lying around, would you? This is kinda the only one I got.

[faceguy]

"Sweet!"

It's even blue!

Leo takes the cloak, pulling it on. It fits over his shell, which is the most important thing, and he's able to tie it closed even with his bulk.

"So, how do I look?" He turns this way and that, posing as he does. "Not my usual style, but I totally pull it off, right?"

[wereperrito]

Jack's hands come up, then come back down, like he wants to go soothe those wings down, but he's a little far away and getting all the way up seems-- maybe not exactly welcome right now.

It takes him a minute to sort that out, too, brows coming together with thought. It does not, in fact, sound like he's being told he's unwanted, which is-- nice. But there's other things to unpack there. Past lives, another place called Nirvana, Serph being an actual human at some point and also in some kind of relationship with two other people...

He starts with the most immediate, the one that Serph seems the most tense about. "You are worried... that John or I will die? Because of you?"

[bufudine]

Serph nods. He isn't the most expressive person at the best of times, his thoughts and feelings often obscured by a lack of facial reaction. But his usually steady gaze glances away as he murmurs, "Or I drive either of you away. We become enemies."

An irreparable rift forming.

With a frown, he raises a hand to touch his head as though he has a headache. "I don't clearly remember my life before. But there were people who knew. And I think... I killed my friends."

[wereperrito]

Okay. Okay, Jack can see how someone with patchy memories of another life might worry about a repeat event. First things first: comfort. He picks himself up and this time does approach Serph. "Come here. I'm going to hug you, before I try to talk about that. Okay?" And he holds up both hands, a clear invitation for Serph to let him wrap him up as much as he can, being smaller and less winged.

Audio

[hatethereaper]

[This is the first time Echo's made any attempt to use the radios, an attempt he finally makes because the information about clothes is of interest to him.]

Are you the only one working on clothing for the Convoy? Because I may be able to be of assistance.

[bufudine]

...A hug sounds nice, actually.

Quietly, Serph lets out a long breath he didn't even know he was holding before silently nodding and standing. When he wraps his arms around Jack, it's tentative, lacking the assuredness that so often characterised his hugs in the past. But his wings do curl around him too, cocooning them both.

[wereperrito]

It's not tentative on Jack's part. It's warm and tight, without a moment of hesitation-- though he does relax a hair when Serph adds his wings to the mix. That's familiar and reassuring.

He strokes the back of Serph's neck with one hand, as much comfort as his usual restless need for motion, and says, "I don't believe you would kill us. You care about us and I have seen that stop even the werewolf before. And even if you tried, I have gotten very, very good at dodging being attacked." So much so that he's been wondering if it's related to the fox stuff. He was agile before, but not like this.

"So that is one thing I do not want you to worry about," he finishes. "Okay? We will talk about the rest, but try not to hold that fear in your head."

[bufudine]

It's still strange, being on the receiving end of comfort. It's neither something he particularly sought before nor was it something he felt necessary for himself. But the awareness of just how many he's lost and how, in this new life, he isn't needed in the same way he once was... the reasons for closing off seem so faintly distant, rendered irrelevant.

The problem is... he knows, definitively, that caring about someone isn't enough to stop him from killing them. He might have held back against Heat and refused to fight him, time and time again, but he's tasted the blood and bone of his allies. He's hunted people since the beginning of his memory. He knows that if he truly wanted to hunt Jack... he would take advantage of Jack's fondness and never give him the chance to realise what was happening. That the thought comes to him so clearly fills him with disgust.

And during the Moon Warp he'd lost all sense, completely sinking deep into pure impulse and instinct without question, leading to the wolf running amok while he had been distracted tearing into John. John, who hadn't been as fragile as he'd thought all this time. John, who would have killed him if he hadn't breathed back life into him.

It's clear to him that his judgement is clouded. Maybe his friends, no, comrades, are more capable than he thought. Can he accept what Jack's offering?

It takes a long time for Serph to respond but eventually he silently nods, the movement easily felt. But he has to make Jack understand; he has to devour to keep control, but even though Jack can't control the wolf... "Varuna isn't like the wolf," he murmurs, tightening his grip on Jack. "A rampaging demon devours all. Friend or foe, it doesn't matter."

[hexrot]

[ closing the rest of the space with some stiff, hulking steps, the click of jayce's intricate left leg brace accompanies him like a shadow. his head hangs a bit in mock dejection, but it's subtle and more reserved than it is an outgoing invitation. jayce was a very warm man for a corpse so cold, fairly playful during his golden days. he feels like an empty shell of that man, sometimes. he tries at times, but it doesn't feel like he could ever be the same person. he doesn't think he wants to, but he doesn't wish to be so frigid all the time. ]

I didn't get my mother's handiwork for fabrics.

[ he missed his mother. ]

Re: [Voice][Locked]

[wereperrito]

Exactly. And I will keep saying it, I think, to anyone who wants to listen.

Re: Audio

[wereperrito]

Well, I have not had a lot of people come ask me to work on things for them. I am not extremely busy yet. But if you want to come down and talk about it, I am here for the rest of the evening. Most evenings, really.

as mun forgets this was not in person yet, oops

[wereperrito]

The last trailer of the convoy has a bunch of shop stalls. Most of them are empty so far. Mine is not. I will keep the door open so you can see which one it is.

[wereperrito]

Most men in more modern times do seem to not have learned much about mending, but honestly I feel like that shirt is mostly beyond saving at this point, even if you had learned.

[Jack is much older than he looks, and sometimes it shows. He beckons for Jayce to come and stand before him.]

Let me measure you, okay? And you can look at my fabrics and pick a few options. I'll make you two. Everyone should have a spare for when the first needs watching.

[wereperrito]

It's the fabric Leo picked out, of course it's blue. Jack stands back to give him a look over, and nods in satisfaction. It falls right even over the broken shell, and looks mostly even at the hem. "You do pull it off. You look very dashing." That isn't the exact right word, maybe, but English isn't even his first language, and he first picked it up when slang was a little, well, older. "Your brother came by, too. He is asking for tabi for you both."

[wereperrito]

[Hilarious that the May monsters include mothmen.

He considers her poor bedraggled scarf and frowns.]

Hmm, um, not here. I have something in my shop I could give you. We could go get it once this is done cooking. I could share if you like. It's just meat, some kind of root that tastes like nothing but is filling, and something that tastes like onion but looks more like pepper.

[wereperrito]

"Then we will come up with plans," Jack assures him. "Contingencies, things to prepare for the worst situation, just in case. Like we do for the wolf." They ought to make some of those anyhow, if just to prevent whatever happened last time.

He gives Serph a last little squeeze, then steps back, sliding a hand down his arm to take Serph's hand instead. "Come sit with me. I want to hear more about why you feel this is inevitable. It sounds a little confusing to me."

XD

[purplexing]

Cool. I'll be over shortly.

[It doesn't take long to get what he needs together. It takes even less time to get to the trailer in question, and Jack will figure out why rather quickly.

The little tufts of feathers from before have grown out into full-blown wings, dark brown-black with a sheen of purple when the light hits right.]

Helloooo?

[bufudine]

Contingencies, huh?

When Jack steps back, Serph also unfurls his wings and folds them back behind him. He doesn't pull his hand away, but he nods as he sits with Jack. Where ought he begin...?

"Things have been confusing ever since we gained our demons," he murmurs, a wry smile curling the corner of his mouth. "I don't know exactly what I did five years ago." I, the dead human he once was. "The true answers are lost to me."

Not just because he's here.

[faceguy]

Old-fashioned slang or not, Leo seems pleased with the agreement. Though learning that his brother has been by is... slightly surprising. Only because asking people for things isn't usually a Donnie move.

"Tabi, huh? Guess that's not a bad idea." Leo smirks. "He wasn't too into the whole "socks and sandals" idea."

[hexrot]

[ when jayce huffs, it's . . . a bit nostalgic. bittersweet? a melancholy sort. ]

It's been ages since I've been measured.

[ reminds him of his golden days and pristine piltover white dawning his broad shoulders like a cape, a shimmer of his family crest on his arms and proudly carrying the colors red and gold around with him. he was a showstopper. for someone once rejected, he'd grown so used to being seen, to be in the spotlight. to have finely tailored fabrics that complimented his healthy bulk.

jayce is brittle compared to those times. wrinkled from stress and thinned by hunger long before he rotted to death at the back of his pick-up. he's a hollow shell of his former self. he doesn't know how to feel about it, and quietly keeps his head (and rack of antlers) in a reserved dip that can't bring himself to really be excited for new clothes like a once youthful jayce may have been. helpful, yes. not a luxury. a necessity. ]

Got any greens?

[ that may be his only quip— he wants to wear viktor's colors. ]

[discolouredwings]

I might as well. It isn't as though there's much else here... [You know, they travelled and just kept alive. Natsuhi didn't have many responsibilities except for ones she gave herself.]

Where are you?

[serialmurderbot]

[SecUnit automatically ducks away from the scrutiny, and then stops still as a statue because of course Jack needs to start looking at it.

Doesn't mean it has to like it, though. It gets a warning for stressed components in its jaw, though it's hard to say whether it's just clenching it that much or the new weird components are just... that breakable.]

It's new.

[Jack had a chance to see it without the mask that first night, but given how much it's been hiding its face away since then, it's a reasonable question. Even if SecUnit obviously hates answering it.]

[definitionofcrazy]

No rush.

[She eyes the food, chewing her own oddly-discolored lip. She's been staying away from the meat so far, but she has to admit, she's also kinda been feeling a little hangry for the last few weeks. Might be related.

Alright, sure. It's not like it had saved her from the turning-into-a-monster thing. She shoots him a slight smile.]

But hey, you got chow to spare I ain't gonna say no.