⏪ the other side of life | OPEN

[teaserving]

WHO: Leone Abbacchio & whomstever
WHAT: A Haunting prompt for Akechi; Moody Blues gets to work; Abbacchio takes over the H*t T*pic; you can also wildcard him.
WHEN: Time is an illusion
WHERE: The home decor store & others.
WARNINGS: There is a prompt including Abbacchio's Stand, Moody Blues! The thing about Stands is that normally only other people who have Stands can see them, but I like to play fast and loose with the rules, so I honestly leave it up to you if your character can see his Stand. Prompts are in the comments but if you wanna do your own thing just comment to the post or let me know if you want something more specific!

Comments

[aufsassig]

Hang on.

[Truthfully — and he so rarely is truthful, but hell — it's the offered hand that changes his mind. Not because he trusts anyone here as far as they can throw them, and not because his head hurts any less. But just...

It reminds him, a little. It just reminds him, that's all.]

Didn't we say, no letting pain get in the way of the goal?

[He's got to be crazy, but. Well.]

Look. I'll deal with the headache. But those lights showed up out of nowhere, on a moment's notice. Who says they won't disappear just as fast? We're here now. They're here now.

So just...just give me a second, and then do it. We get the lights. We get the job done. You can make it up to me after.

[teaserving]

I'm not a fan of being indebted, but... fine. We'll take what we can and I'll do whatever.

Tell me when you're ready, and I'll bring him out again. I'll try to make it fast.

[aufsassig]

I'm not gonna be able to talk. When I give you the OK, that'll work?

[He backs up a few meters, hunkering down into a crouch again and putting his hands up by his head like before.

Okay. Okay, it's not like he doesn't know how to put up shields, how to fight back against a mental assault. That's all this is. He wasn't expecting it, the guy got the drop on him. That's all.

He closes his eyes, calling up the memory of one of those absolutely shitty 90s songs that always plays on the radio — the ones that get stuck in your head and never get out, catchy fuckers that they are.

slam it to the left if you're having a good time shake it to the right if you know that you feel fine chicas to the front (ha ha) go rou-u-und

Again and again, he lets the song weave through his mind, shoring himself up, centering in on what's him and what's not until it's like a barricade, a narrow space surrounded by thick walls to keep the world out.

Slowly, he lifts a hand away from his head, and flashes an OK signal.]

[teaserving]

[Whatever Schuldig is doing, he hopes it works, because he takes him at face value for once and nods at the OK signal. Just like that, Moody Blues emerges again, flickering into view, static clearing the way for him.

Into the store Moody Blues goes, trying to make it quick and running inside, down the aisle based on Abbacchio's memory.]

Can't carry a ton, but... [Through Moody Blues, he's gathering up the lights in his arms, winding up the cords around them to bundle them. That puts about six total he can carry.

So he starts quickly rewinding Moody Blues, keeping the lights, drawing him back as fast as he can.]

[aufsassig]

[He snarls and snaps, but this time at least he's ready for the psychic barrage that hammers down on his mind, and when he thinks he can manage it he squeezes one eye open a crack to look and see what the familiar is up to.

It's working, it seems like. It's actually fucking working. This is actually going to work, okay, so the pain is worth it after all. What's a headache next to a victory? You do what the job takes. You survive.

This. This is good.

[teaserving]

[Eventually, Moody Blues finally returns, gently depositing the lights into Abbacchio's arms. As soon as that's done, he dismisses his Stand, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Turning his head, he looks at Schuldig.]

...Hey. You good?

[aufsassig]

Slightly less like I just took a kick to the head from an angry donkey, thanks for asking.

[He rubs at his temples, slowly unfolding, like he's gauging out his sense of balance before he's upright again.]

Point is, we got 'em. That's an armful more than we didn't have before.

[teaserving]

I'll take "slightly".

[Honestly, he doesn't mind hauling it for awhile. He just needs to be careful with the lamps before they get to the roof.]

You want a break before we hit topside?