reanbeanmachine | gross au

gross au

[Once upon a time, perhaps, a man named Giliath Osborne had been a good man, a kind father, a loving husband, a good soldier. That was a long, long time ago, long forgotten. These days, there was merely the Blood and Iron Chancellor. A man hellbent on a goal, ready to use everything to achieve it.

Currently, the latest tool from his little workshop was standing in his office facing him with a familiar face, but an unfamiliarly blank expression.

"Siegried" was the name of the doll in front of him, a creature with uses. Already, standing in front of Osborne was plenty of proof that this boy was only a shell that resembled a person, an empty vessel whose memories were sealed away.

He ran his fingertips over the boy's cheek, watching for any reaction, any flinch or concealed disgust. Nothing. Obedience. Perfect.

There was more he could test for this, and if that proved successful, this doll could be useful in very many ways indeed. His fingers lifted a lock of white hair, let it slide over his knuckles as he pulled his hand away.]

Siegfried, I want you to kneel.

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[He ruffles Crow's hair, almost fondly.]

You seem to have plenty of spirit left.

[He's letting him drop, pulling away and cleaning himself up as he summons guards in to clean up Crow's mess and drag him away without any pretense of giving Crow some dignity after fucking him over his desk.]

[He lets himself be dragged away, because fighting at that moment isn't going to get him anything. But he's thinking, and planning, and remembering -- every detail he knows about this place and its layout is clicking into place in Crow's head.

He'd like to wait for the most opportune time to strike, but there's a very real risk that he'll be handed back to the people who revived him and lose his memory again at any time. He's got to move fast. So it's only been a day or so when he's managed to make his cot look like something's in it using his coat and pillow. It wouldn't hold up for long, it wouldn't work on Osborne or Rufus or anyone else that smart, but it's enough to fool an average guard just long enough for Crow to get his arms around his neck. Handcuffs, it turns out, work just fine for strangling someone.

After that he gets his cuffs unlocked, then takes the liberty of opening a bunch of other cells, just to make as much chaos as possible as he slips off towards the area he thinks Rean is probably being held in. A day is more than enough time for Rean to have been thoroughly magically bound and fucked with (and probably fucked), but Crow's expecting him to still be berserk, and he's hoping that'll dim any bad memories created in this prison.

He gets there an hour later, with a trail of dead or unconscious guards behind him and a stolen gun in a stolen holster at his thigh. He's careful opening the door, seeing the red glow behind it and preparing for the worst.]

...Rean?

[The wards holding Rean are extensive. Crow can get into the room but Rean himself is chained to the walls and ceiling like he's some kind of wild beast, the glow of arts strengthening and enforcing the chains, and around his neck and head in a strange collar and crown.

He looks at Crow with no recognition in his eyes, and in the reflection there, the red glow of them, there's only hate and pain and murder.

his torn clothes and the dried blood and other fluids on him certainly give testament to Crow's suspicions about his day in this place, but Rean himself doesn't move when Crow enters, only watches him like a hawk watches something to murder.]

[Great. This is great. Rean could probably kill Crow in no time, in this state, but he can't let that happen. How does he approach this? It's best first, he supposes, to see if Rean has enough coherent thought to have a conversation. Is he crazy but conscious, or is he just totally mad?]

Hey... I'm not here to hurt you. Can you understand me?

[Rean's eyes track Crow but... There's no recognition, no flicker of human acknowledgment.

Crow's voice only earns a snarl, and the rattle of chains as Rean shifts, barely able to move but entirely maliciously ready to bite if Crow gets stupidly close.]

[How the hell is he going to get Rean out of here like this? Even if he can do something about the bindings, trying to move someone who's violently out of their mind cannot possibly be easy.

Hell, it may well be impossible. Crow can't fight their way out of here and fight Rean at the same time. But he can't just leave him. He owes Rean way too much to let him suffer a single minute longer. So... time to take a risk. He approaches, not yet close enough to bite, but enough so to start fiddling with the security mechanisms.]

I'm gonna get you out of here no matter what, so try not to make that any harder, okay?

[He doesn't really respond until one of the arts locks releases, letting him move just a little. Then, he's lounging against his chains, as if to launch himself at Crow. There's not enough room to make it, and the chains catch him short, growling like a wild animal, not sane or lucid in the least.

He's definitely going to be a pain to rescue like this.]

[Welp. Great. Unfortunately dragging a snarling struggling Rean aorund is not just feasible, so Crow's going to have to either calm him down or knock him out. Both involve getting suicidally close, which is great. But abandoning him isn't an option, so Crow unlocks each and every arts lock, then walks right up to Rean.]

I can't rescue you if you're going to attack me, dude.

[Not that Rean is hearing him, but hey.]

I don't know how to prove I'm safe, but you need to listen to me, or I'll have to put you to sleep for awhile.

[He strains against his bindings and without the arts holding him the chains creak ominously. There's nothing about him that seems to recognize Crow, even though it's only been a day or so since he was... Sane? But now, now he's just obviously trying to break his bindings so he can tear Crow's throat out.]

[Crow is absolutely resigned to getting a little mauled. It's worth it. Rean can try to kill him all he wants, Crow's going to bring him back to himself, and he's going to get him out of here. There's no room for not being confident.]

Hey! Don't be such a brat. You're Rean Schwarzer, aren't you? You're going to disappoint everyone if you don't get yourself together.

[He's standing juuust out of range, mere inches from danger, but refusing to look frightened.]

I'll smack some sense into you if I have to.

[If he had the sense to be chagrined that would get to him but for now the chains continue to creak ominously as he drags and drags on them, red eyes intent on Crow, radiating murder.

A chain snaps, abruptly, and while that makes him stagger with the sudden slack he's recovering unnaturally fast to lunge for Crow.]

[Running away won't fix this. Maybe taking it won't, either, but Crow believes Rean's in there. He just has to find the right button to push to reach him. He'll try anything he can think of to do that, even if it means getting hurt. That's why instead of trying to avoid Rean's attack he's just gonna step forward, meet him in the middle, and pull him into a hug.]

Hey. I'm right here.

[His hands don't have the leeway to get around Crow, even straining to break more chains, but he does, well, have Crow in range? He's dropping his face to Crow's collar but instead of going still or chilling out he's biting, hard. Hard enough to break skin.]

[This is fine! It hurts, but he's now close enough to use the keys he's gathered to start undoing chains. He's doing that with one hand, and holding Rean with the other, regardless of pain or his own safety.]

Go ahead and get it out. I'm not going anywhere, even if you kill me.

[He's snarling as he bites down, tearing at Crow's skin, swallowing some, licking at his blood, mostly mauling but a little eating him.

When he has an arm free it come up, latches into the back of Crow's shirt, holding on, or making sure Crow can't escape?

It's... Difficult. There isn't really any "Rean" in his head right now. But some part of him finds this voice soothing, nostalgic, some part of him finds this hold enough to make him want to cry, and while that confuses him it also agitates him, and he's biting in deeper.]

[Being slightly eaten is really not fun! But Crow's not gonna move. He just gets all the chains off and then hugs Rean tighter. His breath is ragged with pain, but he's gently petting Rean's hair even so.]

If it makes you feel better, take a chunk out. But cannibalism isn't very cool.

[He's definitely taking a chunk out. It's going to heal and scar ugly, but the more Crow holds him gently and talks the less savage he seems to get, even holding onto Crow as tightly as he is, the murderous aura in the room starts to fade a little.

Honestly it's the gentleness and it being Crow that's getting through. He doesn't understand why he wants to trust this person, or why this hold is comforting but aches, but slowly his urge to lash out at everything, maul anyone near him for daring to approach, it's dwindling.]

[There's quite a bit of blood spilling down Crow's chest now, but it's not that bad. It's not life-threatening. He's seen way worse (haha). So he winces but doesn't let go -- it seems to be working, if slowly. He'll just put his face against Rean's head and rub his back, soothing.]

I know, I know. It hurts, doesn't it? You've had a rough time.

[He's got a bit of Crow in him and he'll digest it and they'll be one forever now, I guess. But the petting has him panting against Crow's chest, stressed, half crying, totally feral but the gentleness works. He hasn't been treated gently in the last day, which is all he remembers of the whole world now anyway. So this is a novel and new experience that aches in his chest and makes him whine against Crow's ravaged skin, teeth bared like he'll take another chunk out if Crow makes any moves he doesn't like.]

Take some deep breaths, then when you're ready to get out of here just say the word.

[He's not making any sudden moves. Best to keep up the comforting until Rean's aware enough to follow him out.]

[He takes those breaths, in and out, the taste and smell of Crow's blood strong, weirdly heady. He doesn't quite understand except that Crow's freed him from chains and hasn't hurt him, has just held him.

Words are a bit beyond him at the moment but he pulls back, still wild and wary, but less murderous.]

[Eh, words. At least it seems like communication is progressing.]

Can you follow me? Just nod.

[A hesitation and then Rean does nod. Mouth red and dripping with Crow's blood making him look way less than sane or human.]

Alright, then. I don't care how much of a mess we make on the way out, but if you want to escape, stay close behind me no matter what.

[Rean doesn't look... well, he doesn't look like Rean. But he is, so Crow will lead him out, no matter how many people they have to kill to get there. Time hasn't made him care more about collateral damage, and right now he cares even less. All he can imagine is how much the people he loves have suffered because of everyone here. How many of them watched Rean get hurt in the last day and said nothing? How many of them heard Crow screaming yesterday and tuned it out?

He doesn't care about them, and he's not going to stop Rean from mauling anyone. He just tries to keep moving til they're out of the building.]

[Mauling... Definitely happens. A few times. Rean doesn't have a sword but he doesn't need one to rip a guy's throat out with his fingers or to take another man's gun and bludgeon his face in with it. He's savage, animalistic even, not speaking, but he does follow Crow, ultimately, trailing after him like a hound from some deep hell chasing his shadow.]

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