ph_logs | It's Already Over, Already Over Now

It's Already Over, Already Over Now

Who: Bii (

once_bitten_twice_shy) & OPEN

What:
September Catchall (for what's left of it)
When:
From September 19 through September 30
Where:
Various places
Warning(s):
TBA

If you want a prompt, please feel free to PM me at

Tseil, or Discord: ifoundamuffin

..::|| 1. Arrival ||::..

Bii.... stares at the map. Very intently, holding it inches from his face. Squinting to try to understand.

Nothing. He's got nothing. And he looks positively distressed about it as he lowers the map, looking around him.

At least when he appeared in front of Sungwoo and Yoosung, he had help to let him get his bearings. Instead, he gets a map, and not much else. He has... money? So at least he can afford things, if he needs them. Just because Yoosung bought him so much stuff since he met them, it doesn't mean Bii's forgotten how money works. He can do this! Just...

He'd rather not...

He sits on the ground, whimpering a bit as he curls around himself. He wants to go home. He hates this. This is awful.

Maybe he should just turn into his fox form and go find someplace to hide. Just because he's already dead.... Sort of dead? He didn't fully understand, admittedly. It doesn't mean people won't necessarily try to skin him and take his tails here.

..::|| 2. Seeking Out Company ||::..

Somehow, he had kind of hoped that somehow, maybe he could find his mother here. She died, too. And he's sure, if presented with the ordeal, wouldn't she choose to the same path he did? Wouldn't she want to see him again? And so he's gone past people, looking at face after face. Though, maybe she's hiding. She never liked humans. She was right about humans.

And, well... you probably can't get lost in a place you already don't know your way around. But he certainly can't find his way back from where he came, either.

He sticks his nose in the air, trying to sniff. Maybe he can find his way back. Maybe he can smell his mother.

Instead, he smells... something different. What is that? He follows the scent, and it leads him to you, for some reason. Why do you smell so interesting?

Hello, you now have a silver-haired boy in your face, sniffing, trying to figure out what that smell is.

..::|| 3. There's No Place Like Home ||::..

Ending up in the cemetery brings both a fondness and panic back to him. It may have been centuries, but to Bii, it's still too fresh.

Go hide in the family burial grounds outside the village. And you must never tell anyone where you live. Not even me.

That betrayal was so awful. Living with the two that so strongly resembled the ones of his past was already bad enough. Finding a cemetery almost feels like adding insult to injury.

Despite himself, he heads deeper into the cemetery. Reliving his betrayal on repeat the further he steps in.

Why do you have that roundlet?! I gave that to the Scholar!

Wouldn't it be better to ask the one that gave it to me?

How could you do this to me?! Scholar!

Here, you might find a silver fox collapsed on one of the larger plots. Whimpering, sometimes loudly.

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The cemetery is pretty far out of Eddie's way, especially considering the usual demands of his day. But he's been thinking about... a lot of things, and one person kept coming up in his musings -- a person he'd lost.

Even though Stan isn't buried on Marrow Isle, perhaps some time among its space dedicated to the departed will help Eddie feel better.

He wanders for a while, and then hears something that sounds like... crying? Not an unusual sound in a cemetery, considering, but this sounds more like pain than grief. Eddie walks softly as he approaches, and calls out, "Is someone else here?"

Bii's ears perk up.

Someone's here! And he bolts upright in a panic. The little fox runs in circles. What to do? What to do?!

Fox. He can't be seen as a fox.

He manages to transform back into his human form, scrambling to adjust the clothes he had on before.

"...So awkward!" he lets out in a harsh whisper.

Maybe he should have stayed a fox. At least he wouldn't have to explain why he was suddenly half-naked in a cemetery of all places. But then, maybe this person didn't see him yet.

"Uhm... Y-yes. I'm here..."

Though, perhaps he shouldn't have admitted that, either. And Bii frets over himself.

Eddie pauses when he hears those words, and the tone that reads as frightened to him.

He doesn't come closer yet, just says, "It sounded like someone got hurt? I don't mean to disturb you if you're mourning, but... Are you all right?"

Then, after a moment, Eddie mumbles to himself (where a normal human might not hear, with the distance between them), "Maybe I was wrong..."

Edited (formatting and rephrase) 2023-09-20 17:13 (UTC)

Wrong? About what? Though, he's certainly not brave enough to call Eddie out on it. He makes sure his clothes are proper and stands up, peeking around the tombstone. If he had a heart, it would be pounding in his ears from the stress right about now.

"I'm..."

Well, he wouldn't call himself alright at this time. There's too much for him to be able to hold himself tall right now.

"I'm not hurt..." Not in the traditional sense, anyway. But the expression on his face is definitely a pained one, as he tries to stomp the memories back down. What was he doing falling apart in a place like this? He should know better. His mother would have scolded him for sure.

Slowly, shyly, he comes out from behind the tombstone, keeping his eyes on Eddie for any signs of danger.

If asked, Eddie would first be startled that he was overheard, then explain that 'maybe he was wrong' about thinking someone got hurt.

As it is, he does see as someone stands up and look toward him. And Eddie feels worried when he makes out the pained look on the other person's face.

"I'm sorry... if I interrupted you, and forn the grief you're feeling," Eddie says. As an explanation for why he's even in the cemetery, and as an opening for the other to speak, Eddie continues, "I've lost... a friend of mine, recently. Before I came here. He died too."

Eddie lets the other person approach him, also watching with some caution, but otherwise staying still.

Bii shakes his head a little. "It's okay." He at least doesn't mind the interruption. It's better than feeling sorry for himself. And Eddie... well, Eddie is giving him something to ground himself to. Something that isn't his pain, grief, or memories of an era gone by.

When Eddie says that he's lost a friend, Bii comes in closer, a little less skittish, but still carefully. Gently. Trying to see if Eddie's soul is crying. Though it would certainly make sense if he were. Losing a loved one is always painful.

"Did he also not show up here?" Bii seems to think that any who die would come here. But not finding his mother has certainly made him question if that's the case, or if she didn't care to stay and wait for him, or if there's an even worse scenario.

A frown as he looks to the side. "I was... hoping to find someone. I somehow ended up here, instead."

Perhaps Eddie's soul is crying. Stanley was one of his best friends, who ended up a brother in arms thanks to their terrible childhood... and thanks to the curse on their town, Eddie only remembered Stan in time to hear that Stan was dead.

"Part of me hoped that he would. But maybe the woman we spoke to never made the offer to him. Or maybe he said no."

Eddie gives Bii a look that's full of sympathy and kind feeling.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't find who you were looking for."

So, they're the same, it would seem. Bii lets out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry for you, too. I'm sorry you're crying." Even if there's not a single tear in Eddie's eyes. He can tell.

He wonders if the woman would withhold that offer from others. Come to think of it, this village isn't exactly bustling, is it? If everyone who ever died came here, wouldn't it be much more full?

He steps up to Eddie, any hesitation he had before gone, looking up to him.

"Did you want to talk about your friend?"

Listening might be nice, not just for Eddie but for him as well. Something else to focus on. To forget about his own problems, even for a minute.

"I--" It's on the tip of his tongue to deny that he's crying (boys don't cry, right?) but the words never come.

On the inside. It does feel like he's been crying on the inside ever since.

Eddie looks away for a moment, to get his composure back. And he sees a nearby bench, beside one of the cemetery's paths. "I think... it might be nice to talk about Stan. If you're willing to hear about him. Let's go sit down--" and he points, "over there."

He smiles a little wryly and explains, "My new job here is more physical than I'm used to, so I still get real tired most days."

Bii expected those words to finish. Humans always deny that they're crying, so long as tears aren't falling. The way humans only know how to see is with their eyes. But then...

Eddie's words for that never finish. It catches Bii by surprise. Perhaps this human does know better than the others Bii has met.

Bii nods and heads to the bench. Tiring work? He wonders if maybe Eddie works in the fields. But those are questions for after. Right now, Bii said he would listen to him talk about his friend.

And so he will.

"I'm listening. You can start."

Eddie sits down on the bench as well, leaving space between himself and Bii. No need to crowd the young man, and Eddie prefers the distance himself.

"Stanley was my first friend," Eddie says. "My father died when I was very young, and I'd been sickly as a baby. Because of that, my mother was... overprotective. She always worried about me getting sick or hurt, and so I grew up with no friends. She never wanted me to play outside or with other children.

"And as time went on, nobody wanted to play with me anyway. I was strange to them, nervous and reclusive, so they excluded me. Except for Stanley. We were both about twelve that summer, when the monster under our hometown woke up and started hunting children. We joined up with a group of other kids who wanted to fight It... fight the monster. But Stan was..." Eddie stops, smiling fondly at the memory, "Stan was friends with me for me, if that makes sense."

Bii can certainly envy the bond that Eddie and Stanley seemed to share. Envy that Eddie's mother was wrong about the other humans to Eddie. Bii had wished for the same between himself and Scholar back then. No, perhaps he had wished for more. But that's not what's important right now.

"I see. I'm glad that you two could have such a bond."

Yoosung and Sungwoo would always fight, it would seem, too. Even their bond wasn't strong, and they were brothers. Bii can't say he's at all surprised that other children had snubbed Eddie. Humans often reject things they refuse to understand.

"The monster... did it take your friend?"

He wonders just what kind of monster it was. He wonders if it really hunted children, or if it were falsely assigned blame like Bii was, becoming damned to capture and death.

And if the children were only twelve, it would only be easier to fool them into believing such things.

But Bii knows nothing about monsters. He only knows his own experiences with humans. And they are not very good ones.

"The fear of It took him, in the end," Eddie answers. He chews on his lower lip for a time, turning over his thoughts into something coherent before he elaborates.

"It could take any shape that It wanted to, and It knew what made us most afraid. It wanted us afraid before It ate us, said fear made children taste better. A lot of children died that summer, including Bill's little brother Georgie. That's why Bill wanted to fight, and needed help from all of his friends.

"Each of us had a story about It hunting us. Some nightmare vision made real. Ben saw his dead father before the vision changed and became a waterlogged corpse. Stanley was stalked by a mummy and had to be saved by Bill. A l-leper chased me, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown attacked me in the public shower at school." Eddie takes a deep breath. "We did manage to hurt It, and stop the slaughter that year. We made a promise to return if It wasn't truly dead... but Stan... Stan killed himself rather than face It again."

A monster that could take any shape it wanted to. One that wanted to strike fear into its prey before devouring them. And children having to fight for their very lives... That's awful. It's terrifying!

"Where were the adults?" he can't help the surprised alarm in his tone. "Why didn't they protect their children?"

Has humanity changed so much they would no longer protect their young? Or did this monster consume them too?

And for someone to take their life to escape such things...

Just like the magistrate.

I want you to take my life. And if that is too much of a burden for you, I will cut my own throat and you can escape.

Bii's face falls. He can't imagine facing his own fears again and again and again until they drive him crazy with terror. But he also can't imagine ever wanting to kill himself to be rid of his problems. Humans are so... Complicated? Selfish? He's not sure he has a direct answer for that, yet. But he knows that these kinds of things, they hurt others. They don't take others' feelings into account.

Stan hurt Eddie. Whether or not he meant to.

"Did the... monster ever return?" Did Stan kill himself for nothing?

"The adults were still there, but they could never see It. They ignored the things It did, because It made them. So the hunting was easier."

Humans are complicated, and many times they can be selfish. Stan may have killed himself out of pure fear, or out of some calculation that he'd be a weak point in their second attempt to kill It. All the same, slashing his wrists in the bath and forcing his wife to find his body..? That is a cruelty that will linger.

And that is a cruelty to Eddie and Stan's other friends... even without It showing them all a vision of Stan's decapitated head, speaking horrible insults and threats in Stan's voice. Because It wouldn't have been able to do that if Stan was still alive.

he left us, he left us... he couldn't face It and he left all of us instead...

"The monster returned," Eddie replies. "Those of us who remained... eventually went down into It's lair to fight It again... and that's the reason I died. The reason that the white-haired lady made the offer to me, and why I'm here."

The adults couldn't do anything. The monster manipulated them. How sad it must be to not do anything and someday come to realise your child is gone.

Bii reaches out to set a hand on Eddie's arm.

"...That's awful. I'm so sorry to hear it. I can only imagine how sad and painful that must all be."

The magistrate and Bii were not close, so the magistrate's death had no effect on him. It doesn't help that that time is pretty hazy, with bits of memory here and there.

"I hope that those who remain can defeat it, so no more parents will lose their children. And no more children will lose their friends."

Bii can think human relationships are fickle at best, sometimes. But, in moments like these, they seem very genuine. And he can understand the loss of a loved one, after all. It may not be even similar circumstances. But he did witness the brutal hunt and murder of his own mother.

And if that's not enough to at least have a small understanding of Eddie's position.

"I try... not to think about the pain, or the sadness. Maybe that's cowardly of me. But sometimes it seems like... there's just so much of it. And if I allow myself to feel it all, I won't do anything but cry and scream."

Eddie rubs his face with both hands, pushing his glasses up to his forehead for a moment. "Thank you for listening. And for your kindness... I hope the rest of my friends killed It for good, too. So nobody else has to go through what we did, or worse."

Bii's certainly no therapist. He can understand when someone is crying, and he can understand why they're crying. But that's where his abilities end, really. He's not well-versed enough to suggest that someone needs to feel their feelings to get past them. He doesn't know that holding it in can cause the pain to only last longer. He's not even sure he can understand not wanting to feel those things. Only wishing that they had never happened to begin with.

Only watching as this man rubs his face and thanks him. For something easy that Bii could give. It's certainly no tail, no wish, and not that Bii would ever sacrifice that again. But... This man is grateful for the little Bii offered. And somehow that surprises Bii, even if only a little.

"Of course." Though he's not sure if he can add much else to that. "I'm... Bii."

He's hesitant to introduce himself, almost. Perhaps because he's not sure if it's appropriate. Perhaps he worries that his name will reveal what he is and make him run into hiding. Or perhaps he just isn't sure what to fill the silence with. Even he's not positive himself. But he offers it all the same.

It's foolish to think his kindness will not be betrayed later. But there is some part of him that hopes for... anything. Something that isn't empty. A friendship? Maybe a simple acquaintance where they just say hello from time to time. That would even be acceptible to having... nothing, he thinks.

"I'm Eddie," he says quietly. And he takes a moment to resettle his glasses on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Bii."

He takes a breath. This isn't quite what he expected, but visiting the cemetery did bring him a measure of peace regarding Stan. And he offers up a smile to the young man who's listened to him and helped.

"I have a farm, just outside Northwest Hollow. It's close to the forest, and I keep a lantern by the gate." (Eddie is thinking that he really needs to get a sign to hang on the gate, and that he'll see about buying some paint in town.) "Most folks can point you to it if you ask. You'd be welcome to visit me any time. For a chat, for a meal, whatever."

Overture of friendship achieved... not that it's difficult to get that from Eddie Kaspbrak these days.

A smile comes from Eddie. Eddie sure seems kind, at least. And, despite the words of his mother echoing through his mind since he came here, it does put Bii at ease a little.

"A farm? That sounds nice." He knew of some farms back home. Though, as a fox, he was never welcomed on them. But he admired the efforts that went into farming.

"I don't... live anywhere, yet..." He'd been told he's offered free room and board, but he actually... hasn't figured out how to even get to there yet. Besides, it's probably for the better that Eddie doesn't know where he lives. At least until it's more clear to Bii about what exactly is going on here, and how frowned upon ninetail foxes are. Giving his location would only make him vulnerable.

"But... I would certainly like to come visit..." Farms have a charm about them. He'd like to be able to see one up even closer than he could as a cub.

Eddie assumes that 'I don't live anywhere' means that Bii hasn't gotten his own place and is still staying at the tavern in town. (It doesn't cross his mind that someone would choose not to take free room and board... or that Yorick might not have explained the process well.)

"Swing by any time! I'm usually at the farm." Eddie says, "It's just me, the horse, and the two chickens living there for now."

"You can afford a horse?!" He's surprised. Only high-ranking people seemed to have horses. "Or maybe you have favour with the lords here."

He still hasn't adjusted to time periods or different worlds yet.

"Oh, but they have horseless carriages where Yoosung lives. It moves all on its own. Maybe your lord also gave you a horseless carriage?"

Annnnd there he goes, making assumptions.

"But Yoosung might have gotten his from the fairies, too... They gave him a hot river, and a cloud you can sleep on! Did your ancestor marry a fairy, too?"

That's... a lot of assumptions at once. Bii must be from a very different time and place, in comparison to Eddie himself. He tries to answer and inform at the same time.

"I was given a horse and carriage when I volunteered to work as a farmer here. I don't think there are any lords on Marrow Isle? But Mayor Poe is the one who keeps the town running smoothly, and she was probably the one who approved of giving me the supplies to start my farm."

The mention of 'horseless carriages' makes Eddie chuckle, remembering how he described automobiles to Annabel Lee in a similar way. "Where I come from, horseless carriages are more common. I know them as 'cars'. Here, cars are very rare. I don't think anyone on the island has one, but the locals know what they are."

He's not entirely sure what a 'hot river' or 'a cloud you can sleep on' are, but he's guessing it might be a bathtub and a bed with a down comforter. He answers the actual question with, "I think all my ancestors were human."

"Mayor..." Bii makes mental notes. Is the Mayor a type of Lord? Or a magical being? Or maybe neither, with the way Eddie states it. Hmmm...

And all of Eddie's ancestors were human.

He takes a moment to do the math. The mayor (mystery person of unknown origins) gives Eddie a horse and carriage to make a farm. And Eddie has no relation to the fairies. And he's familiar with 'cars'.

"Where are you from? I'm from Joseon. Though, time changed a lot. It became... Korea? Yoosung lives there."

He's not at all familiar with the rest of the world, let alone that cars exist in other places in this modern day.

"I live in the United States of America. That's... pretty much on the opposite side of the world from Korea. And I've never been to Korea."

Eddie's father was sent to Korea, to fight in the war happening there, when Eddie was about three years old. But he died there, and Eddie has no memories of him. So... for now, knowing it's too personal a fact to share, Eddie keeps it to himself.

"This place... has so many people from different places..."

The scent, this time, is one of death. Erik washes very well, and he always applies a subtle spiced cologne, but beneath that still lingers the smell of rot, discernable to those with a good enough nose for it.

"I beg your pardon," Erik says in annoyance at having someone very openly sniffing him in the streets. "Would you mind not doing that? I may be this town's whore, but even I have certain boundaries."

Death is not a smell that Bii's unfamiliar with, per se. But he's smelled more fresh death than rotting ones. So it's certainly intriguing to him. And why does this man who is still standing smell so much of it? He leans in closer to try and figure it out, apparently much to the chagrin of this man.

At Erik's annoyance, Bii's eyes narrow and he turns his nose in the air with a very abrupt, "Hmph!"

He folds his arms, looking at Erik from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm not looking for a lay. You smell awful; like a corpse left open in the cemetery. Why do you smell like that, anyway?"

Erik makes his own affronted sound, "Tch." The audacity of the other being offended when he's the one having his space invaded. What nerve!

"I don't know that I would entertain you even if you did if this is how you want to speak to me. That's an incredibly rude thing to ask. Why should I answer?"

"It's not like you have to. It's just a suspicious smell for a hu-- person to have."

That was close.

"Maybe you're a murderer." Actually, with that statement, he's gonna take a few steps back, looking Erik up and down. "Or maybe you do worse to corpses. It doesn't smell at all like fresh blood."

He's, admittedly, making some pretty bold accusations. But, honestly, he's learnt to be cautious. His mother died before him. Another did, too. Another? But who?

That doesn't matter. He doesn't trust this smell of death. So he's going to hold Erik like a threat until proven otherwise.

"Human? Is that what you were going to say?" Erik grins wide enough to reveal fangs.

Worse? Oh, now he's offended.

"I am a vampire. That is why. I am not human. Are you satisfied?"

Those fangs... sure are something. And Bii does stare at them. So Erik isn't human. But...

"I have no idea what vampires are." His tone is still snippy. Yep, fangs aren't enough to make him back down yet. But his heart rate is up. He's trying not to show it, but he's on edge. "Of course I'm not satisfied. There's no explanation for me to follow."

Erik rolls his eyes. He cannot tell if this bravery or stupidity on Bii's part. Erik can hear how his heartbeat has picked up, yet he persist.

"An exchange, then. Tell me what you are and I will elaborate further."

Bii freezes. He's not sure what to do about that. He doesn't exactly want to deny what he is and claim to be human (and not that it would work anyway, since Erik caught the human slip up), but he also doesn't want to reveal what he is either.

Bii doesn't know what a vampire is. And that bothers him. For all he knows, vampires might eat foxes.

But he also does want to know what a vampire is. Even if it is something bad. It might be better for Bii to know who to avoid, if that's the case.

Oh, he is not at all certain about this.

"A fox..." there's a tremble in his voice, but he manages to get it out clearly. And he looks like he's ready to jump away at a second's notice.

"A fox?" Erik tilts his head to the side. "A werefox?"

That notion would be alarming to him if they were in his world. Anyone who calls themselves a wereanimal is an enemy to vampires. But, they also would necessarily need to know what a vampire is already since they are born of the same stock. So, he stays his fangs for now.

"No. ....A ninetail..."

Actually, now that he thinks about it, he has no idea what a werefox is either.

"What's a werefox? And you said you'd tell me about the vampires, too."

He looks a little impatient, really. He doesn't like being asked this much about his species. Even less so that they're out in the open where a passerby could hear if they truly wanted to, honestly.

"Like the Chinese spirit? That kind?" He has long since stopped questioning the line between mythological creatures and reality here.

"A were-animal of any kind of simply a vampire who has lost his humanity and become a beast. It is an extremely undesirable outcome. As for vampires, we are undead creatures who subsist on blood. That is why I smell of death. I am, technically, dead. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Excuse you.

"I'm Korean." He folds his arms and looks absolutely offended.

But he listens carefully to Erik's explanation. He's never heard of such undead things, but... well, he can't say he's heard a lot of anything, either. His life has been very sheltered, up until the point of being trapped for centuries, and emerging out the other side to find Yoosung and Sungwoo. In a completely modern world, no less. He has a lot to learn.

"I guess so..."

He wonders, though. He knows the rumours around foxes - to eat the livers and gain a ninth tail, becoming a demon. And they aren't lies, either. More like half-truths. But still. What kind of rumours surround a vampire?

"Who's blood do you drink?"

"My humble apologies." He says with a slight bow of his head. He really should brush up on his East Asian mythos more, hm.

"Anything living. I prefer human, but animal will do. Before you accuse me of being a monster, know that I do not bite humans or human-like creatures without their consent."

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It's Already Over, Already Over Now

There's No Place Like Home

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CW: suicide of a friend

CW: Suicide and the descriptive talk thereof

CW: suicide and description of the method

CW: Murder

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Sorry, real life consumed me.

It happens, no worries.

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Seeking Out Company

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Sorry, real life consumed me.

I super know how that is

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