CMOs | PSLs

[diamondsfortears]

Call Me Outs and PSLs here. 18+ is permitted, and will be properly marked.

[ 1. You know this stuff, right? ]

It's getting near Valentine's Day, and Daia kind of has a crush on someone. He's fretting to himself, trying to figure out all manner of things: If the person he likes will like him back, and how to tell; what gift he should get; how to plan a proper date - he can be found pacing on the street. But his face lights up when he sees you, a long-time friend! He dashes over to you, waving you down.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're here! I need your help!" His cheeks are red, and he sounds a little desperate, but he's also smiling a bit and is clearly excited, hair-ear things wiggling with his eagerness.


[ 2. Step into the Grand Tour ]

You get off the boat, and see a silver-haired, golden-eyed boy there to great you, smiling huge and bright. Ignore the fangs, he has no intention of biting you.

"Hello! And welcome! I'm here to help you out with a tour of Japan! Though, I've only recently started living here, myself. I speak English and Japanese, for your convenience." Look, a job's a job. And he's happy to meet people.

"If you'll follow me, we'll take your luggage to the hotel, and please leave your crucifixes inside your baggage." A.K.A.: Please don't kill him. He values living, thank you.


[ 3. I Just Want to Party All the Time ]

There is a rather bouncy, silver-haired child just trotting through the streets. Occasionally, he'll stop by a person, hand them an envelope, and trot back on his merry way. There doesn't seem to be any particular discernment to who he chooses to give the envelopes to (unless, of course, you look like a Vampire Hunter, then you're clearly excluded).

Eventually, he's holding one out to you.

"It's a theme party! Please come in costume!" he says brightly. Whether it's off-season or not, it seems to be a Halloween party of some sort, with the address listed at an old mansion, and promises of plenty of food and drink. Look, if the Hunters can't recognize him, they can't find him; and that means it's okay to throw a party, right?

If you should so choose to attend the costume party, you'll be greeted at the door by Daia, who is wearing a frilly little number. He holds the door open, letting the music pour out.

"Please come in and enjoy yourself!"

Don't mind him if he follows you around a little bit. He could be enjoying your costume, or making sure you're able to find the snacks okay. Or swaying next to you to the music, perhaps in an almost-waltz?


[ 4. I've Always Wanted a Sleepover... But Maybe Not Like This. ]

It's pouring rain, and Daia is dashing as fast as he can through it. Unfortunately, he stumbles, and sprains his ankle with a loud yelp. He grits his teeth and gets back up, straining to try to even walk again. But it's painful, he certainly can't run any further. And he doesn't want to be captured.

He hobbles to the nearest house, and knocks on your door. Please, please answer! If you don't answer at first, the knocking will become more desperate.

And, when you do answer, you'll see the small male peering back at you, dripping head to toe.

"Please, I need a place to stay." It's said in a quick, panicked, yet quiet tone. He's certainly being overly trusting of you.


[ 5. Any other ideas or prompts you want to try? Feel free to message me via this account, or at Tseil to plot with me, and we'll make it happen. ]

Comments

[firesole]

She sits down next to his foot on the coffee table and gently places the ice on his ankle. His joy makes her smile, but there’s a slight undertone of pain to it.

This kid is scared of something, likely being hunted by the same ones who hunted people like her. Still, there’s something a little different about his mind; he doesn’t feel like most other people she knows, even people like her, and it makes her curious.

“What’s hunting you?” she asks after a long silence, his cocoa half gone. It’s too blunt, but she doesn’t know how to ask.

[diamondsfortears]

And that question causes him to freeze, a flurry of panicked responses running through his head.

Shoot! I can't tell her I'm a vampire being hunted by Vampire Hunters! I'll be kicked out right back the way I came! But, she might accept it... She's friendly. She said I'm safe here. What do I do? What do I say???

"U-uhm... a... Hun...ter?"

Duh, good job, Captain Obvious. But he just sits there, eyes like a deer in the headlights, trying to see how much she's going to press.

[firesole]

The panic, the strength of his thoughts, almost bowled her over. She blinks rapidly and shakes her head, trying to shake away the noise, before realizing what she’s doing.

Well that looked suspicious.

Another flurry of blinks, an aborted attempt at speaking, and she raises a shaking hand to her forehead.

She takes a few seconds to respond.

“Y-you’re not…alone,” she pushes out, trying above all to calm him. “You’re not— The hunters—“ did he say vampire?

“You’re safe here,” she settles on for the moment, given she can’t tell her thoughts from his, not what he’d actually said versus what he had thought. Telepath problems.

[diamondsfortears]

He sees all of her reactions, and frowns worriedly. Is she sick? Did I step in on someone not feeling well? Should I go get a doctor?

But, at the same time, her saying he's not alone provides a very strong comfort for him. And for a moment, he finds himself at a brief loss for words.

"You're not either. Alone, I mean. If you're sick, I can try to take care of you."

He reaches out to set a hand on her arm.

"Are you okay?"

[firesole]

Eh? She blinks at him, confused. Why was he worried?

“I’m…I’m fine,” she says after a moment, still struggling with words. “I’m fine. I’m not sick. It’s just…”

Can she? Should she? Well honestly she really shouldn’t, but if he’d said what she thought, then what was the harm?

She cringes apologetically.

“Your thoughts are very loud.” But he should be very warm and very dry by now, what little moisture was left suddenly evaporated in the power surge.

[diamondsfortears]

"My.... thoughts?"

At first he's confused... very confused. But then, the realisation sets in and he turns pale.

"Oh, no... Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no."

PLEASE don't tell me she can hear me think!?

It's outright terrifying, is what it is. Having hunters on him is bad enough. He can't begin to imagine what it would mean for someone to be able to read his thoughts.

...Well, he doesn't have to imagine now, does he?

His mouth gapes open, fear holding his tongue in place, before he can manage to sputter out.

"I... I-I can explain."

[firesole]

She cringes a little harder, partially from how loud he was.

“I’m sorry,” she says quietly. “I…I can’t really control it that well. But I’m not going to hurt you.”

It must be awful to have someone hear everything you think. Talk about no privacy! She feels badly for him.

But he’s still panicking, saying he can explain, so she takes his hand.

“You’re okay. It’s okay. I was wondering why your mind felt a bit different to other people like us.”

But she’s not scared of him, that much is clear.

[diamondsfortears]

He blushes when she takes his hand. And the words, the constant attempts to calm him.

She's so kind...

And then he blushes more furiously when he remembers she can read his thoughts. That's.... that's definitely going to take some getting used to. If he can get used to it at all.

He shakes his head, trying to jolt the thoughts from his brain before she can read those, too.

"Uhm, I... Thank you."

A breath.

"What is 'us'? What are you, then?"

It's said with genuine curiosity. He's certainly never met anyone like Serena before. Maybe he doesn't have to be alone. Maybe they don't have to be alone.

[firesole]

She’s still struggling, the skin contact of holding Daia’s hand causing a stronger connection to his mind, but she doesn’t want to let go. He’s scared and being hunted by someone for the way he is, so he needs this comfort.

She closes her eyes, focuses for a moment on her own breathing, on trying to put a wall between their minds. As she hears his thought about her kindness and feels him trying to push it away, she smiles.

“It’s easier to block out now that you’re not so scared,” she says.

But his question makes her sigh, her smile falling into the same sadness as before, eyes opening.

“You haven’t heard? There’s loads of us with powers, abilities… People call us mutants, spat like some curse word.”

But perhaps he didn’t spend much time around the humans, being a vampire.

[diamondsfortears]

Daia averts his eyes a little, but lets out a small sigh of relief that she said about it being easier to not read his mind now that he's not panicking.

He's lived plenty amongst humans, but he's certainly never heard of mutants. But he has no doubt they exist, especially not with the proof right in front of him. Maybe the Hunters go after them, too; destroying them for being a potential danger to humanity.

He grips her hand firmly, trying to be assuring.

"I won't tell anyone. I'll keep you safe, too."

It's the least he can do for his saviour.

How long do mutants live? he wonders. But does it really matter? He'll probably outlive her. But the least he can do is protect her for the rest of her years.

[firesole]

“If anyone wants me dead, they’re going to have to be very determined to see it that way,” she says, a wry smile coming across her face as she grips his hand in return.

It’s a bit reassuring that this boy wants to protect her, but there’s very little he would be able to do. And it’s not his place. She’s the one who’s supposed to protect the others, see them to safety. It had been that way since she was a teenager.

But his next thought catches her despite her trying to block him out, and it makes her laugh.

She lets go of his hand and reaches to readjust the ice pack on his ankle.

“It depends on how strong they are and how many enemies they’ve made,” she murmurs. “Some live a very long time. Others die much too soon.”

[diamondsfortears]

Daia blinks wide-eyed when she laughs, not expecting it. But then realises it's fine and relaxes again.

He flexes his toes instinctively as he watches Serena adjust the ice pack. He had almost forgotten it was there in the heat of everything. Apparently, what they say about distractions and being able to feel sensations is true.

"How many enemies have you made?"

He doesn't have a filter either, Serena.

[firesole]

She smirks.

“Not nearly enough.”

Not enough to account for her notably reduced lifespan. She knew deep down that she’d be lucky to live to retirement age, but it didn’t matter.

She would keep everyone safe or die trying.

“Is your ankle feeling better?” she asks, deciding not to explain her statement. It’s best to get away from such morbid thoughts.

[diamondsfortears]

'Not nearly enough.' So maybe she would live a long time, after all. Daia sinks back into his seat, nestling further into the blanket. Good. It would be nice not to be alone. Even if it's just for a little while longer.

He nods, smiling.

"Yes, thank you."

A beat.

"Is it okay if I stay the night? I promise I'll make it up to you. Even if it's just the sofa for tonight. It's nice and warm right here."

[firesole]

“You can stay as long as you need to. I have a spare room.”

It wasn’t uncommon for her to share her house with strangers, after all.

“If you want to stay on the couch, though, I wouldn’t blame you.” Messed up ankle and all.

“You hungry?”

[diamondsfortears]

"You mean... like with a bed?" His eyes light up, and he practically jumps from the sofa with joy, though his ankle restricts him from doing little more than a slight bounce. A soft bed is way more than he could have hoped for, intruding into someone else's space.

As for the mentions of a meal, he hesitates. He certainly didn't have time to check for any nearby wildlife while he was running away. And he certainly won't place that chore on Serena. She's done enough for him already. He can go hungry while he waits to heal enough to chase a wild animal. Or for Kuro to drop some off... Though it wouldn't be a good idea for a Hunter to corner both a vampire and a mutant. ...He should probably get out of here when he can, so that Kuro doesn't corner them both.

He waves the question off a bit.

"No, I'm not hungry. But thank you."

Lying? Yes. But he's not about to ask Serena for blood.

Speaking of changes of subject...

"Uhm... Daia. I'm Daia."

[firesole]

“Yes, with a bed.”

She can’t help but smile as he bounces, but she places a warning hand on his shin, wordlessly imploring him to be careful.

And she doesn’t believe that he’s not hungry. She raises an eyebrow, about to call him out, when he says something a bit odd.

She blinks, confused, then laughs when she realizes what he means.

“We didn’t introduce ourselves did we? I’m Serena.”

[diamondsfortears]

Daia cheerfully holds out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you. Thank you for having me."

Look, he may be injured, but he certainly hasn't forgotten all of his manners. Minus sitting sopping wet on a sofa.

And speaking of, he holds up his sleeve.

"So, was this because of you? Because if it's your blankets, you must tell me where you got them!"

Honestly, he hopes it's the blankets. They would be a must have when he finds somewhere to settle down.

[firesole]

She smiles, an actual true smile without the seemingly normal undertone of sadness and pain, and shakes her head.

“I’m afraid it’s not the blankets.” She holds a hand up, palm toward the ceiling, and a small ball of fire blooms to life inside. “Fire is my affinity, so I have a very tight control on anything that involves it.”

She holds it out to Daia. “Touch it,” she dares, smiling with barely controlled amusement.

[diamondsfortears]

Daia stares at the flame for a moment, contemplating if it should be safe. But Serena has been so kind so far, so... it should be, right?

He reaches out his hand to it, hesitates for a moment, then plunges his hand into it.

He expects it to hurt, and shows a mix of surprise and relief when it doesn't hurt. Just...

"Warm..." he says in awe.

[firesole]

She chuckles again. Daia trusts so easily, which worries her a bit, but it’s nice to see such innocence and faith every once in a while.

Especially since she had long lost hers.

“That’s just one of the things I can do. As I said, fire is sort of my thing. I can control even the temperature of it, how fast it spreads, everything.”

Or she could have kept him from feeling the burn, but she wouldn’t do that. She wasn’t fond of hurting people for no reason.

[diamondsfortears]

"That's so cool!"

He wishes he could do something like that. Magic would be way more useful than just a toxic bite that can create monsters or turn another into a vampire.

A blink and a thought.

"Can you stop a fire, too? If someone were in danger from one?"

[firesole]

“Yes.”

There’s another one of those smiles saying she’s seen too much. Undoubtedly she’s had to do something like this before. “Anything to do with fire, if I’m close enough. Though sometimes even that isn’t enough.”

She pauses and leans forward, a stubborn look on her face. “I do wish you’d eat.”

She’s not scared of you.