[ he's pretty sure that if it weren't important, vil wouldn't have gone the distance to contact him let alone ask him to come see what was up. so part of him is genuinely curious. but what about that oddly foreboding feeling that makes him uneasy? ]
Yeah, yeah...
[ following behind, the beastman's tail flicks from side to side as they walk. ]
[Vil doesn't deign Leona's comment with an answer until the next time he pauses, shooting an unimpressed look at him over his shoulder.]
No, it isn't.
[There's none of the usual snark he would usually give in response, and the reason for that soon becomes apparent when Vil stops in front of one of the many supernatural-feeling statues littering the garden. The lifelike statue sits on a short pedestal to keep it off the pathway and grass, dressed in nondescript pants and t-shirt and arms up, one hand a fist and the other clenched around it. Perhaps the face and hairstyle could be argued to be commonplace, but the combination of stance and features had definitely given Vil pause.
Vil stares at the statue without gesturing at it, as if not wanting to fully commit to the question he eventually asks.]
[ now he knows something's really up. no quick witted retort. no amount of sass or irritation. everything's too serious and that's enough to make leona keep quiet afterward, right up until they come to the statue of an unfortunately familiar looking statue. the thing is, the face and the hairstyle are the things that clue him in right away--- that for all the unusual and unique people that he's run into, it makes even the most 'common' standout.
and to him... deuce is pretty ordinary. ]
... tch, think the herbivore got out and they made a statue in tribute or somethin'?
Like all of the others who have statues around this place?
[Vil doesn't attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice, even if it's too speculative to be a strong argument one way or another. A better argument would have been that Deuce was not the type of person to commit to the game for a wash. For a moment, Vil folds his arms and grips his elbows, taking a slow breath to try easing the anxiety that's been silently building.]
It's been almost two months. I haven't heard from Deuce or Azul this entire time. I need to know that I'm not just seeing things.
[While he hasn't heard any of the rumors about people turning into stone, the fact that people can go missing for so long has always spoken to something happening against their will -- something likely supernatural, given the strangeness of the resort.]
[ he's not going to live in ignorance, but he's not going to live in fear of some kind of retribution that may never come. if the point is to intimidate the players of the resort's game, then leona's not going to fold. he's got enough cards, does what he wants, and even finds some of the experiences to be... helpful. healthy, even. ]
Well... you're not.
[ leona goes up, taps the statue with his knuckles. yep. solid stone. this isn't an illusion. he's only partly convinced this could be their junior but not 100% sold. not yet. ]
Dunno what to make of this. If they didn't want us 'round, they could've probably done this without a second thought. Yeah?
[Vil hangs back a little, having done his own inspection of the statue before deciding to message Leona. It's still unfortunately surreal to even consider Deuce may have been here the entire time people were playing around on the beach.]
They have threatened punishments before, and we know they can induce ... effects for the sake of their games.
[That's something they can pick up on even without deeper investigation and gathering info from others.]
But I don't recall anyone being threatened to be turned to stone. Do you?
[Deuce could be clumsy in his attempts to be a good role model, but Vil doubts he could have done something that would have him petrified as punishment.]
[ he rubs his chin. a few things run through his head, mostly about what could cause it in the first place. without an obvious punishment like this, it's hard to say whether it's done on purpose or not. that's where leona's mind is.
but also: ]
Rosehearts would flip if he saw this. Then again, I can't imagine what a lil' rule follower would do if he were in this situation.
[ it would be funny as all hell though. ]
I know this though. I'm not gonna let myself be some kind of lawn decoration if I can help it.
[Leona mentioning Riddle comes as a surprise to Vil, but it's a distraction away from the troubling situation in front of them. While he quietly agrees it would be difficult to imagine Riddle in their current circumstances, it's also a reminder that one has to be somewhat flexible to survive in the resort. How many hours in these past months did he spend gaming or gambling just to avoid giving his body for basic essentials?]
It would help to know what caused this. From my experience with him, Deuce isn't the type to hide when he has an urgent problem.
[But Deuce had also been missing for quite awhile, so there was no telling how long it took for him to end up this way.]
I'm going to look for Azul as well. Even if he's another 'lawn decoration' by now.
[ he thinks about a future where somehow the rest of the housewardens would arrive, including azul who... just now, crosses leona's mind. he remember seeing him pretty early on but the longer he thinks about it? perhaps they disappeared at the same time and leona simply just. didn't think of it. ]
... even if ya know what happened, do ya think there's any way we could stop it from happenin'.
[ defiance doesn't seem to be the best way to approach the house as a whole. but it won't stop leona from being distinctly aware of any possibility of finding a way to restore them back to normal. ]
I don't know if Azul is here, but there are a number of these statues around the resort. I might as well take a look.
[What else does he have to spend his time on, seriously? Besides keeping up his number of chips, doing his self-care, and shopping or reading, his days are spent trying to find other things to do. Such is the life of someone used to tightly-maintained schedules.]
Even if we don't know what happened, I would feel ... better knowing where they are.
[Better is a stretch. But he feels like he should account for them.
After a moment, he steps forward to place his hand on Deuce's statue, murmuring the incantation for his signature spell.]
Fairest One of All. Any curse placed on this statue will lift as long as I touch its surface.
[He expects something to tug at the spell, to resist or unwind or do something about the supernatural feeling he gets around the statue. But there's nothing, even as waits with bated breath.]
[ finding things to do is hard around the resort. once you've done something once, is it really that fun to do it again? even leona would be willing to admit that it's not the things that are interesting. it's the people. including vil. which, upon hearing the start of that incantation, causes leona's gaze to harden. will it actually do anything? he already has a hunch...
...
and sadly, that hunch is correct. ]
It's not gonna work. But ya probably knew that anyway.
[ was it worth trying? absolutely. leona clicks his tongue. ]
Whether it's magic or not, tryin' to do anything destructive doesn't seem like it works. Guess they're good at protecting their property.
[ he turns to look away, frowning all the while. ]
[A bitter sigh escapes Vil as he drops his hand and steps back. It would be easy to lash out, to snap that Leona should be trying something too, but ultimately it seemed clear that their underclassmen were beyond their help. He looks away from the statue of Deuce, in the opposite direction as Leona.]
I hate it here. But I don't believe in the results of this game, either.
[He avoids saying the last thought on his mind, knowing it will just further manifest the insecurity he was feeling. I feel lost. Adrift.]
Well, you're in a better position to try than I am.
[ because turning a statue into sand is definitely not the right way to go about things. not to mention that he wouldn't want to risk his own safety and thus, the safety of others, by making a mistake... ]
And ya don't have to believe in the results of anything 'round here. Ya just gotta survive. Right?
[ with a sigh, leona rubs his face with the back of his hand. ]
[Vil feels his eyes inexplicably begin burning when Leona expresses a touch of empathy, and he blinks rapidly to keep them from worsening. It was no secret that he was frustrated with being stuck in the resort, away from everything he cared about and felt driven to work for. Could he pursue beauty to the extent that he did back home? Perhaps. But this wasn't a game he wanted to play or a place where he wanted to be, and he loathed the fact that he's already done things in the name of survival that he wouldn't dream of doing back home.]
Right. Survive.
[He cuts off any strain in his voice by keeping his replies short, shaking his head.]
Just gotta be long enough to avoid turnin' into a statue. You're beautiful and all but that doesn't mean you're allowed to slack off if I can't too.
[ of course he's going to feel for vil. leona's got a lot that he's left behind just for the sake of someone's whims. he's got a bed that needs to be slept in. a greenhouse to also sleep in. sandwiches to eat. but the thing is, while he can do all of that here, it all happens under a pretense of something inherently horny. arousing. he's not tired of it yet but he will be eventually. probably. ]
Think about it too hard and it'll feel longer than it really is, ya know.
[Long enough to avoid turning into a statue. Such an ambiguous time range. If Deuce and possibly Azul could meet such a fate in a matter of months, what would it look like for himself and Leona? Years?
He gets control of his breathing with little fanfare, frowning as he looks back over at Leona.]
I know. But I'm not going to risk the opposite and let this place make me forget.
[They've been in the resort for too short a time for it to be a realistic concern, but what had Leona said before? That nothing was impossible here? What were they to do if this place could thrust them further into vice and pleasure by making them forget things from home?
...But that was overthinking. He couldn't let himself be caught up in that, either.
So after a long look at Deuce's statue, Vil turns and starts making his way back through the garden, intent on getting back to the entryway and elevators.]
[ make them forget? now that's something he hasn't thought about. or maybe he had but he forgot it? that's the problem with memory-related things and a world he doesn't want to live in. leona sighs and folds his arms across his chest. again, he can't worry about something that's not necessarily impossible, but very improbable. ]
... I won't let ya.
[ following after vil, he matches his stride. ]
If I'm around, you're not gonna forget a thing. Promise ya that.
[Vil doesn't respond for a long moment, making his way some distance from Deuce's statue to one of the little bridges that dot the garden. It gives him time to detach himself from the hideous thought of the resort being capable of making them forget, though it's hard to completely dismiss now that he's voiced it.]
...Thank you. I want to believe you.
[If he thinks about the situation more, Leona's been bolstering him more than he expected in their time here. Did he really come across so sensitive and demoralized?]
I'm sure you realize I'm not giving up. So you better do your part and ensure you stick around.
[ and he should. leona's not doing it just for vil's sake, but his own. it'll never be purely out of sympathy and compassion for his fellow housewarden, but that doesn't mean he can't have those and save his own skin at the same time. ]
Well, I'm doin' my part. [ snorts! ] I'm not havin' problems playin'. Got a bunch of cards already.
[ one day i'll update my tracker ]
And because of it, I'm learnin' about a lot of the other guests.
[Vil doesn't look particularly surprised that Leona has no problem playing the game. In fact, it would probably be more surprising if he did have trouble, considering his personality.]
I'm not interested in your exploits. Just don't do anything foolish.
[He's one to talk about doing foolish things, considering he put his hair on the line with that mysterious J character. But he's soon walking again, silently emphasizing he doesn't want to talk about who or what Leona may be banging.]
[ he's lying right now. right in front of vil. whatever he deems foolish might not be to leona. in fact, he'll be putting himself out there to protect a few folks... he might even help dry someone else off with magic.
but either way, his thoughts will be on what happened to his classmates as he lags behind. about not letting the same thing happen to either of them, because the last thing he needs to deal with is someone on his level actually getting petrified. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Yeah, yeah...
[ following behind, the beastman's tail flicks from side to side as they walk. ]
... guessin' this ain't no date.
no subject
No, it isn't.
[There's none of the usual snark he would usually give in response, and the reason for that soon becomes apparent when Vil stops in front of one of the many supernatural-feeling statues littering the garden. The lifelike statue sits on a short pedestal to keep it off the pathway and grass, dressed in nondescript pants and t-shirt and arms up, one hand a fist and the other clenched around it. Perhaps the face and hairstyle could be argued to be commonplace, but the combination of stance and features had definitely given Vil pause.
Vil stares at the statue without gesturing at it, as if not wanting to fully commit to the question he eventually asks.]
Does this look like Deuce to you?
no subject
and to him... deuce is pretty ordinary. ]
... tch, think the herbivore got out and they made a statue in tribute or somethin'?
[ that's a reasonable question, right? ]
no subject
[Vil doesn't attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice, even if it's too speculative to be a strong argument one way or another. A better argument would have been that Deuce was not the type of person to commit to the game for a wash. For a moment, Vil folds his arms and grips his elbows, taking a slow breath to try easing the anxiety that's been silently building.]
It's been almost two months. I haven't heard from Deuce or Azul this entire time. I need to know that I'm not just seeing things.
[While he hasn't heard any of the rumors about people turning into stone, the fact that people can go missing for so long has always spoken to something happening against their will -- something likely supernatural, given the strangeness of the resort.]
no subject
Well... you're not.
[ leona goes up, taps the statue with his knuckles. yep. solid stone. this isn't an illusion. he's only partly convinced this could be their junior but not 100% sold. not yet. ]
Dunno what to make of this. If they didn't want us 'round, they could've probably done this without a second thought. Yeah?
no subject
They have threatened punishments before, and we know they can induce ... effects for the sake of their games.
[That's something they can pick up on even without deeper investigation and gathering info from others.]
But I don't recall anyone being threatened to be turned to stone. Do you?
[Deuce could be clumsy in his attempts to be a good role model, but Vil doubts he could have done something that would have him petrified as punishment.]
no subject
[ he rubs his chin. a few things run through his head, mostly about what could cause it in the first place. without an obvious punishment like this, it's hard to say whether it's done on purpose or not. that's where leona's mind is.
but also: ]
Rosehearts would flip if he saw this. Then again, I can't imagine what a lil' rule follower would do if he were in this situation.
[ it would be funny as all hell though. ]
I know this though. I'm not gonna let myself be some kind of lawn decoration if I can help it.
no subject
It would help to know what caused this. From my experience with him, Deuce isn't the type to hide when he has an urgent problem.
[But Deuce had also been missing for quite awhile, so there was no telling how long it took for him to end up this way.]
I'm going to look for Azul as well. Even if he's another 'lawn decoration' by now.
no subject
... even if ya know what happened, do ya think there's any way we could stop it from happenin'.
[ defiance doesn't seem to be the best way to approach the house as a whole. but it won't stop leona from being distinctly aware of any possibility of finding a way to restore them back to normal. ]
Yeah? Ya think he's around here too?
no subject
[What else does he have to spend his time on, seriously? Besides keeping up his number of chips, doing his self-care, and shopping or reading, his days are spent trying to find other things to do. Such is the life of someone used to tightly-maintained schedules.]
Even if we don't know what happened, I would feel ... better knowing where they are.
[Better is a stretch. But he feels like he should account for them.
After a moment, he steps forward to place his hand on Deuce's statue, murmuring the incantation for his signature spell.]
Fairest One of All. Any curse placed on this statue will lift as long as I touch its surface.
[He expects something to tug at the spell, to resist or unwind or do something about the supernatural feeling he gets around the statue. But there's nothing, even as waits with bated breath.]
no subject
...
and sadly, that hunch is correct. ]
It's not gonna work. But ya probably knew that anyway.
[ was it worth trying? absolutely. leona clicks his tongue. ]
Whether it's magic or not, tryin' to do anything destructive doesn't seem like it works. Guess they're good at protecting their property.
[ he turns to look away, frowning all the while. ]
Bastards.
no subject
[A bitter sigh escapes Vil as he drops his hand and steps back. It would be easy to lash out, to snap that Leona should be trying something too, but ultimately it seemed clear that their underclassmen were beyond their help. He looks away from the statue of Deuce, in the opposite direction as Leona.]
I hate it here. But I don't believe in the results of this game, either.
[He avoids saying the last thought on his mind, knowing it will just further manifest the insecurity he was feeling. I feel lost. Adrift.]
no subject
[ because turning a statue into sand is definitely not the right way to go about things. not to mention that he wouldn't want to risk his own safety and thus, the safety of others, by making a mistake... ]
And ya don't have to believe in the results of anything 'round here. Ya just gotta survive. Right?
[ with a sigh, leona rubs his face with the back of his hand. ]
I know it must be eatin' ya up havin' to be here.
no subject
Right. Survive.
[He cuts off any strain in his voice by keeping his replies short, shaking his head.]
I can endure. I just don't know how long.
no subject
[ of course he's going to feel for vil. leona's got a lot that he's left behind just for the sake of someone's whims. he's got a bed that needs to be slept in. a greenhouse to also sleep in. sandwiches to eat. but the thing is, while he can do all of that here, it all happens under a pretense of something inherently horny. arousing. he's not tired of it yet but he will be eventually. probably. ]
Think about it too hard and it'll feel longer than it really is, ya know.
no subject
He gets control of his breathing with little fanfare, frowning as he looks back over at Leona.]
I know. But I'm not going to risk the opposite and let this place make me forget.
[They've been in the resort for too short a time for it to be a realistic concern, but what had Leona said before? That nothing was impossible here? What were they to do if this place could thrust them further into vice and pleasure by making them forget things from home?
...But that was overthinking. He couldn't let himself be caught up in that, either.
So after a long look at Deuce's statue, Vil turns and starts making his way back through the garden, intent on getting back to the entryway and elevators.]
no subject
... I won't let ya.
[ following after vil, he matches his stride. ]
If I'm around, you're not gonna forget a thing. Promise ya that.
no subject
...Thank you. I want to believe you.
[If he thinks about the situation more, Leona's been bolstering him more than he expected in their time here. Did he really come across so sensitive and demoralized?]
I'm sure you realize I'm not giving up. So you better do your part and ensure you stick around.
no subject
Well, I'm doin' my part. [ snorts! ] I'm not havin' problems playin'. Got a bunch of cards already.
[
one day i'll update my tracker]And because of it, I'm learnin' about a lot of the other guests.
no subject
I'm not interested in your exploits. Just don't do anything foolish.
[He's one to talk about doing foolish things, considering he put his hair on the line with that mysterious J character. But he's soon walking again, silently emphasizing he doesn't want to talk about who or what Leona may be banging.]
🎀
[ he's lying right now. right in front of vil. whatever he deems foolish might not be to leona. in fact, he'll be putting himself out there to protect a few folks... he might even help dry someone else off with magic.
but either way, his thoughts will be on what happened to his classmates as he lags behind. about not letting the same thing happen to either of them, because the last thing he needs to deal with is someone on his level actually getting petrified. ]