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somakemelaugh) wrote in
riverview2017-11-30 11:57 pm
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video | un: undertaker
[Undertaker pops on screen, looking like his usual self. Smiles all around, hair veiling his eyes, dark though not black clothing. He has mastered the phone-thing as of some time ago, but he hasn't had any real reason to need to use it until now.]
[Now, he has a message.]
I understand there's to be a special holiday coming up around these parts. Hygge, it's called. They say it's about family and friends, whoever you might be.
[He shrugs, grinning a little more, and though it might look wild on him, it's not entirely unfriendly.] So here's what I'd like to do. Some of you know me from the little cafe on the corner, some of you don't at all. If or not we've ever met and you feel so inclined, I've a kitchen in my house what needs using and a want to make all the hot cocoa we can handle. Stop on by and I'll welcome you to a cup of it.
[He has directions for the house, if anyone needs it. Then, with a tip of his hat, Undertaker ends the feed, leaving the invitation open to any who might take it.]
[Now, he has a message.]
I understand there's to be a special holiday coming up around these parts. Hygge, it's called. They say it's about family and friends, whoever you might be.
[He shrugs, grinning a little more, and though it might look wild on him, it's not entirely unfriendly.] So here's what I'd like to do. Some of you know me from the little cafe on the corner, some of you don't at all. If or not we've ever met and you feel so inclined, I've a kitchen in my house what needs using and a want to make all the hot cocoa we can handle. Stop on by and I'll welcome you to a cup of it.
[He has directions for the house, if anyone needs it. Then, with a tip of his hat, Undertaker ends the feed, leaving the invitation open to any who might take it.]
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What? He is a greedy, grasping human!The nails are a nice touch - and useful too! - he decides. He relaxes back against the pillow, sighing.}
You have my undying gratitude. I'd rather it not end so...messily. It really is a shame I can't get a second shot at it all. {He wouldn't need a demon to sever the jugular veins of those responsible. It's all an ornate game, really, and he would hold the upper hand after cheating death. Or is it cheating Grim Reapers? Ah well. He can dream.
His thoughts scatter at the soft touch and he closes his eyes.} Good for you. I think we listen to far too many. I admire independence.
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[It was the one place in any world that he would let himself be used as such, and when Ciel decided he wanted to do the same, he would have Undertaker's skills at his disposal as well.]
Maybe not in our world, but you do have a second shot at it here, milord. You are alive again and your son is here with us, even if others are not. Think on that as you rest, and know that I am here to look after both of you.
[He can see those nails working on the Earl and he lets his touch roam a little further over Vincent's back, going from shoulder to shoulder.]
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Sometimes he even wonders whether keeping close ties with her is intelligent. But the Watch-Dog must do as he is bidden and not complain. Much like how a Grim Reaper must do as he is bidden and not complain. Funny how father and son have reached the same conclusion about authority in general.}
I am glad to have him and you. {He brushes back some of the silver hair with his fingers, shifting closer.} I'd like to see what you can do...someday.
{His voice gets quieter and his eyes fall shut. The subject intrigues him greatly and he wishes to know more about Grim Reapers, but he is over-tired and his body wins the fight.}
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Shhh, my lord. You may, one day. For now, sleep.
[He lets those fingers continue to work on the man and, once he is sure Vincent is well and truly asleep, he allows tears to fall and presses a kiss to the Earl's forehead. It's all short lived. He can't let himself get that emotional, though part of him desperately wants to. It would ruin poor Vincent's sleep if he did, but he will let himself lie there and close his own eyes and slip off into a nap. Vincent wanted him there, so he would stay.]
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They are good memories and he makes a small sound, moving in his sleep to embrace Undertaker fully, his head resting on the other man's chest. There he stays, catching up on all the slumber he had missed. However hunger is destined to wake him eventually and he stirs a few hours later, blinking blearily.}
- Undertaker?
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[He inhales softly with a light start and looks over at Vincent, searching his face for any sign of panic or danger before he's even fully out of his own slumber. Sleep even still weighs heavily on his voice.]
M'lord? Mm... Everything okay?
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Yes. I feel much better. {Should he be embarrassed? Maybe, but he's not. He feels far too content for any negative emotions.} Did you rest well? Would you like to sleep more?
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I should be up. If I sleep any longer, I may not sleep at all tonight.
[He pushes himself upright a moment or two later, eyes still closed, and runs a hand back through his hair out of habit... and frowns as his fingers catch on a snag. He hadn't braided it before taking the Earl to rest. Of course some of it would tangle. At least the knot is loose already.] Hungry are you, milord?
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Let me... {Spying the tangle, he is quick to help loosen it, running his fingers through the strands to smooth it out.} Oh a bit. I think I will survive.
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[If ever Vincent let himself go that much, he might be terribly concerned for his health, especially in this world where second chances are a thing. But then the Earl moves to help him with his hair. He gives a small protest, one that ends as soon as Vincent's hands are on his mane. It doesn't take but a few moments of this to slowly loosen near every muscle in his body.]
Mmn.. We should feed you, eventually. [His eyes have gone closed, his shoulders slack. He really does love this. He'll need to take a brush to it to get the rest out, if there are any others, but for now he's content to let Vincent help with that one little mess.]
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{He might worry about his health too! But he isn't terribly attached to food - beyond eating something delicious now and then - and he is active by nature on top of it. Yet that really doesn't matter once he sees Undertaker's reaction. Has he found a sensitive spot? He grins and takes his time, gently separating the strands.}
Do you have a brush handy? I'd like to see to this before we go.
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[Then Vincent brings a brush into the conversation and he groans, dragging himself from his stupor with a hand roughing up his face. Out of it, Undertaker. You know better!] Oh, thank you, but you don't need to fight this battle. I'll get to it in a minute.
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Who has he learned this skill from?}You have lovely hair, Undertaker. I have noticed that most silver hairs are coarse - especially if they are due to age - but yours feels soft and smooth.
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Probably his mother.]Ah, my lord, you will be the death of me with that face. I had noticed that myself, but I don't quite know how to explain it. We don't age like we used to. [His skin kept its youthfulness, his strength was still top form, and yet his hair had lost its color once he stopped caring to keep it. Strange.]
[He wiggles a hand in the direction of the bathroom.] In the bathroom across the hall, there's a brush on the counter top, if you insist. You can't miss it. If I'm still conscious by the end of this, I'll make us both what you like.
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If I am the death of a Grim Reaper, that will be something else! {He sits back on the bed and gently draws Undertaker's hair into his grip. Once it is resting against the man's back, he begins to brush in careful strokes.}
Rachel used to go on and on about your pretty hair too. I don't think she would have passed up this opportunity either. {He grins at the offer.} You have done enough for me. I can make us something to eat.
{Hopefully? He thinks he remembers how to cook.}
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If you were, you would surprise us both. [He has been around long enough to know there isn't much that can do in one of his kind. Though not impossible, he would more be surprised at why Vincent would want to kill him than he would with that he could manage it.]
Mm... Did she? Here I found myself more envious of her hair than of my own. [He shook his head.] You're truly not bothered by that, my lord? That you're speaking with an agent of death? I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise, given your history and all, but I'm unnatural. [And that they had known each other and worked with each other for so long! Then again, this was Vincent Phantomhive...]
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Which is why he was likely found holding onto Rachel so tightly.}Surprises can be nice, but that is not one I ever wish to experience. {He reaches the end of the strands and lifts the brush, beginning the process all over again.} She loved Ann's hair, Ann loved hers and all of us loved yours.
{Well he can't speak for Ann, but come on. Long silver hair is not seen nearly enough!}
Mm you are a retired agent of death, are you not? {He pauses and leans in closer.} There is nothing unnatural about death. You played a hand in it and saw many souls on their journey. What would have become of them if you didn't do your job?
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You're all such handsome people. What irony that you envied the hair of someone like me. [He'd giggle over it, but he's far to relaxed, soothed by those hands and that brush, to make it happen.]
They would've been eaten by demons. [His grin tightens, for just a second.] Death itself is not unnatural, but what I am is. Grim reapers are necessary, but... Ah, it's a whole bloody mess. Perhaps we shouldn't talk about it.
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You think you are less handsome? {He tuts.} I can't let you keep that misconception. You are different, that is all, but differences can be beautiful.
{He tucks some hair behind Undertaker's ear once it has been smoothed out.}
Demons? Are they truly that prolific? That doesn't surprise me considering the state of our world. {His thoughts shift to Ciel's eye and he frowns.} Necessary but unnatural? I do not follow. I would like for you to talk about it if you so desire. I had suspicions that there was another world beyond the two I knew, but I never expected for you to be living proof.
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Not... less handsome. I simply don't care so much for appearances anymore. As long as I'm decent, my job matters more. [That hair is moved behind his ear and he tilts his head to assist it. But it's the shift in conversation that opens his eyes and draws a soft sigh from him and makes him shake off the sluggishness of his pampering, nice as it had been.]
[One look back over his shoulder again at the Earl and he wonders if he has said too much on the matter. Of course Vincent would worry.]
They number fewer than as many humans as there have ever been. I couldn't give you an exact head count, but there's not the real concern. Both sides of the afterworld exist within a balance. They have their rebels, much as you would see in your everyday human life, but all of it is... [He shrugs, shaking his head, for lack of better term.] normal. If you live a normal life.
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For an undertaker, I say you fit the part to a tee. {But he is fond of interesting sorts and while more undertakers might choose a suit for their profession, he likes that Undertaker chooses robes instead.}
What if you do not live a normal life? {His hand stops and it is his turn to sigh.} I'm worried about him and I know I'm only human. I never thought of that as a weakness before now.
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What better way to hide myself than right in plain view? [It isn't really a question.]
Then you end up like I did. [He bows his head, quickly dropping the subject, knowing good and well what the man means.] You've every right to worry. Never think of that as a weakness. I once did. But take heart - there are ways to undo what has been done. Your boy had suffered too much before the demon took advantage of his distress to know what he was doing. He may be bound by contract, but contracts can be broken, even demonic ones. He may yet be freed.
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He doesn't know why those next words make him incredibly sad and...yes...confused. He thinks that death never feels natural even when it is, so how horrible does it have to be in order to be considered "unnatural"? But his heart knows the answer and his touch falters.}
Is that how they all come to the occupation? {Suicide? Vincent closes his eyes and holds onto the back of Undertaker's shirt.} How can I help? Can I help? I want to break it immediately and prepare him better for his duties.
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[And more as Vincent questions him about helping with Ciel. His hand moves up to the Earl's shoulder, something there to center and calm him.] What you can do is to be his father, be understanding. It may not seem like much, but these are grounds that even I am new to in some ways. The demon that plagues your son is not here right now, and that is to his advantage. At the same time, so is holding onto the seal. Your son controls it as long as they each hold up their end of the deal, but I've a mind to kill the beast if it strays.
[He gives Vincent's shoulder a squeeze and offers a grin, one light and full of humor and a promise to tear a demon limb from limb if it so much as looks at the child wrong.] But! Here and now, he is safe. You are safe. We still have time.
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The hand does steady him and he looks to Undertaker for sincere advice on the matter. He is completely out of his depth and he is painfully aware of it.}
Please do. {He leans his head to the side, resting his cheek against the hand on his shoulder.} Do not kill him kindly. He seeks to devour that which is more precious than a thousand of him.
{No, a million.}
Can a demon hurt you? {The possibility undoes any reassurance he may have felt.} Undertaker, if the beast comes here, you know I do not mind playing bait whilst you deal with it.
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