All 22.4 - Unravelling

Lucca was getting dressed when he first noticed it. It was the morning of the 4th of Teishrei, eleven days since the beginning of Gemini's trial. He almost missed it, actually, so innocuous a thing: a rune on his right bicep, one of the hundreds scribed across Victor's body, was missing. He stopped, his shirt half on, and stared at the blank spot on his arm. He rubbed at the skin, but there was nothing there, not a mark or trace of the black-inked shape that was there before. Someone else might not have even noticed at all, but Lucca had spent hours upon hours staring at these tattoos years ago, trying to translate their meaning, and there were no gaps in the bands of infernal writing that looped about Victor's body. With a sinking panic, he investigated further, and was not pleased by what he found: two others were also gone without a hint that they were ever there, leaving holes in the once-unbroken chains of words.
He stood for a moment, his mind running over every explanation he could think of. All of the possiblities he came up with were troubling, only serving to put him even less at ease. Eventually he heaved a sigh and returned to pulling on his shirt, trying to console himself by mentally pointing out that all he had were guesses, that the only thing he knew for sure was that the runes were gone. It didn't help. He decided not to mention it to Victor yet, knowing all too well how it would worry him, but vowed to himself to keep a close eye out for any more disappearing runes, or other changes.
----
On the 5th
"Dude, you feeling ok?" Cress asked. It had been long enough that it almost didn't seem strange anymore that he looked like Mr. Webber.
"Yeah, why?"
"You look pale. You sick or something?"
"No, man, I'm fine." He shrugged, "Maybe it's the light or something?"
Cress shrugged in turn, "I don't think it could get any brighter out here, but whatever, if you're cool, you're cool. S'not like Mr. E isn't usually white." With that, he dropped the subject, though Lucca couldn't help but remember having the same thought earlier that day.
----
On the 7th
As it became dark, the group trying to get one more hour of travel out of the dwindling daylight, Lucca happened to glance in Victor's direction. He sat in the saddle on the horse nearest to him, with Virgil sitting in front trying to read a book; Lucca watched as Victor mumbled something unintelligable and made a quick series of muted hand gestures. As soon as he had, a look of confusion crossed Victor's face, and he looked at his hand as though he had no idea what he had just done. Shaking his head, he seemed to banish whatever his thought had been and went back to riding, waving away Virgil's question of what he had just said as nothing.
Lucca, however, had cast Light so many times, the motions of it were almost unmistakable. He stared at the other man with a small, concerned frown as he debated asking him about it, and if so, whether or not now was the time. The issue of the vanishing runes had been bothering him since he'd first noticed it three days earlier, and he had been questioning his decision not to bring it up with his body's owner immediately. Watching this new development sent his mind immediately back to that line of thought. He eventually decided not to trouble Victor about it, and turned his attention back to riding. Nevertheless, he filed the observation away with his growing collection.
----
On the 9th
By this morning there was really no questioning that Lucca was turning very pale, even by Victor's normal standards. He stood and looked in a mirror, considering it, when he noticed another odd thing. So subtle, yet, once felt, so inescapably different. He ran his tongue back and forth, trying to convince himself that he was just paranoid and making things up, before turning back to the mirror to inspect his teeth. He grimaced, turning his head this way and that to get a good view from every angle, then ran his finger across them. He couldn't be certain, but some of his teeth seemed somewhat pointier than they should be. What he was certain of, however, was that by now, two more runes had vanished without a trace.
----
"Are you feeling alright?" Victor asked later that day during their lunchtime break, his question mirroring that of Cress' a few days earlier. "You don't look very well, and you've been acting avoidant."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I ain't sick or nothin', don't worry." he replied. Doing his best to keep his tone light, he quirked an eyebrow, returning the question, "What about you, geezer? You've been acting weird yourself lately; looks like you'd forget your head if it wasn't attached. What's on your mind?"
Victor frowned thoughtfully and replied, "I'm not certain. I just...keep feeling like I've forgotten something, but I can't put my finger on what it could be. Maybe I'm not eating enough, or getting enough sleep or something for Cress' body? I didn't realize it was bad enough to be obvious though..." he trailed off as he fell into deeper thought.
"Nah, it's not obvious, really. I just keep an eye on you, you know." He pursed his lips, looking like there was something he wanted to say.
Victor's considered that, nodded, and turned his gaze back up to Lucca. Upon seeing his expression, he asked bluntly, "...What is it?"
He pressed his lips more tightly together, answering quietly after a long moment, "I need to talk to you about something...there's...something's wrong." He hesitated and took a deep breath before adding, "There's something going on with your binding spell..." He paused once more to gauge the other man's reaction; Victor's face blanched at the statement, but he composed himself almost immediately. He listened as Lucca explained, "I'm losing runes over here...I first noticed it a few days ago; I didn't say anything about it because I didn't want to worry you if I didn't have to. But I've been paying close attention since then, and there've been...other things...going on, with both of us I think. I'm worried it might be...malfunctioning or something. I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier, I probably should have...it's only fair that you know..." As he finished, he looked sincerely remorseful.
Victor's gaze was firmly on the middle distance as Lucca finished. "You're...losing them?" he asked finally, still looking into space.
Lucca nodded sadly, "They're disappearing. Five of 'em, by now."
Considering this silently, his expression inscrutable, he finally said, "...Gemini didn't know what it was meddling with. The spell binds my mind and body, and without my mind, it's unraveling. I'm not forgetting things. I'm remembering them." He sat calmly, twining his fingers in front of his mouth, but there was a hint of something in his eyes, almost hidden, that unsettled Lucca: fear. "...We need to hurry," his voice was still even, despite everything. "Hopefully, the spell will restore itself when I'm in my body again."
"I'm sure it will...once you're all back together, I'm sure everything will go right back to how it should be." He spoke with more conviction than he felt, trying to offer some sort of reassurance. "Do you think there's any way we can pick up the pace? And is there anything you'd like me to do?"
He thought for another moment before replying, face and gaze still blank, "No. On both counts." His voice was dry and emotionless as he continued, "There's no reasonable way to press harder without taxing everyone. We're already nearly halfway there. It should be alright, barring unforeseen issues. We must refrain from dawdling, however. Thank you for telling me." Without any further comment, he stood up and walked away.
This will be interesting... Harlequin's voice intoned playfully. Maybe we'll see what he really is.
Lucca simply turned from watching Victor leave to scowl down at the mask, not offering a response.
----
On the 11th
As Lucca was getting dressed, he noticed something a bit different as his hand grazed his chest. It felt stubbly. This prompted a further investigation, revealing tiny white hairs beginning to grow along his chest, among other places on his body which had previously been mostly hairless, thanks to Victor's elven heritage. While this was awkward, it was at least somewhat less unsettling than the teeth or skin.
----
On the 13th
A sixth rune had vanished. Lucca had been keeping an almost obsessive eye on them recently, and though he didn't know exactly when it had disappeared, it had certainly been within the last hour or two. There had been no sign, no warning, no itch, pain or indication that it had disappeared, but where it had been earlier, it was no longer. He rubbed at the spot where it had been, inspecting the area meticulously despite knowing he wouldn't find anything. Each time he lost a rune it only served to increase his worry, which by this point had become a constant, overbearing presence. There was no question now: the binding spell was breaking down.
----
On the 14th
Lucca's teeth were sharpening, he was certain. All four canines, and the two top adjacent premolars, were too pointed, more so than they should be. He swore that they didn't feel that way before. Worse still, a new development seemed to have started: his nails all seemed to be blackening along the cuticles, making dark U-shapes at the ends of his fingers and toes. In response he started wearing a different pair of gloves, one that covered his fingertips. He was doing his best to keep the changes discreetly under wraps, praying silently that they'd be able to resolve the issue without the entire group catching on and freaking out, or worse still, getting involved. But if the new development was any indication, it was only going to get harder to do so from here on out.
----
On the 17th
By this point, nearly everyone had questioned Lucca's appearance, not least of all Virgil and Cress. He was unnaturally pale; his skin nearly matched his hair by this point. The blackness had nearly spread to cover his entire nail surface, and he could feel that the newer, darker nails weren't the same. They were thicker, at the very least, denser; he already suspected that they were going to be claws. His teeth were also still changing; the six teeth that had been sharpening had also been lengthening, and were beginning to very much resemble Ryuji's fangs. Lucca fretted incessantly; even if he couldn't tell for sure, he could swear things were changing faster now. Eight runes were gone, and he didn't think he could shrug off people's questions much longer.
Victor had not mentioned the slow transformation since Lucca had spoken to him about it on the 9th, and had been acting normal by most accounts. Lucca, however, had been watching him very carefully; he sometimes paused and got a far-off look, inevitably followed by a head shake and a look of disconcertment. It seemed that Lucca was not the only one who was feeling the effects of the degrading spell, and whether Victor was trying to hide or completely ignore his thoughts was unclear. 
Although his inclination was to go pry and get him talking in an effort to help soothe his mind, as he would usually do, he refrained from doing so knowing that this time there was nothing he could do.
----
On the 18th
"Fine! You've all asked! Some multiple times! The spell is degrading!" Victor snapped as the group walked their horses down the hot dirt road. Cress, who had been the one to trigger this outburst, pulled back as Victor yelled. "My mind isn't in the body that has the spell that's binding everything together, so it's breaking down! The longer I'm not in my body, the worse it's getting! Is everyone satisfied?!"
Virgil, also shocked at the reaction, looked up with a timid confusion and asked, "You...you said you didn't know..."
"No, we don't know," he replied, obviously still aggravated but trying not to take it out on his son. "We're guessing. It's getting more obvious that this is the case."
Pierce, Clover, Ryuji and Cress all looked about uncomfortably, not wanting to get involved. Cohen, on the other hand, was never particularly good at not interjecting. "Yes, we figured. Or at least I figured, I can't speak for them. Should we be speeding this along then?"
"That would be appreciated, yes," Victor said moodily. 
After a minute of silence, Virgil asked quietly, "That...that's the spell that's keepin' you disguised?"
Victor sighed. He suddenly looked very tired, "Yes, Virgil."
The boy suddenly looked very worried. He turned about on the horse and clung tightly to his father, "Don't go!" he whispered vehemently into Victor's shirt.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You said...you said if it came off, you'd leave!" Virgil said breathlessly, bordering on tears. "You'd have to go back to Hell an' can't get back an' you can't leave 'cause the All are still attacking an' the firebird is attacking an', an', an' Lucca an' I are still here so you can't go!"
"Shh, shh shh shh," Victor hugged him tightly, comforting him. "I'm not leaving. It would have to break all the way, and it's not going to do that. I just need my body back from Lucca, and where we're going is less than a week away. Then everything will be fine again."
"But!"
"No buts. Even if I did leave, I'd come back. I can't let the world down, and I won't leave you. I'd come back, but it won't come to that. I'm not going to leave. We will get there, and everything will be fine. Everything is fine."
Virgil nodded and began to calm down, still clinging tightly to him. Victor hugged him back, but his eyes were still tired and sad.
----
On the 19th
A strange sort of feeling bothered Lucca. It wasn't pleasant. It wasn't hunger, or sleep, or illness, or any other sort of feeling he'd had before. He wasn't even sure if it was bodily or not. It put him a bit on edge, even more than he was about the two additional runes that had vanished overnight. The fact that he was apparently also growing a beard did nothing to improve his mood.
It didn't take long for Virgil to notice the latter development; after his father's angered announcement the day before, he was paying particularly close attention to both his father's mind and body. When he saw, he approached Lucca and said both definitively and conspiratorially, "You should grow a beard," nodding twice.
The druid looked startled. "Uugh, is it that noticeable already? Frig." He sighed, rubbing at his face, "I dunno, dude...beards are itchy and warm and stuff, and it's so hot out already. Plus it's not even my face really; I dunno if your dad would appreciate me makin' his face all beardly and all."
"But Dad can't, right, and he really doesn't like shapechangin', so it's like, the only time we'd see him with one." He peered forward and shrugged, "Even if it's still the weird white."
"I guess..." Lucca looked reluctant as he considered the proposition, adding after a moment, "I'll be honest, I was gonna end up having to go ask Mr. Webber about shaving anyway, 'cause I don't know nothin' about that..."
He thought about that statement, eventually offering, "...Yeah, me neither." He shrugged, "If it's gonna be gone when everyone's normal again, what's the point? It's like, not even a week 'till then."
Lucca thought about it for a moment longer, then shrugged. "Good point. What the heck, I'll do it. One less thing for me to worry about right now."
----
On the 21st
The strange feeling persisted from one day to the next, getting harder to ignore, and it was starting to make him upset on top of his anxiety. The more he considered it, the more it seemed almost like the desirous urges that Victor's body was prone to, but it was certainly different, and he couldn't place what it could be. He grumbled under his breath when he was alone, cursing everything. His nails were entirely black now, and the ones on his fingers continued to grow longer. They were forming points, and were certainly harder and stronger than human nails; at this rate, they would be full claws in a day or two. His teeth were certainly fangs now, though Lucca noted dryly that at least the others seemed to be staying still. Something about his head felt off though, and that gave him more to grumble about.
Geeze, you're bitchy today, Harlequin commented. Eat something already.
Piss off! He snapped, The fuck are you even talking about? I ate, jerkwad, you fucking saw me do it, you were right fucking there.
...Ok, let's be frank here. You've been a bitch for months now. It's been forever, and I come from a plane without time. His tone was serious, unlike it generally was, with a hint of hurt and petulance, or possibly sarcasm. You know, maybe sometimes I'd like to speak without getting snapped at. In case you didn't notice, I *can't talk* normally. It hurts, it's not worth it. Can you imagine all I could do if I *could* talk? But I can't. I get by. Now, since we have this fun little contractual arrangement going, I actually *could* have conversation, but you are an asshole. I am too, a much better one. I take pride in that. I am a performance artist, and my medium is fucking with people. I digress, sometimes I actually *would* like to talk and not just leech all of your delicious, out-of-control emotions, and sometimes I *would* like to help, seeing as how I'm just as invested in this as you, not that you care, and I would appreciate it if you weren't a prick *all* the time. Now, if you would *like* my help, before you actually go nutty, I want an apology.
Lucca looked momentarily startled, but his scowl quickly returned. Nevertheless his tone was genuine as he replied. Fine, whatever. I am sorry. he continued, his tone becoming sharper, I would like to point out, though, that at the start of this little adventure, we had some downright lovely conversations. But lately the only time you've wanted to fucking talk is when I've got shit goin' down, and you don't exactly have the best track record with that. What the hell am I supposed to expect outta you when the precedent you've set is to try and fuck with my feelings worse, every time? I'm sick of the jabs and shit. I mean, I get that it's what you do, that's cool. I'm prepared to do my best to roll with it, have been since day one. But if you want me take it with a smile and be all polite about it, you've got another thing comin'. Like honestly. So again, I apologize for being a fuckhead to you. I guess I've unfairly slotted *all* your behavior into the 'manipulative asshat' category. Sorry.
Pfft. Polite fey. That's a good one. You wanna see something creepy, I'll show you a polite fey. THAT'S a salesman, right there. But I will accept your apology. Only 90% of my behaviour is 'manipulative asshat', and keep in mind that I need your ass to carry me around. I'm not going to break you, that's poor resource management. Yeah, I poke wounds and talk shit, that is *literally* what I am. I am *literally* paranoia. But at the end of the day, what's better for you is better for me, and maybe if you didn't shut me down after one sentence, you could figure that out. Also, maybe you haven't figured out the pattern yet, but you *always* have shit going down. Between the homewrecking aliens, the bardic bitch, the doctor prick, wolf rabies, your own identity crises and now your cubi life-partner's broken cage, the party hasn't stopped. So, deal with it; for fuck's sake, it's just chaos. NOW, let's turn our attention back to you starving yourself before *that* becomes a critical resource management problem. By which I mean I don't want a hunger-mad incubus murder-fucking one of you by accident.
Lucca's snarky retort died before he could give it voice. After a pause he asked, bewildered, Wh-what? What the fuck are you talking about? That's...just...what even?
...Wow, you're not informed, are you, he said as a dry statement. Shifting to a mock cheerful, instructional voice, like a kindergarten teacher, he continued, Well, let's have a little lesson in foreign cultures! Fact 1), his voice became serious again, Only Materians eat food to survive. The rest of us don't have to deal with that, it's just a satisfaction thing. Most of us don't even like food. Emotions, that's the ticket. Not our own! It's not about us feeling something, it's about making others feel it. I don't like being paranoid, I like watching people squirm. Big difference. Now, fey, we have a whole wide range of emotions that we like, a lot of personal preferences, and we aren't really too picky. I can get off on really anything that's strong enough, but the closer it is to worry or panic, the better. The outer planes guys though, they like deep shit. They like...motivations, I guess. Not passive, fleeting things, like happiness or fear. The shit that really makes you do things. Kindness, humility, charity. Greed, wrath, pride. The sins and virtues, you call 'em.
Fact 2! Remember how Materians eat food? Well! Materia gets its panties in a twist when a tourist comes in, spitting in its eye with our whole 'food is for chumps' thing. That's why you have to eat, 'cause Materia fucked you over when you were born native. But it also makes visitors eat too, just, not the same way. We start getting cravings, like a meth addict. Normally, it's just a good time; suddenly you *need* it. If we don't get regular hits of whatever does it for us, we get weird. Would we die? I dunno. Doubt it. Probably more like our good friend the popcicle king over there. Druggy fey get surly or insane; I don't know what a whacked-out angel or devil looks like, but I'm guessing it ain't pretty.
Fact 3! That body you're in. It's not a changeling, warped up to fit in Materia's laws. It's not some half-breed with Materian blood keeping it in check. It's a full-blown devil, tied up in chains that are breaking fast. You feel like shit and you don't know why? You've got a devil's body that Materia is making hungry for sin, and it's not gonna get better unless you start watching people being evil pricks. Now, you gotta know what sin is the right one, but let's be frank here: 
Fact 4) The devil dressed up as Victor Erzebet will basically fuck anything that moves, and is dangerously obsessive over whatever shit pops into his head. Just hanging onto you the last few months, I can tell you he gets off on lust. An incubus. Now, you, you aren't an incubus; you're more of a general asshole. But right now, your body wants lust. We need to get it some, because otherwise, we get to wherever the fuck we're going and you put the incubus' mind back in its friggen starving body? That shit won't end well. I doubt you really know what the fuck you're doing, no offense, but I've seen that guy work on you a couple times. Even with his head up his ass, he knows how to make people lust for shit. I don't know how much of the chains will be left at the end, but I don't wanna risk him accidentally offing one of you, 'cause from what I've heard, cubi do totally murder-fuck. Actually drain people to death as they screw 'em, keeping them too busy thinking about how much they wanna keep fucking to realize they're fucking dying. You've got drug cravings for something you don't know how to get. Give it back to him, and he'll *know* how to get at the stash.
In summary: let's figure out how to get you some fucking smack before you hand the reins over to the guy with the knife and the supplier's address.
It was a few moments before Lucca was able to respond, shocked as the gravity of the fey's words sunk in. When he finally did respond, there was a note of panic to his words..holy fuck...spirits help me...so like...what the fuck do I do? Do I have to like, go screw some people or just fuckin'...make 'em horny? 'Cause fuckin' right I don't have a goddamn clue what I'm doin' with shit like that. In either case. And like, how the fuck am I supposed to, like, feed on it? Do I just hang around some poor bastard havin' the feels like you seem to do? Marinate in it or some shit? Or like...how even?
Harlequin remained calm as he replied, Yeah, it's usually just a matter of being in the right place at the right time to watch the show. Feels great. But that time doesn't come up too super often, so we all kinda know how to provoke people the right way. I'm good at saying things that skeeve you out, right? He's good at saying things that get you going. Not just sex, that's super Materian, though we've proven he can do that too. Lust is just like...passion. That thing where you're doing something just because you can, because you want to. Sex is the shortcut for Materians, because when you get hot enough, you're pretty well willing to do anything to make more babies, but it's not always about that. It's the desire for something. He can talk you into that. That's what you've gotta do, unless you're really lucky and happen to walk by someone.
Now, you're actually pretty lucky, 'cause from what I can guess, his head being somewhere else should work just fine. The guy himself is really prone to lust, so it shouldn't be too hard to get him in the zone. Fuck him, fight him, do something to make him *want* something, and that should set you up. Then hopefully when everyone's in one piece again, he won't be so fuckin' strapped he snaps, and he can just keep feeding off of you like he always has. 'Cept this time, for like, actual nourishment.
Lucca gave a soft sigh. Great to know I double as a fuckin' buffet for you folks. I see a problem with your brilliant plan though, dude: he ain't in that sorta headspace at *all* right now. He's freakin' out. Bad. Normally I can do something, but right now...? I dunno how the fuck I'm gonna rope him into *any* of those things. I mean, I'll certainly try, but what the fuck am I gonna do if I can't?
Take it as a compliment; your emotional spectrum is glorious. Highly satisfying. Five stars, would recommend. As for it not working, I don't know, if he won't put out, you're going to have to find someone who will. Worst case, you go stand in a brothel or something, I suppose. There's a town coming up, right?
Grumbling, he eventually replied,  Ugh, all options risk leading to suck. Fuckin' hell. Guess I'll start with plan A, and if it fails we'll see about the lamer options.
Good luck! Harlequin chirped.
Lucca walked over to the inn where most of the others were staying. It was still early, but everyone should be up, as they would be leaving within the hour. Walking purposefully through the common area, ignoring the sidelong glances his appearance got from the owner and the few early-rising patrons who he wasn't familiar with, he went upstairs to find Victor. He crossed Virgil in the hall, who pointed him towards the correct door and said he 'was doin' that meditate-y thing'. Entering the bedroom, he found Victor sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, breathing slowly.
He watched him for a few moments before knocking on the doorframe to get his attention, "Yo geezer, what's up? Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering...we got some time before we've gotta head out, think you'd be game for some sparring?"
Victor's reply was even and dispassionate, and he kept his eyes closed, "We need to be leaving, since time is of the essence. Virgil and I are prepared to leave; you should see if everyone else is, if you're ready to go yourself."
"Eh, worth a try..." He muttered with a sigh, walking over and flopping down on the floor across from him and looked at him earnestly, "I'll be straight with you, I've gotta talk with you about something. It's important."
"Undoubtedly," he replied blankly, not moving.
"Something new has cropped up on my end, it's...a weird feeling thing, not like before either. Harlequin picked up on it too, and we had a chat about it," Taking a deep breath, he relayed the information that the fey had given him, albiet in a more concise, less lurid manner. Finishing, he added, "I figured I'd best just let you know right away, and see what you figured we ought to do about it. I don't wanna hurt you or your body while I'm in here..."
Victor sat unmoving, though it looked like he might be thinking of something. After a minute of silence, just as Lucca thought to say something else, Victor opened his eyes and stood up. "Tell me, Lucca," he said as he walked over to where his cloak hung. "How would you describe Julia?"
"...huh? Julia angel Julia?" He looked baffled as he continued, "...uuuh, bit of a righteous judgy bitch, if I recall. Wasn't such a fan of her. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"
He rummaged through a pocket in the cloak as he said, "Would you say she was mad from hunger after being trapped alone on Materia for centuries?"
Still confused, he replied slowly, "...No...I guess not..." Suddenly, something seemed to click and he brightened, "Which was 'cause she had that ridiculous necklace! Right! Which is totally yours now. Smart! I forgot all about that thing."
Victor held up the necklace with its large opaline pearl. "It keeps beings alive outside of their planes. I had only thought of it as sustaining mortals, but it is certainly designed for the outer planes. It should resolve this particular issue." He passed it over to Lucca, who quickly clasped it on. Once he did, the edgy, terrible yearning feeling subsided, leaving only the familar mortal urges behind. He gave a sigh of relief.
Victor sat back down again and resumed his posture. "Please inform the others that we need to be leaving."
"Of course. I'll see if I can get them moving quicker." He replied, getting to his feet and heading for the door, "And thanks."
"You're welcome," he said, eyes closed.
As Lucca walked out, Harlequin piped up again. Well, that was certainly easy. Explains how he was living in Etheria, at any rate. Never heard of those things before though; do most angels have 'em? Because trust me, in Etheria at least, that bauble would be next to priceless. You people find the most wonderful *things*. Must be an ascendant thing. 
No, as far as I recall, the're pretty special shit. Angel was right *pissed* at having to give that sucker up, especially to him. Served her right for being such a bitch though. He gave a short, mental laugh, making note of the fey's interest.
Now see? I can be helpful. Look how helpful I am.
Yes, you're a peach. Congrats. Lucca replied dryly, rolling his eyes.
Keep that in mind, he added. I am your *friend*. I am helpful, and powerful, and knowledgable, and possibly the most spectacular manipulative fuck you will ever meet. 
I am only too well aware, dude. He responded once more, his tone still quite dry, You are a badass. I don't tend to forget it.
There was a smile on his voice when he replied, It's the 'friend' part that tends to slip your mind.
Mmmh. Yes. Right. What could ever make me forget? He gave a sigh. What do you want? Tea parties and pillow fights or something?
Let's start with you being less of a prick, and we can work on you being a little girl later.
His tone weary as he answered, Right, cool. Will see what I can do.
----
On the 23rd
When Lucca woke up, he stretched; with a yawn, he made to push his hair back out of his eyes, but what he felt caused the yawn to choke in his throat. Rummaging about quickly, and with no small amout of panic, he pulled out a mirror, and the sight he was met with was what he had feared. The beginnings of black horns had begun to push though his scalp.
"Oh fuuuuck." he groaned, inspecting them closely from every direction. He spent a long while fiddling with his hair, trying to arrange it to cover the intrusions. Eventually, he managed to coerce it to behave satisfactorily, for the most part hiding the budding horns. He had no illusions however: he'd be lucky if this worked for even the whole day.
"Gonna need a hat. Shit."
----
On the 24th
Sitting outside as the sun set, Lucca noticed something odd. He blinked repeatedly, but there was nothing in his eyes. He spent nearly an hour, investigating it thoroughly, before he finally had to admit to the facts. It may have taken someone else longer to figure it out, but Lucca was more than passingly familiar with changing the lenses of his eyes. He had lost his elven ability to see clearly in dim lighting. It had been replaced with the ability to see in total darkness.
----
On the 25th
A grey line appeared across Lucca's right cheekbone in the late afternoon, that went all the way over onto his nose. It was dark, the only dark mark on his skin at all, excepting the still-vanishing tattoos, and was plainly obvious. Cress had been the one to first see it and point it out to him, as they walked through the afternoon. He looked at it in a mirror; it didn't seem to be a scar, though it had the shape of one, and no amount of rubbing could get it off. He tried to think of a way he might have gotten into something that would have stained his skin, but came up blank. Eventually he had to accept that the odd new development must be yet another change linked to the spell breakdown. It didn't help his mood any.
When Victor happened to see it when passing by, he did a double take. He frowned at it for a second, then made to continue on without comment.
"Is everything okay?" Lucca asked, rubbing anxiously at the mark once more.
"Yes. It's fine," he replied plainly.
Lucca pursed his lips and nodded slightly, not pressing further.
Virgil happened by not long later, and also stopped to look at the mark. "...You've got somethin' on your face," he offered.
"I know, bud. It doesn't come off." Lucca said wearily, rubbing at the mark yet again.
"What is it?" he asked, standing on tip-toe to peer at it. "Is it ink? Ink is hard to get off."
He leaned down slightly to let the boy have a better look. "I honestly dunno, I don't think it's ink...it just showed up outta nowhere today. I think it's gotta do with that spell probably."
Investigating the mark with his eyes and finger, he said, "S'weird. Is it like a scar or somethin'? Or are you going to have stripes? Are there any more?" He frowned a bit, "S'all red, but you were rubbin' it, so that's probly that."
"I have no idea. I don't think there's more. I haven't seen any others yet, at any rate....I kinda hope more don't show up; stripes'd be weird, wouldn't they?" He made a bit of a face.
"Heh. You'd look like a zebra," he said with a grin. He looked thoughtful, "Maybe it is a scar, and devil scars just look weird? One stripe is really weird, 'specially 'cause it's like, on one side and not the other, right? Unless the other one just hasn't shown up yet."
"Maybe..." Rubbing at it once more, he frowned thoughtfully, "it certainly don't feel like a scar...but then, what do I know about devil scars?" He gave a noncomittal shrug that Virgil mimicked.
"Stop rubbin' it, you're makin' it all red," he chided. Lucca immediately dropped his hand to his side, looking sheepish. After one more inquisitive look, Virgil shrugged again, "I unno. Tell me if you get stripes though. That'd be kinda cool."
"Yes boss! I will certainly let you know if your dad turns out to be a hell-zebra," he said with a weak attempt at a grin. Virgil chuckled as he continued off to wherever he had been headed.
----
On the 26th
Things had been getting progressively worse, and the last few days had been particularly awful. They were walking through dense forest now, not dissimilar to what they had seen in Eshbol, and had been since yesterday. They figured that they'd be at the location by tomorrow.
He woke up exhausted; he hadn't slept comfortably at all through the night, and though the moon pearl had been keeping his extraplanar urges in check, he had still been feeling terribly aroused for over a week, which was made all the more uncomfortable by the level of stress he had been under and his lack of an outlet. His skin was completely white, except for the grey line on his face and the remaining tattoos, now with large portions missing. Considering his already-white hair and grey eyes, his body now lacked for colour entirely. Given his decision to not shave, he also had the scruffy beginnings of a beard, which when combined with his tired and aggravated demeanour only served to underscore his dishevelled appearance. Several of his teeth were fanged, though it was a small mercy that they didn't all change, and his black nails had indeed lengthened into sizeable, pointed claws, pre-empting any ability to wear gloves without destroying them. A quick feel confirmed that the horns were still growing: they had curved as they grew in, and now reached about half-way to the back of his head. He groaned as he made to wake up, when a peculiar sensation gave him pause. He froze, considering it carefully before jumping to a conclusion, but, as before, he had had far too much experience with changing forms to not recognize the feeling. Cursing blackly, he pulled himself out of his nest of blankets and was met with a tail. Somehow, through the span of the night, he had grown a four-foot long, black prehensile tail with a spaded end. It lashed back and forth seemingly of its own accord as he glared down at it, the behavior reminiscent of an angry feline's.
"Aren't you a big fucker? Shit," he growled, directing his mind towards it and bringing it to a halt and up towards his face for a good look. "The fuck is this even all about? Stupid decoration or some shit?" he went on, reaching up to grab the spade as he inspected it. He shivered involuntarily as he grasped it; the entire length of it was sensitive to touch it seemed. He flicked it back and forth, and found that he actually had rather good control over its motion. With some practice, he could probably use it to hold or grab things, not that he had any particular inclination to. After a few more moments of fooling around he declared it to be ridiculous and wrapped it around his hips in an effort to keep it out of the way and at least somewhat discreet. This done, he turned his attention to the increasingly complicated task of getting dressed. Eventually settling on disguising it among his belts, he camoflauged the tail as best he could.
Virgil gave Lucca curious looks all morning. By their noon break, he came up behind him stealthily and poked the tail gently and inquisitively. Both man and tail twitched at the intrusion, and Lucca let out a startled grunt. Turning, he smiled slightly when he caught sight of the boy, "Oh, it's you. Hey squirt, what was that for?"
"I was wonderin' what that was. Never saw you wear a belt like that before. What is it?" he asked, still looking at the tightly-wrapped tail.
"A belt, silly!" He replied with a teasing tone, "Super high fashion, you know? Cool or what?"
Virgil made a patronizing yet amicable frown. "It moved when I poked it, Lucca. M'not dumb." 
Heaving an exaggerated sigh of defeat, he hung his head with a crooked smile, "Alright, you got me. What do you think it is? And not too loud, it's kinda a secret."
"Hmm." He inspected it more closely, moving around to see it from different angles. Without permission, he reached and grabbed the spaded end, pulling it away from Lucca's body and causing him to visibly flinch at the touch. Seeing him twitch, he let go and asked conspiratorialy, "...Is it a tail?"
Taking a moment to compose himself, he cleared his throat and nodded, "Dude, you gotta ask before touching, remember? But yeah, it sure is. A pretty cool one, actually."
"Ooh..." He looked at it closely, "What makes it cool?"
"Well...it's like, black and long and all whippy, and it's got this neat spiky thing on the end," he gestured to the spade somewhat concealed among the folds of his belt, "It's just kinda neat, as far as tails go. But it's not good for touching, which sucks. Feels icky," he added earnestly, making a face.
Virgil considered this, then nodded, "Yeah, that's a pretty cool tail." He looked thoughtful for a minute, then continued, "...S'a good thing it's you and not Dad. Dad doesn't like stuff like that. Like the wolf thing too. He doesn't think it's cool, and he gets all super quiet and sad, like he's doin' now, and it's not even happening to him, really." He made a worried face, "It's...gonna go back to normal, right? When you get there an' Gemini puts you all back?"
A sad look came over the druid's face as Virgil spoke and he gave a small nod, "It's not really cool, overall...I mean, the tail is, but these things happening...they're not so good. It's honestly kinda weird and scary, for both of us, but especially him. I don't blame him for being sad." He paused, looking away for a long moment as he thought before answering quietly, "I honestly can't say for sure, bud...nobody knew this was gonna happen when we switched, so nobody can say for sure what will happen when we go back. But I think it will, that makes the most sense, doesn't it? If splitting your dad up made his body go all funny, putting him back together should make it normal again." He did his best to sound confident in spite of his own fears, finishing with a small, reassuring smile.
Virgil nodded, but still looked sad. He played with the elbow of his opposite sleeve and added, "Yeah...I hope..." His voice dropped, " 'Cause it's not like turning into a wolf. It's like, all the time. I try to make him cheer up, but he keeps being quiet and saying that it'll be better when we get there. If it doesn't get better, if the broken parts don't get fixed..." he trailed off, looking sad. Suddenly, he scrunched up his face and looked at Lucca with determination, "We gotta make sure he's not sad, ok? We get the thing from Gemini, an' from the echo, an' we're all gonna be happy no matter what, 'cause we're closer to winnin', ok?"
"Hey now," He dropped into a crouch to be level with the boy, "When have I ever let your dad stay sad, hmm? We'll cheer him up, you and me, don't you worry. Promise." Virgil nodded, then leaned forward to hug Lucca. Hugging him back tightly, he rested his chin atop the boy's head, his face a picture of sadness and worry, an expression that seemed all-too-fitting on his borrowed face.
Category:Advent of the All