Hungry like the wolf~

[wolfwithagoat]

● WHO: Eskel wolfwithagoat + various
● WHAT: Eskel's catch-all log for the June event
● WHEN: June
● WHERE: His residence and various other parts of the island
● WARNINGS: Event-centric smut and violence against robots - will add anything particular as it comes up.

((Hit up my event planning thread and we can figure out a starter! For reference sake, Eskel's "house" is the remnants of a wee corner cafe with a covered patio. The latter has become a makeshift stable for Lil Bleater and Scorpion. Most of the patio fence is degraded; he's shored up its holes and weak points with large pieces of debris.))

Comments

Closed Starter - Bellamy

[wolfwithagoat]

[It's raining, it's pouring - Eskel is waiting out the storm by meditating. It may not rhyme, but that's Dandelion's job. Eskel's glad for the shelter, but there's also nothing to do until the bad weather is over. No booze, no cards to play with, his swords are sharp, his animals are fine. So he's meditating, as all witchers do as a form of rest that keeps them more alert than just sleeping. The only sound besides the raging weather is that of his animals shuffling around, and bleating or whinnying here and there.]

[tombom]

[ Bellamy has the worst luck when it starts to pour with rain. He couldn't be further away from the abandoned building he's claimed as his own and rather than risk getting sick by going any further, he decides he'll find some cover until it at least starts to die down a little.

He spots a few buildings he could try and find a way into, but ultimately a certain sound draws him to one in particular... Bleating. He suddenly thinks of that guy he met the other day. He said he had a goat with him, right? He hasn't seen any other animal life here so there's a strong possibility he might be near Eskel's place.

He ends up banging his fist on the door of the cafe, hoping he'll be heard over the sound of the stormy weather. ] Hey, anybody in there? [ He's getting drenched by the second. ] Can you let me in?

[wolfwithagoat]

[Even through his meditation and the storm, Eskel heard the approaching footsteps. He's on his feet by the time Bellamy starts knocking.]

[He opens the door so fast that Bellamy almost knocks on his chest.]

[In the dim light, there's a faint glow to Eskel's cat-like eyes. There's a half a second before he stands aside for Bellamy to come in. A part of him thinks he shouldn't have responded at all, but that's not the part that Eskel seems to be listening to.]

[Though he's not exactly a bubbly host, either.]

[There's not much inside. All of the remains of the cafe's furniture is shoved aside against the walls. A long rectangular table is set in place of the door to the patio, off to the left. Scorpion's tack and a bucket are next to it. To the right is the cafe's counter, which made a rather fitting little nook for the bedding Eskel had made the day they met. It's not a bed with a frame - more of a futon mattress. And thus is Eskel's Home-Sweet-Home.]

[tombom]

[ Bellamy actually has a bit of a fright when Eskel opens the door because he doesn't expect the timing of it, not to mention those eyes in the dark. But he calms down when he realizes it's who he thought would be inside the building. ]

Thought it was you. Heard your goat. If you were in hiding right now, you'd be screwed.

[ But he steps inside with a grateful look. ] Thanks. Sorry to barge in. I got caught in the rain and my place is a while from here. Do you mind if I stick around for a bit? I'll go back out once it dies down a little. [ He wouldn't want to intrude... well, any more than he's already intruding. ]

Closed Starter - Trevor Belmont

[wolfwithagoat]

[The weather has cleared, and Eskel is exploring the plant-life not far from his shelter. Fingers are crossed he finds something that he can eat, feed to his animals, or use in a potion. He stops for a moment, examining a strange...fruit? pod? that seems to secrete a thick, slippery substance. Minimal scent, minimal taste...Nothing he recognizes so far.]

[In paying so much attention to the plant pods, he doesn't quite notice the flowers growing beside them. The closest bloom slowly opens and shoots a barb into his neck. Eskel hisses as he feels something from the barb entering his body. He pulls it out, but knows it's too late. Assuming it's toxic, he hopes it's not stronger than his enhanced immune system. There's no dizziness or weakness yet, but his body does start to feel warm...]

[familycrest]

[ as much as trevor figures he ought to know better, he's been working on getting shelter in place predominantly for others, although he's staked out an old building for himself, too. it's decrypt and reminds him a little of the state the belmont estate's in now; it's not a good association —so as soon as the rain stops, he's out again, wandering, nominally in search of a drink.

what he finds instead is eskel. what he finds, too, is the spiked dart of some plant buried deep with in his own neck. he pulls it out, squinting at it —and then his eyes are on eskel and his throat is dry, blood rushing south as he finds that he suddenly, desperately, wants, needs to be closer.

so he takes a step and then another, reaching out with one hand to wrap fingers around eskel's arm, mouth falling open but no sound coming out. ]

[wolfwithagoat]

[Soundless as well, Eskel pulls him closer, the same need flooding him.]

[That leads to heated kissing and roaming hands. And that leads to shedding clothing - trousers undone, armour and jackets tossed aside, whatever means better contact.]

[And that leads to Eskel shoving Trevor to the ground. Having his shirt off and cock out seems like enough, and the toxin's effect is becoming so hard to ignore. He has enough sense left to make use of that lube-pod, at least. Trevor gets about of half a minute of readying with rough, two-fingered pumps. Better than nothing, right? Slick and hard, the witcher practically growls as he pushes his into him. Eskel's thick cock presses against the tightness of Trevor's body. He starts thrusting, each one hard enough to jolt the other's body. One hand is holding Trevor's shoulders to the ground, the other grabs at his hair.]

[There's no other way to describe what they're doing besides fucking, raw and with abandon. The plants should be proud of themselves.]

in media robots, h/c

[underachievement]

[ The robots going haywire comes slightly past just the right time for Jess. She's itching to make herself useful, find an outlet for her indignation and rage, and it has to be one that doesn't benefit her captors.

She was staring daggers into one when the opportunity was provided.

Finished cutting down a tendril of freshly-grown vine, a mechanical host designated her its next target. As it approached, she assumed it had some bullshit hospitality to spew. Instead it manacled a metal hand to her wrist and aimed for her throat with the rotating saw tipping its other arm. Jess held it back with some difficulty, struggling to reach across and take hold of it with both hands. She proved stronger than the automaton, got a firm grip and wrenched its forearm off. Upon beating it down and crushing its other limbs under her heel, she took the handsaw with her and went looking for more malfunctioning units.

She finds one on a street she doesn't know intersects with Eskel's. She can tell that some people have made homes there, based on dimly lit windows and doorways cleared of debris. One of the buildings has a pen transformed from a patio. From several yards away, she can't see if there's anything in it, but the robot appears to have acquired an interest. ]

Hey, T-69! [ She presents a greater threat or more glorious kill -- whatever the reason, her bid to divert its attention is successful. It marches towards her while she raises the handsaw like a baseball bat and, once it's within range, takes a swing. ]

making him shirtless to start to save his few clothes lol

[wolfwithagoat]

[Eskel had stepped away from his home at the time. Though his setup worked fine, he couldn't help but want to see if there was anything he could salvage from nearby buildings. He's a survivalist, after all. Unfortunately, not only did his searching turn up nothing, but he worked up dust and sweat moving rubble around in the process. He makes his way back home, shirt and gambeson under one arm, and swords in their sheaths leaning against the other shoulder.]

[As he approaches, his enhanced hearing picks up the sounds of a robot and upset animals. Shit. Shit. Eskel starts running. His residence comes into view just as Jess distracts the machine. There's some relief, both at seeing the robot's attention turn and at seeing Jess, but it doesn't mean they're out of the fire yet. He pauses only to put his clothes and silver sword aside by the animal pen; the steel sword is unsheathed and with him as he dashes to catch up to the robot.]

[Jess's attack does some impressive damage. As the droid staggers back a step, there's Eskel, running his sword through the thing's head. The robot falls. Eskel pulls his sword out. He goes to look up at Jess, some ironically casual greeting on his tongue. But it dies there when he sees that another robot snuck up behind her, its bladed arm raised. The witcher jumps, partially shoving Jess aside as he attempts to parry the robot's strike.]

[It works partially.]

[His parry is enough to stop it from being a lethal blow, but it leaves him with a gash running down his chest. Hissing through gritted teeth, Eskel is able to push it back. Bleeding wound be damned, he assumes an attack stance and readies himself for whatever the battle brings next.]

smort. smorter than her

[underachievement]

[ She pulls back for a second swing when the robot's head shatters outward, petals of sparks and wires circling the stem of a sword. Reflexively, her panic ratchets up. Because, goddamn, holy shit, fucking sword. It falls back do baseline adrenaline she registers who's handling it, the robot crumpling at Eskel's feet as it's unsheathed.

Jess opens her mouth for a glib greeting or acknowledgment and is in the next second pushed aside. She rounds just as blood splatters the ground. Though she can't see the wound, Eskel is still standing strong. Jess swallows hard and shifts her focus to another oncoming robot, a few steps behind the one that got the jump on her. Eskel seems able to manage his foe. She darts past him to engage the next one and prevent them from ganging up on him.

Despite her running start, her attack glances off with a block from its forearm. Jess rallies but bladed fingers swipes low, where she's unguarded. (She's no trained fighter and it shows.) Shallow red lines are drawn through denim in shallowly into her skin. She swears and steps back, going on the defensive. Evading its first strike, she halts the second with her robot arm braced between both hands and lands a full force kick in its midsection. It flies backward and collides with a stone wall. Jess sprints upon it before it can leverage itself to its feet, ripping off its offending arm and then, with her teeth bared, its head. ]

dramatic goat rescue (love darts?)

[luckthis]

[ Clover tended not to ask questions but he had several where it concerned the local tin cans becoming fixated on herbicide. Even the drones on Atlas at their most twitchy or outright compromised weren't so twitchy and unpredictable. Seeing as this was the closest thing to a mission he would find on this rock, Clover went at it full tilt. Witnessing the sort of damage these machines could inflict was incentive enough to curb the issue.

Maneuvering over what little stable footing the crumbling rooftops, Clover had tracked a small group of the machines. They were seemingly hellbent on destroying a cluster of flowering vines growing on the side of one of the few standing structures that dotted the area. When they were going in for the attack, Clover decided now was a good time to pick off their numbers. That structure looked likely to have people inside of it. He could have sworn he saw movement through the shuttered windows.

In a running leap, Clover jumped off the rooftops and whipped the retractable hook of Kingfisher in a sweeping arc. The curved blade caught in the head of one machine giving him the momentum to yank, hard. It was a domino effect as each of the three or four machines were torn asunder and their crumbling weight knocking the others over.

When Clover landed on his feet just outside the old cafe he turned expecting to see someone on to hear a...bleating noise? ]

Anyone home?

bring on the love darts!

[wolfwithagoat]

[No sooner do the words leave Clover's mouth than the door bursts open. Eskel leaves the run-down building, steel sword drawn. He looks to Clover, to the remains of the robots, back to Clover.]

Couldn't have left one for me, huh?

[He cracks the joke without dropping his guard. Another bleat sounds; a goat peeks through one of the pieces of in-tact patio fence. She - the goat, that is - bleats again, her eyes on Clover.]

Think that might be goat-talk for "my hero". Did you see any others? [Humour aside, Eskel makes a brief evaluation of Clover at first sight. Definite combat abilities - wait a second, is that a fishing rod? He can't help but stare.]

( teasing )

[luckthis]

[ Acting reflexively Clover kept Kingfisher drawn and in its active, extended position down at his side when someone came running out. Even with the machine out and about it was hard to stamp down years of combat instinct not to react to a drawn weapon.

What does get him to let up was the quip. ]

Stick around. With half of some of these buildings crawling with those plants just a matter of time.

[ Clover doesn't make mention of the fact he wasn't confident a common enough looking steel sword would do much, but the stranger looked like he could handle himself. No one got scars like that from being into hiking. Even if he was holding up with...was that a goat? ]

I'd say you're welcome but my goat is a little rusty. [ Clover retracts Kingfisher and hooks it to his belt. ]

Some stragglers a few miles back. They're fixated on these plants. You notice anything?

Late June - Closed

[costumechanger]

[This wasn't the first time Zoe had visited Eskel's house - she'd been by a few times after he had claimed the place - but if Scorpion and Lil Bleater hadn't been outside, she might've thought she was in the wrong place. Gone was the battered remains of a cafe that Eskel had turned into a makeshift house and stable. In its place stood a sturdy-looking stable that looked like it even had enough room up above for living space. She was so distracted by the change that she almost missed that one of the cute new birds that had shown up was also hanging around the stable.

As she touched down in front of Eskel's new home, she wondered what had happened. There was no way that Eskel would've been able to find the materials for such a structure around here, or that it could've been constructed so quickly. Perhaps...]

[wolfwithagoat]

[Eskel's medallion begins shivering. Brows furrowing, he makes his way down the stairs from his apartment to the stable. Oh! It's Zoe. He relaxes and makes his way towards her.]

[In the time it took him to get down the stairs, Lil Bleater kept Zoe entertained, trotting over and butting her gently for pets. Scorpion snorts a greeting but is preoccupied with eating. The chocobo stays where she's sitting, unfamiliar with Zoe.]

Good to see you, Zoe. [He holds his arms out, presenting his new house.] What d'you think?

[costumechanger]

[Zoe smiled softly as Lil Bleater greeted her, giving the goat the petting she asked her. Once Eskel emerged from the house, she turned her attention to him, smile widening at the question he asked.]

It looks great! Much better than it did before. But how...?

finally...the robots

[decoctions]

[ Geralt has been running around town either hiding from, running from, or cutting down wayward robots for the last half hour, and he's starting to get really tired of it.

The hilt of his steel sword is practically fastened to his palm, though unfortunately--and he has no one to blame for this but himself, his own complacency and negligence--he isn't wearing any armor. Since the first time one of those creepy metal fucks decided to take a swing at him, he's had just one goal in mind: get to Eskel, and maybe together they could actually do something about this. What else are witchers for? The problem is that he's gotten waylaid several times already on his way to serving that goal, whether it's to stop and wait out larger groups of the robots or to get someone less equipped to handle combat to safety before he could move on. Sometimes his conscience was a real pain in the ass.

In the end, he's only vaguely in the vicinity of where Eskel lives when they finally cross paths. There's a distinct sense of relief at the sight of that familiar profile. There aren't any robots in the immediate area, but that isn't to say they won't be soon enough. They're deceptively fast on their feet. Thankfully they at least make enough noise when they move to alert a witcher's advanced hearing before they're in range.

Likewise, Geralt doesn't bother to mask his own steps, though they're still naturally light. He holds his blade by his side, coming into Eskel's line of view with a small smile tugging at his lips. ]

Been looking for you.

bros killing bots aww yeah

[wolfwithagoat]

[As it turns out, Eskel shares Geralt's pack mentality. There's a moment of surprise, but finding Geralt sooner than he expected is still finding Geralt. Some of the tension leaves his shoulders, but his guard remains up. He already had to fight several robots to get here.]

[Eskel smiles at the other witcher as he twirls his sword to hold it in a reverse grip. It's about as friendly as he's gonna make himself with the threat of crazy robots still looming over them. His eyes move briefly between Geralt's body and face.]

Right back at you. Glad I found you alive though - [He gestures with his free hand to Geralt's lack of armour.] If Vesemir saw you like that, he'd put you on scullery duty in a heartbeat.

[There's a flinch in Eskel's expression at the mention of Vesemir's name - a sign of pain that only another witcher might perceive. His grief is still fresh, but at the same time, death is normal to him, and it's not supposed to be their way to give into such emotions.]

[decoctions]

[ The flicker of emotion that crosses Eskel's face at the mention of Vesemir draws Geralt's attention, not because it seems strange, but out of sympathy. For him it's been months since Vesemir's death, but the pain lingers. He's had to let go of so many people over the course of his life, but this one was especially rough. For Eskel too, he knows. But he doesn't comment, shrugging instead, choosing to keep the mood light rather than head down that path. They have to concentrate on the fight at hand. ]

Don't know about you, but I don't usually fuck with armor on.

[ His smirk grows a little as he treads near enough to clap Eskel on the back. ]

Come on. You know it'd take more than a heap of scrap metal to put me down.

gettin darted in the love shack baby

[irondaddy]

( Fortunately or unfortunately, James is alone by the time the expedition to survey the surrounding structures had about wrapped up, heading back out despite his better judgment after gathering with the rest. Some had been worse for wear as a result of the plants; he knew to be wary. But he had more resources to gather and figured he would know what was coming.

No one ever accused him of knowing when to sit still. He circles one of the currently-condemned buildings looking for some more debris to pop up in the window, and that's when it hits him.

Quite literally. The first dart sticks in his coat and crumpled on impact with his metal half, but the next gets him right beside his spine, and the grunt of pain that hisses through his teeth is practically echoing in the empty expanse of land around them, bouncing off cement walls. He stumbles a few steps forward, around the building's corner and hopefully out of range, and drops to his knee. His right arm is still a clumsy thing and he gasps out another wounded sound as he tries to reach behind himself, having to grab the right with his left and ease it forward again. Burn scars were nasty things and they've grown taut as they've begun to heal. It distracts him from the heat building in him, for the moment. But it won't for long.

He could, however, use a hand getting that dart out of his back. )

hell yes time to get that bump 'n grind on

[wolfwithagoat]

[Eskel is a street away, doing some exploring of his own. You'd think he'd be too far away to hear those little sounds of pain that James makes, and you'd be right - were Eskel not a witcher. He stops, looks, smells, listens. Then moves, quiet as the grave, towards the source of the sounds. One hand reaches up towards the hilt of his swords, ready to draw whichever one he'd need.]

[He comes upon James as he's trying to reach the dart. Looks like those damn flowers are at it again. Something's wrong with James's arm - he can't seem to reach far enough. Taking a breath, Eskel braces himself for getting involved, lowering his hand from his swords.]

Stay still. Moving makes the toxin circulate faster. [His deep voice comes out of nowhere thanks to his barely noticeable steps. It's a wonder that a man so large could move so weightlessly.] Not gonna hurt you - planning on helping you, actually.

[Despite his better instincts.]

[Eskel lowers to a knee as well, waiting for permission to get the dart out of James' back. Distracted as he is, he doesn't notice another flower prepping itself behind him.]

HELL yea

[irondaddy]

( The last thing James expected was for anyone to be around. Even as Eskel approaches, silent, he hasn't a clue and just tries to ease the injured arm back to a forward position, no shame in the grunt of pain that slips out of him once more— if a tree falls and no one's around, so on and so forth.

The voice behind him is sudden, but he only tenses for a moment before glancing back over his shoulder and stilling as bid. )

Ah, my apologies. I didn't know anyone was around. Have you had experience with these?

( He'll think on it in a moment; he'd been distracted by the pain, at first. It doesn't occur to him how strange it was for him to appear as he had without a sound, for his apparent size, near rivaling James' own— but he also doesn't seem to be worried about the approach of the other man. He just nods, teeth still grit as he slowly gets his arm where it's comfortable again. As far as allowing his help, he gets a soft: ) —Please. The one on the left.

( There's another on the right, dangling precariously, but he'll notice the barb end had crumpled on impact. It's only the other that had sunk into flesh and delivered a dose of the toxins right near his spine, which, if Eskel presses a hand against his back, he'll find reinforced with steel just like the entire right side of his body from the shoulder down. )

with apologies for the delay!

[crestsidestory]

[ The sky has steadily darkened all day, and despite being a bit wary Edelgard pressed her luck by choosing to explore today. It has not rained once the entire time she has been here, after all. Odd, without a doubt, but something she has gradually grown to think of as the norm here.

But now the sky has burst open and she is soaked, the loose sections of her hair clinging to her face and neck, her dress in need of wringing. She looks more than a bit like slumming royalty in her headpiece and crimson-and-gold, unenviable as she scurries for the first promise of shelter she sees: this covered patio.

As she gets closer she realizes it looks as though someone has tried to make the area more secure, and she feels a twinge of guilt for thinking of trespassing. She wouldn't want the area she has claimed to be invaded. She should see if anyone is--

A bleat nearby surprises her enough that she nearly bites her own tongue. Is that... a goat?

Well, it certainly solidifies the need to call out. ]

Is someone here? I do not mean to intrude.

all good! thanks for taking care of the starter (was worried about putting it on you like that :D;;)

[wolfwithagoat]

[Eskel heard her coming, even over the storm. By the time she's calling out, he's standing at the door.]

[He doesn't recognize the voice - though he recognizes that it's a woman's, and she's well-spoken. If she's well-spoken, she could be some form of high class or nobility. If she's high class or nobility, she could be pompous and pretentious, demanding more than what he has as if it's already hers.]

[Or she could be ill-prepared for dealing with hard survival like this. Rain may not seem like much of a threat, but one can succumb to the damp that comes with it. He rarely has good experiences with the upper class, but is he going to risk a life in exchange for having to stand his ground a little?]

[Shit.]

[A beat passes after she speaks, and the door opens. Eskel stands aside, peering at her with yellow cat eyes faintly glowing in the dark. Inside, small fire is burning in a bucket beneath a ceiling vent. There's warmth and light within reach, if she's willing to brave the man offering it.]

C'mon.

[Eskel stands tense, guarded. Edelgard can come in, but he's ready to own his little territory, run-down as it is.]

no no worries whatsoever!

[crestsidestory]

[ Oh. A flicker of surprise crosses her face, to be certain. The man who opens the door could be quite intimidating, couldn't he?

But she is not unaccustomed to warriors and he makes her an offer she is grateful to receive. Her instincts don't normally rely on the kindness of strangers, but shelter from the storm is important enough at the moment that she doesn't need to have the offer extended twice. She hurries inside.

The fire calls to her, but she's absolutely soaked and only steps so far inside out of a desire not to drip rainwater everywhere. ]

You have my thanks. I will not stay longer than necessary.