OPEN POST; [ VERSO / CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33 ]

[reverso]

(( verso's not even in the party yet but this is such a jam ))

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[crimsin]

Well, if you insist!

[ There is no warning, just a flash of crimson, and fluttering in Nico's place is a tiny, brown vampire bat with a shock of blonde on its forehead. ]

Ta-da!

[reverso]

[He startles a little, blinking, eyes wide as he glances down at the little… bat with blonde hair.]

Right. Should have expected that.

[Help. Well. This apparent vampire did deliver.]

Fine, fine. You’re a vampire that’s somehow misplaced himself here. I don’t understand how that’s possible, but if you are what you say you are, you can’t just go wandering about without a plan.

…You can’t wander about anyway in the sunlight, not without help. Need to figure out what to do with you anyway.

[crimsin]

Well, mon ami, thankfully for us both I am full of good ideas!

[ Citation needed. ]

Do you have a pouch or a pocket I can ride in while it is still light outside?

[reverso]

[That tiny voice...]

It wouldn't be very practical for a man like me not to have at least a couple of pockets in his uniform. I can spare one for a... bat.

[A tiny. Vampire bat. Today is turning out to be more eventful than anticipated. Verso holds up a finger.]

There is one matter that needs clarifying, though.

[crimsin]

[ Well, he might as well be a person for this. In another quick flash, he reverts back to his more human-like appearance. ]

But of course, friend. What is it?

[reverso]

I needn't worry about any surprise bites? My neck doesn't look like a fine meal to you?

[He says it casually, almost jokingly, but it seems wise to ask.]

Not that I know about vampires, but the whole "enjoy dining on humans" part is a known universal trait, isn't it?

[crimsin]

[ He instantly raises his hands in front of him, waving them a bit to show he means no harm. For whatever it may be worth, he seems quite earnest and a little distressed. ]

Oh, no, no, no. I would never. Rest assured, I only take what I am freely given. I will never, ever take blood from the unwilling.

[reverso]

[The question does appear to distress the other; he supposes that's a suspicion that most have about vampires, and one that he's faced more than once before.]

I see. Well, call me naive, but you seem to be sincere enough.

[And honestly, Verso isn't too concerned about bodily harm inflicted upon himself. A vampire bite would probably be low on the "worrisome injury" scale, at least in regards to the array he's collected over time.]

For now, I don't see any harm in letting you ride around in my pocket until we figure out what to do with you. Just one more request — tell me your name, friend.

[crimsin]

Oh! Goodness, where are my manners?

[ He sweeps into a bow, one hand pressed to his chest. ]

Nicodème La Roux, at your most humble service. Please, call me Nico.

[reverso]

Ohh. Fancy.

[Wry, but good-natured enough. He allows him his bow, but Verso only offers his gloved hand when Nico rises. Said glove is worn and a little grimy, but that's unavoidable at this point.]

My name's Verso. And welcome to the Continent, I suppose.

[crimsin]

[ The mess doesn't seem to bother him. He looks a little touched to have been offered a hand in the first place, and reaches out to take it. Nico is... surprisingly sturdy despite his lanky appearance. He's most definitely holding back so as not to hurt him. ]

The "Continent," is it? It has no other name?

[reverso]

[Yeah, this guy's got a sturdy grip. Verso has no doubt that he knows his way around a fight, or at the very least has the strength to defend himself. Must be the perks of being a vampire.

Handshake achieved!]

Ha. [Snorts a little at that, like it's something he finds privately funny.] No, not really. Guess no one has enough imagination to give it a proper name.

To be fair, I don't know the entire scope of your world's geography, but this one? It is only the Continent, split apart by the Fracture. Those that still survive try to carve out their existence however they can, so naming conventions are probably low on the priority list.

[crimsin]

I see...

[ For the first time, his features tug into a frown. He has a feeling he's a long way from home, but more than that, this place seems to be in a bad way. If there's something he can do to help... ]

Ah, would you be able to tell me more about this place while we walk?

[ (While Verso walks and Nico rides shotgun.) ]

[reverso]

[It still holds onto its innate beauty, this world, but it's clear what Verso's described is exactly what happened to this land: a fracture. Even from here, one can see instances of huge chunks of earth simply floating in the air in the distance, like these pieces of shale had slowed to a stop mid-flight.

And that's not even taking into account the massive Monolith itself, looming on the horizon, giant 34 aglow.]

Of course.

[He holds out his hand again, this time palm up. A suggestion for Nico to change into a bat and rest there, so that he can gently stick him in a pocket.]

Whatever you'd like to know. Might as well kill the time somehow.

[crimsin]

[ He does so, transforming again in that same crimson flash and alighting on Verso's upturned palm. ]

I would like to know anything and everything, mon ami. But perhaps let us start with the giant glowing number in the distance.

[reverso]

[Does Verso have pockets somewhere on the front of his ragged Expedition uniform? He does now, according to me. Carefully, he lifts Nico up and tilts him into the entrance of a chest pocket. The lapel of his coat will even give him a bit of shade so he can still poke his head out.]

Yes, I gather the Monolith's hard to miss. That is where an entity named the Paintress rests. Every year, she awakens and paints a new number to adorn that stone.

[While Nico is getting comfortable, Verso glances at it along the horizon, frowning. Somberly-]

And anyone who is that age undergoes the Gommage. It is exactly... how it sounds. They are erased, gone forever.

[crimsin]

[ Oh, the share is nice. He pops his little head out of the pocket enough to look around while they go. ]

Adelphe preserve. So young... is there no way to stop it? Is the number counting down?

[reverso]

[adelphe whomst

Away from the shore they go, heading north, trekking through green meadows. He supposes they should find somewhere a bit more shaded to spend the day, because as sheltered as Nico might be in his pocket, it's still a risk wandering around in the sunlight.]

It is. A few days from now, I reckon, and you'll see her form rise up and paint a 33 next.

[He keeps his eyes cast forward as he walks, casual and yet still keenly aware of their surroundings.]

To stop it, you'll have to stop her. And plenty have tried. It's a harder task than you'd think to even reach her.

[crimsin]

[ Don't worry about it.

There is a very tiny, soft, squeaky curse from the bat in Verso's pocket. ]

If that is the case... how can I help?

[reverso]

[That seems to surprise him, and he halts his walking briefly, looking down at his squeaky pocket.]

Help? Aren’t you more concerned about finding your way back home?

[crimsin]

[ Nico looks back up. There's something kind of comical about such a serious look on the face of a bat. ]

I cannot ignore this injustice. Human life is already perilously short. Having your years stolen from you is a cruelty I will not abide.

[reverso]

[Has he ever seen a bat look so serious? Well, of course not. But more staggering than that is the sentiment itself. This stranger, who claims to be from a different land altogether—impossible as that should be—is offering help so soon after hearing about what ails this world?]

That's very noble of you.

[But it is such a quick offer that he wonders if this is a subject Nico already feels fervently about.]

But I'd have to be honest... You offer your help, and the only way to do so would be to put yourself at risk. Many previous Expeditions who hail from Lumière have already failed, ending in their deaths.

[crimsin]

[ Humanity never ceases to astound him. Faced with the impossible, still they fight. It moves him every time. ]

Perhaps then you need something unpredictable, non? Something new? Besides, I have not survived these last three centuries by being easy to kill.

[reverso]

[The want to survive and keep going is admirable, isn't it? To circumvent the reality of death at every turn.]

Hm. Maybe you're right. But... three centuries? Really? Vampires live that long?

[Undead, perhaps?]

[crimsin]

Oh, much longer than that! I am thirteen hundred years old, all told. Three centuries is how long I have spent living with humans, helping them fight for the betterment of our world.

[ If nothing else, it’s probably nice to know that Nico has combat experience? ]