I tried to sell my soul last night

[itwouldbeatragedy]

Who: Kaneki and you!
Where: All over, but mostly inside
When: Tue., May 19 - Wed., May 20
Rating: R for rrr-eating people
Summary: It's been too long since Kaneki last ate.
The Story:
Although the paranoia evaporated with the rest of the event, the hunger didn't. If anything, it's worse now that his attention isn't divided any longer.

When this is over, he'll have only himself to blame for the state he's in now. They have plenty of warning before an event and he should have been prepared for the chance that they'd be stuck without access to the Mansion's magic. He should have eaten before this started.

It's too late now. He can't ignore the smell of meat around him, and even though he has access to the closets and kitchen again, it doesn't occur to him to use them, not for a second. As soon as things are back in order, he begins to stalk about the hallways, waiting to catch any sign of someone in the vicinity, someone alone, who he can easily track and attack. Occasionally, he mutters justifications to himself--everyone has to eat no one would want you to starve it's fine it's fine it's just what you are now--but he's more focused than he seems. Behind his eye patch, his left eye is black and blood red, characteristic of a hunting ghoul, and though his kagune hasn't emerged from his back yet, he won't hesitate to let it slither out from under his skin.

He doesn't consider--or maybe doesn't remember or just doesn't care--that he's not at the top of the food chain here in Wonderland. Pretty high, sure, higher than any regular human, but even among them, there are a few people who could probably manage to get the upperhand against him. Potential threats and potential danger just don't matter--all that matters is eating as much as he can, as soon as he can. That's how far gone he is.

[OOC: Anyone is welcome to tag in here (I will match tagging style, so brackets or prose are equally fine), regardless of whether we've made plans or not! There is an OOC plot post for anyone who is interested but perhaps hesitant about jumping right.]

Comments

Tuesday night | no death plz

[goodwoofjames]

[Some nights, James doesn't come back to the room. And Sirius knows, of course, that that means he's spending the night with Lily. Having just finished an event, he isn't concerned or anything. It's just that after a few school years of sleeping in a dorm room with five other boys gets you used to dozing off to the sounds of snoring and breathing and, well. If James isn't around, the room is silent and he can't handle it. He'd rather be roaming around late at night, practicing spells, something.

So that's how he ends up pacing down the halls late at night, muttering to himself about how he'd be able to sleep if stupid Peter and Remus hadn't shoved off like they did.]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[Kaneki is similarly pacing the halls, but for a very different reason. By now he's gotten a bit to eat, but not nearly enough for him to have come to his senses yet, not in any lasting way. He prey keeps getting away and it's so frustrating.

He picks up Sirius's smell as he moves into his general vicinity, though he doesn't see him yet. Around a corner maybe? Pausing, he listens, and he can hear footsteps, not particularly purposeful or quick.

Standing still, Kaneki waits. There are people here who could squash him if they wanted to, and he needs to make sure that whoever is approaching isn't one of those before he makes a move. He's insane with hunger, not suicidal.

Despite his decision to wait Sirius out, he mutters to himself, however, and though his voice is low, at this time of night it isn't difficult to hear.]

It doesn't really matter, does it? Not here. So it's fine, it's fine.

[goodwoofjames]

[And of course Sirius does hear. And immediately pauses, palm pressing up against the wand in his pocket just in case. Sounds like that voice came from around the corner. Probably not a big deal, given there's no event, but it's late and he can't help but be jumpy, especially after all that practice he just got with paranoia.

Still, better safe than sorry.]

Someone there?

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[Kaneki's voice fades and he stands silently for much longer than a person ought to need to for that question. If he answers, then what? He needs to eat, he can't afford to lose this chance.

With that determination, but without much conscious thought, his kagune slides out of his back, slipping out from under his shirt like a series of snakes. He doesn't give it any thought as he moves forward one step, then another, almost drooling. It's fine, he doesn't have to wait. He'll take a chance.

A sick smile twists his mouth. He can almost taste it already. He speaks again, but he isn't answering Sirius's question.]

Yeah. Yeah, it's fine.

[goodwoofjames]

[What the hell is this guy talking about? Is he talking to himself-- or to someone inside a room, who he can't hear? But no. That dropping feeling in his gut says it's something else. He gives into it and pulls his wand out.

It's not as if he's going to do anything lethal. He's not one of You Know Who's cronies. Hell, he's still in school-- he really couldn't possibly know the harsher curses and jinxes. So if he's made a mistake, the worst someone'll have to deal with is endless, slightly overpowered sneezes. He's fairly certain nobody would proceed to kill him for that sort of thing. He thinks.

So he jumps around the corner, wand aimed, and--

And sees something ghastly. He's sure he's seen worse creatures than most muggles have, but this! This looks like a person. Like a person whose stuck one of the giant squid's tentacles onto his side. It's horrifying, and some instinct tells him it isn't from his world, that it can't be.

And yet his first thought is that he's in real danger, and so he goes to the most obvious spell for removing an immanent threat:]

Expelliarmus!

Wednesday, mid-day | No death, but injury is totally fine.

[singloversing]

[Wirt had been on his way to the library, so he's not really surprised to come across Kaneki on his way there. Kaneki is something of a kindred spirit, a fellow literary aficionado, and someone Wirt is comfortable stopping and talking to.]

Hey, Kaneki! How...

[He was going to ask how he was, maybe if he had read any good books lately, but something seems...not right. Wirt can't put his finger on what exactly, but it has something to to with how he's carrying himself and the muttering. Wirt frowns a little.]

...uh. A-Are you okay?

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[Kaneki's been able to eat by now. Not nearly enough, but enough that he can sort out voices he recognizes from voices he doesn't. He's been wandering in more public areas now, as though in the hope that this way, he'll run into someone who can stop him. If he really hopes for that, though, it's unconsciously.

When he hears his name, he turns toward Wirt, the movement slow, like he has to move each muscle individually. His eye patch is gone by now, and he takes Wirt in with one blood red eye and one normal one, staring for a minute.]

Wirt-kun...

[A slow smile quirks one side of his mouth.]

We're friends, right?

[He takes a step toward Wirt.]

Friends should be able to rely on each other.

[singloversing]

[When Kaneki turns, Wirt is pretty sure he can feel all of his blood rush down to his feet all at once.]

Your...y-your eye. A-Are you-- are you okay?

[No, he isn't...but there's something really wrong here, even ignoring Kaneki's creepy eye. It's all in that smile, the way he speaks...everything about him is infinitely creepy.]

We are, but...

[But not close enough for whatever unsettling thing Kaneki is about to ask of him. Instinctively, Wirt takes a large step back when Kaneki steps forward. It's hard to trust him when he's acting so strangely, and looking at him like that...]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[If Wirt were to look closer--and no one would blame him for not taking the time to do so--he'd notice blood splattered down Kaneki's left arm and side, as though he suffered a bad injury.

It was bad. A bullet through the eye took a lot of time (relatively, for a ghoul) and energy to heal from, and any good from what Kaneki had managed to eat until that point was lost as a result. Still, he's a bit more lucid than he had been yesterday or even that morning.]

Ah-- [Kaneki pauses, looking at Wirt, expression shuffling through irritation, disappointment, desperation, resignation.] ...Well, it can't be helped.

[He's genuinely unhappy at the idea and he seems to hesitate even as he starts to advance, like he's fighting himself.]

Morning, 20th

[seesthetruth]

Verity had offered, when they were standing out in the snow, to help Loki find a decent summer look. She'd returned his coat and gone to the library to find whatever Wonderland would allow in the realm of earth fashion for Loki's benefit and then picked up lunch from the Dining hall for the two of them. How she'd managed to accurately get her hands on the closest thing to bacon cheese burgers and milkshakes for them she would never know. Perhaps Wonderland was just being extra generous since she nearly froze to death. The paranoia had driven her into the cold but Loki had drawn her back in before she became a casualty. Sometimes their friendship could be a bumpy one, but she'd found he was always there when she needed him most.

Right now, however, she was walking through the hall with two containers balanced atop two books and a pitcher (She'd asked the closet for something like a thermos but this was what she received instead. She supposed it actually worked better anyway.) in her free hand. The hallway was quiet and for once, that was actually pretty nice. She was still suffering from a bit of what she'd started calling an 'event hangover'. When Wonderland shoved feelings, thoughts, or memories in her head, when everything was over with it was like her power was turned back on and hit her with a backlash of what she should have felt for those days all at once.

It took her another moment to realise she wasn't entirely alone in the hallway. Verity had no supernatural abilitiees. No super hearing or enhanced animal-like senses, so her level of detection was limited to that of an ordinary human. Which, incidently, that's what she was save for the truth quirk. That meant, it wasn't until she rounded a corner to see the figure down the hall that she noticed him. She paused and stared for a moment before recognition set in. With her hands occupied she couldn't wave but did smile warmly.

"It's Kaneki, right? Thank you so much for your help when I got here. It's cool to finally meet you in person."

[itwouldbeatragedy]

Kaneki is aware of Verity long before she's aware of him. Though he doesn't know who is approaching him, he can hear and smell someone. It was strange, the way his senses worked--he hardly noticed that they were better than they used to be most of the time. It was only when he was hungry that things came into such sharp focus like this.

Even stranger, he could only smell humans. Nothing else seemed to register for him. It was just as well; there wasn't really anything else he needed to be able to smell.

He recognizes Verity's voice before her face, and he feels a twisting sensation in the vicinity of his diaphragm. He's had just enough to eat that recognizing her means something to him.

"No..." His voice is low as he murmurs to himself, watching her closely, taking in how friendly her greeting was. He covers his mouth with one hand. "I can't--"

A shudder shakes his entire body and he straightens up, dropping his hand to reveal a smile. He's just too hungry for these twinges of sanity to take hold for long.

"Well, it doesn't really matter who it is, does it?"

Slowly, as though he's not even aware of it, his kagune starts to extend from his back, each length of it as long as he is tall.

[seesthetruth]

She continues to approach once she'd realised who he was. She didn't know him well at all but he'd been helpful and truthful with her. It was strange how quick a lie-detector was to trust people, but when they showed genuine kindness and honesty, she didn't feel a need to fall to paranoia.

He muttered something she couldn't hear and something further was muffled beyond her scope of hearing. He'd covered his mouth and she'd looked concerned at first. She worried that maybe he was injured or ill but when he straightened up and finally spoke clearly, she completely mistook the meaning of his words, the concern relaxing away. The sad flaw about her power was that it only detected lies. Lies she told herself, any untruth from another source set it off, but when the source was true, even if she misinterpreted the meaning, she couldn't tell the difference. That was how her best friend had slipped a lie past her; telling her enough truth that she misunderstood the meaning. There was an unintentional similarity here...

"There should be more people around with that attitude. Maybe where I came from would be a better place." She lamented. With less fear and everyone willing to help one another without concerning themselves over who they were. They were on two completely different pages of this little book at the moment.

She neared him and movement caught her eye bringing her to stop a few sparse meters away. Now it was confusion that overtook her features as she tried to make sense of what was going on. "Kaneki, are you okay?" She shifted the food in her arms, debating putting it down. She nods to the glimpse of those tendrils that peaked over his shoulder. "Is... that normal?"

Her best friend was a god who could shapeshift and use magic. The heroes and villains of her world were anything from mortals to mutants to aliens. This was odd but not entirely uncommon.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

Kaneki could laugh at that question. He could laugh at just how screwed up his life has become that this is his "normal." But, although he's still grinning, he doesn't laugh. He's not thinking at all about any of that.

His kagune curls and sways behind him, unconsciously mirroring his restlessness.

"I'll be fast, I promise." His previous victims had been scared, no doubt of the pain, so he thinks it best to allay that concern up front. His words, framed as though to be soothing, are far too cheerful under the circumstances, however. "You won't feel it for long. And you'll be fine when you wake up."

He gives her just a couple of seconds to process what he's saying, but that's as long as he can restrain himself before darting forward, the three limbs of his kagune curled forward over his shoulder to strike, aiming first for her legs to disable her. He's had enough of people running away.

He's not a skilled fighter by most standards, and for a ghoul, he's not all that fast or strong. Compared to a human, and a physically normal human, at that, he's got just about every advantage he could need. He crosses the space between them much too quickly.

Wednesday morning, entrance hall | as discussed

[radiopalkiller]

[ Just like that the event is gone. Just like always. Philip uses the opportunity to slip back into his old routine. Matters left to settle, things left to say. Not the pleasant kind. It can probably wait a day or a few.

He opens the door to the grounds, and lets Faraday slip outside. ]

Go on then, I'll catch up.

[ He doesn't think she can actually hear him. Hard to describe, the difference between the thoughts that make it, and the ones that don't. But it's there, sometimes. Muffled, or clear. They've been getting clearer, lately. Sometimes he wonders if there's more.

The door falls shut in front of him. Faraday is probably halfway to the hills already. He meant to follow through right away, but-- Right, footsteps.

Philip turns around, and looks back at the beginning of the hallway, curious who's about to approach. ]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[There wasn't much to eat yesterday. Not nearly enough, but the little bit Kaneki had scrounged had given him enough clarity to move him toward more populated areas. Instinct pushed him toward the entrance hall, where people are bound to turn up, and he's been lurking there, waiting.

He's nearly ready to move on, because he's too hungry to sit still for long, when he can smell a human nearby.

The dog doesn't even register, and the fresh air when the door opens he ignores. Neither of those smells matters. He does have the sense, though, to wait for the dog to go out. Not that it would be able to hurt him, but it could get in the way and cost him precious seconds that he'll need to secure his meal.

By the time Philip turns around, Kaneki's stalking forward. He looks normal so far--no tentacle limbs lashing around behind him, anyway. It would be too much of a give away about his intentions. His last encounter hadn't gone quite as planned and he doesn't want to leave any openings for action this time.

His eyes meet Philip's--and even that looks normal enough, with his left eye still covered--then dashes forward. He's not as fast as many ghouls he knows, but he's faster than any human he's ever met. Usain Bolt has nothing on even a slow ghoul.]

[radiopalkiller]

[ Philip arches his eyebrow and thinks--

He thinks it's probably the sort of look you can't quite place, can't quite put the proper words to, except that you don't like what you see, and mentally you grab your wallet tight and start to wonder if the other side of the road wouldn't look a whole lot more appealing, and don't you want to move over there and away from that guy?

Only you get that sort of thing a lot in Wonderland, don't you? Doesn't always mean anything, often doesn't mean much of anything at all.

Philip thinks that the guy was already a lot closer than he'd excepted him to, when he turned around just there. Less coincidental approach and more--

A blur of motion, and Philip doesn't think anymore. He spins back around, and makes a grab for the door, out, get out, put something solid between him and what the hell is that guy's problem. ]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[Seeing his prey trying to escape, Kaneki lets his kagune out. It's starting to become a drain on him; he's using much more of his store of RC cells then he's managing to replace. Hopefully this encounter will help balance the books, so to speak.

As soon as he's closed enough of the distance between them, he launches himself at Philip, leaping for his back to try and take him to the ground. His kagune is aimed that reaching arm and shoulder, his intent to disable it and keep any attempts to fight back at a minimum.]

wednesday | a million years late but finally here

[assistanting]

[food. what an important concept. april had maybe not had the best diet since coming to wonderland, although, to be fair, she hadn't had a great one prior to it either. here, though, where m&ms were in abundance by implying wanting (actually, they said n&ns on them because wonderland was apparently just lazy like that), junk food was just so accessible. and while she could probably get that horrible, wonderful goodness from her closet, it was more fun going up to the kitchen and carrying just a ton of stuff back down to the basement. at two am. as one does.

she's so preoccupied with the load of stuff she's carrying she doesn't even notice kaneki stalking the halls. it was a perfect start to a terrible horror film - a trap she was walking into head first. she was going to be That Victim.]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[April is not the only one who is thinking about food. Actually, that's about all Kaneki's been thinking about for the last day or two. Fortunately, both of them have come to the right place to find what they want.

He turns a corner and sees her from behind. She seems preoccupied, which is a bonus for him. Even more of a bonus is, as he has the presence of mind to remember, she is definitely a Normal Human, which means maybe he can actually get a decent chunk of meat out of her. So far, all his attempts none of his attempts have gone according to plan and that's just annoying.

He follows her. She lives in the basement, if he remembers correctly, so he'll attack on the stairs, when she'll have her mind on not dropping anything or breaking her neck falling down them. Though he's not doing anything to draw attention to himself--for the moment, he's stopped muttering under his breath--he's not exactly silent, either, as he walks a ways behind her.]

[assistanting]

[he's right, the stairs are tactically a great place. she gets that feeling of being followed - pricking on the back of her neck and tries to turn around but completely fails at it with everything in her hands. she even drops a bag of n&ns and has to lean down awkwardly, holding everything in one hand, to grab it. But she refuses to be bested. Once she's got it, it's only a few more steps to the stairs.]

[itwouldbeatragedy]

[Priorities. Really. But Kaneki gets it--after all, he's still trying to eat actual people instead of using the kitchen like a sane person would, though he's not particularly sane at the moment.

When she reaches the stairs, he sprints forward after her. For the moment, speed-wise, he's the Usain Bolt of short, pasty Japanese guys, and he crosses the distance between them before she reaches the bottom of the stairs. He'll tackle her, if he can, unconcerned that falling down half a flight might break her neck. Really, that's just a bonus for him, since it means she likely won't manage to get away.]

[intelligently]

Wonderland might not be Lydia's favourite place but it is infinitely better than where they just were. Lydia didn't know what that event was, or even who could have been from there but it was one of the worst experiences that she'd ever had - worse than the motel, and that had been eerily familiar.

She'd been at the diner, remembering some normalcy - trying not to think about the fact that she'd died. That she'd willingly done something that invited death just to get away from it all. It just reiterated to Lydia how much she needed control - that she couldn't let anything affect her so much again.

It's on her way back to her room that Lydia notices Kaneki, passing him on the stairs. They'd spoken then, and although Lydia had found focusing hard - had found the conversation difficult to hold she remembered that he'd been there. That he possibly tried to help. She couldn't be certain if he had but it was nicer to think that he'd tried.

"Hey there." She still didn't know him well, only having spoken that once (so she thinks, minus help to her anonymous questions) but he's someone she knows. Whether it ends up as a conversation or a polite greeting doesn't make a difference to her intentions. He's a possible friend, and friendly in an unfriendly place.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

For the first time in the last couple of days, Kaneki doesn't notice Lydia's scent before he encounters her. He feels like he's in a downward spiral after so many mostly-failed attempts at getting something to eat. Each time he's managed to get a few mouthfuls, his body almost immediately used his store of RC cells to either maintain his kagune so he could continue hunting or to regenerate damaged tissues from two fairly significant injuries.

When she speaks to him, it startles him, and he staggers on the stairs as he turns to look at her. "Huh...?"

He can't suppress his kakugan now and without the customary eye patch to cover it, it's readily obvious as he stares at her through one normal eye and one turned black and blood red. The smell of blood still clings to him where it's stained his clothes, but most of it is his own, lost when Philip shot him in the eye. It was an extremely lucky shot--for Philip, that is; he'd managed to hit one of the very few parts of Kaneki's body that could be injured by a regular bullet.

It takes him a few seconds to realize who he's looking at. Or, rather, what he's looking at, before a slow, almost childlike smile spreads across his face. It's not because he recognizes her or because she seems so much better than the last time they'd spoken--though those would be the reasons under normal circumstances. It's because she's right there and all it will take is a few seconds.

[intelligently]

Her smile falters, the sight of his eye a little creepy. It looks- painful? Injured? Not normal, and her experience with other coloured eyes means something, even if he only has one.

"I was just saying hello." She gives it a few more seconds, trying not to let the unease that the sight was giving her affect how she appeared. If something was wrong she didn't want him to know that she thought so.

"It's nice being back here." More than nice for her - she feels relieved by it. Although now Lydia isn't certain that the danger was left behind. The seconds that she's giving the conversation spring up a different feeling in her - danger. Not strong, not deathly, but danger. Danger to her.

"Are you okay?" It's a curiosity about his eye, about being back, and hopefully something to distract him if he is the one that's considering hurting her.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

"I'm hungry."

It's the same thing he said to her the last time they spoke, but the difference here is that this time, she'll find out what he means. His kagune is already slipping out from under his shirt, uncoiling like liquid muscle.

"Just let me eat a little, okay?"

Without waiting for a response from her, he attacks, the three branches of his kagune curled up and around his right side and shoulder. He knows he should apologize for this like he has with everyone else, but he can apologize later, after this feeling of going insane has ebbed.

The stairs are a perfect place for this, he thinks, narrow, taking more focus to navigate than the flat surfaces in the hallways. It will slow her down and give him time to maneuver. This time, he's not going to lose his meal.

He goes for her chest and throat, intending to disable her as quickly as possible, even if disable means "kill" this time around. The attack comes in from the side, trying to force her down the stairs toward the landing. Even if she manages to move faster than him--which he doesn't think is likely, but it's happened--he'll still have the advantage of having the higher ground.