The Promises Meme

[alethiometric]

the promises meme • Comment with your character's name and fandom in the subject line. • Select an option or roll RNG for a prompt. • Play! prompts i. family. A promise made in the name of family, whether literal or metaphorical. ii. business. No personal feelings involved. Just a working agreement. iii. romantic. A promise to your lover, something that binds you together. iv. enemy. Looks like you made a deal with the devil. v. too good to be true. A promise with hidden caveats. vi. false. A promise you don't intend to keep. vii. broken. A promise you've betrayed. viii. fulfilled. The time has come to make good on your word. ix. bound. A promise you have to keep, whether by threat, blackmail or magic. x. secret. A pact you can't reveal. xi. forever. You're promising forever after. xii. never. You promise that something will never happen. Ever.

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[mantichora]

[He's seen this face around before: slinking around the edges of his vision at some of the bigger parties, always doing her best to blend in like part of the scenery. She seems well-connected, but not too connected. Or maybe she's staying away from the center for a reason.

But tonight somehow, for some reason, they're standing outside together, alone. Boredom, interest, just plain chance?

Katerina has taken a shine to this one. She offers him something she has never offered one of his like before.]

If you really want to know who I am, I'll tell you. But you must swear to me on whatever you hold dearest that you'll never tell.

[grindr]

[ It was interesting to meet (if once could call it meeting) genuinely intriguing people. The clubs, the parties, they were always full of pretentious people playing at mystery, but this woman, she really had it. TJ didn't think himself a poetic sort of person, so it struck him when he found himself thinking there was something otherworldly about her. Something he couldn't blame on the lights or the booze or the drugs.

Outside to smoke, to get away from the sycophants and all the people who just wanted to get close to him. He wondered why anyone even cared what he did or where he went any more. He was all grown up now and not some poor brave little soul stuck in the fishbowl of the White House with all his problems on display for the world. Clearly, all those people needed to find better hobbies.

He needed to find better hobbies, too.

He expected the quiet shuffle of people outside to smoke, the polite conversation that's always had but never wanted when you just wanted to enjoy your cancer stick and get back to the party. He didn't expect her. That face he'd seen around, but didn't know, the mysterious one no one seemed to know anything about. The offer earned a curiously arched brow and a jaunty, well-practised smirk that tried to cover how curious he really was. ]

Who gets to decide what that is, 'cause I'm not sure I could tell you what's dearest to me.

[mantichora]

[She rests one hand gently against the wall where she stands a short distance away from him, leaning her weight into it in a poised, careless sort of way.

She's been watching him for a long time herself. But not in the way most of the others do: with a mixture of pity and bloodlust, longing for what he has and savoring the details for when it sends his life into one downturn after another. No, her interest is more like that of a scientist observing: intrigued, emotionally uninvested, perfectly willing to let nature take its course. She's been around and watched so much change, and enjoyed every minute of it. Its only once in awhile that the little pieces stand out, shining among the fray.

(She doubts his memory is good enough, but she wandered in and out of society circles in this city a bit when he was a boy, too. But it's better he doesn't know. If he could actually recall it, he might wonder why she hasn't seemed to age a day.)]

No? [She smiles back at him, but it's a knowing sort of smile.] Oh come on now. There must be something.

I'm sure if you reached deep enough inside your heart, you'd be able to find it.

[grindr]

[ His memory wasn't what anyone would call good. Once or twice he'd admitted most of his life from his teenage years on was a blur. It's not a comforting fact, but it's a fact. A little more truth and a lot less bullshit was something TJ needed direly, from himself more than anyone else.

TJ leaned against the wall, looking off while he took a long drag of his cigarette. It was obvious he wasn't taking the conversation wholly seriously, but he was giving her more attention than the average person chit-chatting with him while he paused in a night of partying for a smoke. Interesting people, truly intriguing people, were hard to come by. ]

Mmm, probably. But I'm not really all that self-reflexive.

[mantichora]

Really? Shame. I wouldn't have guessed it'd be your nature to be that way. [There's a pause, her expression shifting before she adds:] There's nothing worse than someone dumbing themselves down. Emotionally or otherwise.

[Her tone is noticeably less frivolous, if just for that moment. She's not only serious, she's deathly so. Cold. Harsh. And more than ever at that point something seems to bleed through from underneath, that makes her seem unusual, that marks her as coming from a world and a viewpoint so unlike anything that would be more expected and common.]

[grindr]

[ TJ smiled, the sort that wasn't actually sincere, but wasn't wholly insincere either. More of a habitual, almost apologetic look before he took another puff of his cigarette. ]

I guess you've got me there. But, tell me, how many people are willing to just give up their most intimate details to a total stranger?

[mantichora]

True. [She smiles again, all casual, more than able to concede his point. Her voice drops a bit, both playful and yet not.] But how am I to trust you with my dearest secret without being able to have any faith you'll keep it?

[She pulls back from the wall, straightening, standing at her full height as she lifts her chin a bit.]

And, if you come to know me first before finding out the truth, you might well regret it.

[grindr]

[ He watched her closely, curious what kind of person would want to share their dearest secret with a stranger? Well, TJ met people before who seemed to want to confide in strangers. Hell, that's pretty much what NA meetings were for. Just to keep things light, he made a show of looking her over, then leaned in a little closer, voice low. ]

How am I to trust you when I don't know anything about you? For all I know you could be some washed-up sorry excuse of a reporter looking for the least important bit of Hammond gossip. I've been dealing with that for my whole life, so I think you'll excuse my reluctance.

[mantichora]

[It is a very odd urge of hers, that much she could agree, were he to voice the thought. But the times really are changing these days. So much that is marvelous and strange appears regularly on the nightly news, and the world is becoming more clearly and cognizantly full of people who are...special. And no one's ever known what she was, before: she finds herself thinking it might be interesting to see. Anything new and different is always a treat.

She doesn't pull back when he leans in, doesn't so much as blink. Her eyes do half-lid though, coy and lazy. It's a very feline expression.]

Do I really seem like the reporter type to you? [She seems relatively unbothered, though.] But it's true, I can't exactly fault you for being squeamish. Once burned, twice shy. I can only assume over time a dozen burns leads to a dozen cases of shyness.

But I never meant to ask you for anything that could be construed as 'gossip'. I only wanted a pledge I can put some faith in. [She smiles, tilts her head, speaks in a knowing and reasonable tone.] Does that seem so tawdry?

[grindr]

[ A more genuine look came to his face, one that was thoughtful. No, it didn't seem at all tawdry to want a promise, but from a stranger, that was the bizarre part. But it was easy to say, 'Yes, I swear on what I hold most dear' and not mean it. He couldn't even say there was something he held most dear or if it was, in fact, a thing rather than a situation or a feeling.

Steve came to mind.

His expression softened, a ghost of a smile and a subdued sort of happiness coming to his eyes. That was it. Steve changed his life and that was something precious, so very precious to TJ. At length he nodded once. ]

All right. You can have my pledge. But, if your secret is that under all that you're a man, I'm going to be wholly unimpressed with all this drawn out mystery.

[mantichora]

If I asked you what it was, specifically, you were making that pledge on, would I get an answer? [The question is playful, coy again. Curious; she would love to know, but would hardly be surprised if he refuses to tell her. Though one can only imagine what a boy's whose grown up constantly in the spotlight considers important enough to actually keep as a secret.

But for some reason, in his own she fancies him to be a man of his word.

At his remark she laughs, a brief and soft if genuinely amused sound. A bit darkly amused, at that. It's the sound of someone who knows a little more than you - maybe more than a little - and is laughing about something you couldn't understand.]

Oh, no. Many things have I been in my day, but male was never one of them.

[grindr]

[ TJ shook his head to indicate the negative without a beat of hesitation. ] No. You said it yourself, all you wanted was my word. Now you have it. I'm not offering any more than that.

[mantichora]

[She looks at him evenly. Her smile is respectful. She's taken his measure and has admiration enough for what she sees.]

Fair enough. Can't blame a lady for being curious.

But since you've been such a good boy, here's my secret...[Standing right in front of him she leans in, not quite whispering into his ear, but almost. Her voice is low, her whole manner dark and powerful, in control of the situation entirely.] I'm not human.

[grindr]

[ He almost laughed. Almost. TJ couldn't say what it was that left him inclined to actually believe what she said. There was just something about her, the careful way she spoke, that almost alien way she watched, that knowing look in her eyes that teased of secrets unknown to many. Still, he was convinced he was a cynic and often prodded himself to behave accordingly. It was that which prompted the jaunty smirk as he leaned back to put a proper measure of space between them. ]

No? Then what?

[mantichora]

You don't believe me, do you. No?

[Not that it's much of a surprise. She doesn't even bother to feign being hurt. If anything her expression only grows more smug, more confident, more wicked.]

Well--

[She shifts her weight so it's more on one foot, upper body leaning forward at an angle, knee bent. So that she's not actually shoving her chest into him her spine twists in a way not everyone would be flexible enough to pull off. One hand goes to press against the wall at his back on either side of him. At first blush it would seem an aggressively flirtatious posture.

Except. Her eyes go from green-gray to green-gold and then just golden, becoming more slitted and feline as they do. Her smile bares fangs now. Fingernails extend into claws that dig into the wall's surface with an audible scrape.]

...How about now?

[grindr]

[ Instinct pushed TJ back, attempting to lean away and finding the way blocked by the wall behind him. His eyes went wide and the colour drained from his face. Stuff like this just wasn't supposed to happen when he was sober. ]

...What the hell?!

[mantichora]

[Her smile doesn't go away. She should probably move back so he doesn't feel nearly so threatened -- in a moment. It's been a good long while since she's gotten to scare somebody. She'll allow herself to enjoy it for a while.

Her head tilts idly and she contemplates letting it go a little further, bringing out her tail. She does so miss her tail sometimes...but, no. The further she lets the mask shift the harder it can be to force in back again; she doesn't want to have to spend a week in hiding while she retrains her body how to appear human.]

Ah, there. I'd say that put a few cracks in the jaded mask. Welcome to the waking world. It's full of a few more things than I expect you have imagined.

[There's a grating sound as her claws dig deeper into the wall.]

But after all, seeing is believing. Isn't it?

[grindr]

[ Scared? No, more like panicked. It was panic that flashed through TJ's eyes. A conflicting cacophony ran through his mind in an effort to explain what was clearly before him.

She drugged him.

He's hallucinating from withdrawal.

Oh my god, in either case he needed a hospital or something... He pressed back further into the wall, the cigarette fallen forgotten from his hands as he fumbled in his pocket to fish out his phone and call.... Well, Steve came to mind first, but he's in New York. Dougie. He'd ring Dougie. Dougie always helped. ]

[mantichora]

[Her smile fades, eyeing him searchingly.]

TJ?

[Well. She's had her fun. Time to give him some breathing space. But as she pulls back he tugs out his phone - and like lighting she reaches out to swat it from his grip with one hand. Quick as she can be while still being careful; it would be a cruel mistake to scratch him, now.]

No, no. No calling for help now. Remember: you promised.

[Under the circumstances her scolding tone seems almost mocking.]

[grindr]

[ The phone fell from his hand with a clatter and, had he not been too wary to take his eyes off her, he would've scrambled after it. Seriously, something was wrong with him if he was seeing visions like this when he was sober. No booze, no drugs, not even an aspirin. This was definitely every kind of not good he could imagine. ]

No, you don't understand... I think there's something wrong with me.

[mantichora]

[Her head tilts again, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she briefly weighs that statement. Comprehension dawns. She can't help giving a brief, quiet chortle.]

Oh no. It isn't all in your head, never fear. What you're seeing is quite real.

[Amusement aside, she does feel more than a little bad. Even guilty. And guilt is a funny emotion, for her...it doesn't come very natural to predators.

But while his fear was amusing to toy with (like a cat with a mouse) it never occurred to her she would so fully traumatize him. It wasn't at all her intention.]

I'd invite you to touch, if that sense would convince you of the reality, but sadly, that could only end very unfortunately. For you.

[She moves back further, a full arm's length away now. He could run, if he really wanted to. She's safely out of reach.

She lifts up her left arm and gazes at her own claws thoughtfully.]

Deadly venom that can drop any mortal dead within seconds. Almost overkill, really, for a beast that can devour its victims whole. But so very effective.

[grindr]

[ Life really wasn't supposed to be this strange, was it? If people saw heroes and gods and monsters every day it would be known. It would be commonplace and this wouldn't be nearly so shocking. Part of TJ had to wonder about his luck...

Once she moved away and he felt like he could breathe again, the panic started to subside. Okay, she hadn't actually drugged him. He wasn't hallucinating. And she wasn't planning to kill him. Good things, all. Keeping his eyes fixed on her, TJ took a step away and crouched to grope for his phone on the ground. Not in an effort to call anyone, just so he didn't lost the damned thing. ]

That's... disturbing.

[mantichora]

[Luck indeed. Too bad for you all the interesting people also find you interesting, TJ.]

Is it, now? Hm. I imagine it must be.

[Her eyes flick to him, watching, and once she's assured he's not about to do something truly reckless like attack her, they go back to looking at her own claws.

She closes her eyes, lifts her head up, draws a breath and visibly focuses. With a wet and grinding sound the shape of her hands change, claws retracting and disappearing and bones turning back into something significantly less dangerous. Ordinary human fingers.

Her fangs are gone as well, when she opens her eyes, though said eyes are still slightly closer to yellow in color than green.]

"Martya xwar", to the Persians. "Martichora", to the Greeks. "Mantichora", in the Latin.

[grindr]

[ The name vaguely sounded familiar, something from something he'd read or seen a lifetime ago. It was a word he recognised as a name, but nothing more than that. Mythological creatures were a long lost memory from high school. In the haze of retreating panic, it just sounded like some foreign word. ]

Uh, is that supposed to mean something to me?

[mantichora]

Evidently not. [She's smiling again, almost glib.] Maybe I only wanted to see how broad your pool of reference for mythology is.

Now, what about the word "manticore"?