bakerstreet | Affection

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Affection

the affectionate physical contact meme

you love spending time with your significant other. but sometimes, just "spending time" with him/her isn't enough. you need to have your hands on each other every now and then.

➝ post your character below, with your character's name and series in the subject.

➝ tag other people, using an rng with range 1-8 to roll a scenario.

➝ roll as many times as you want, play out whatever you want!

one; hugging. you just want to give your loved one a warm embrace. be it out of happiness, to comfort them while they're down, or just to give them something warm to latch onto, you just want to wrap your arms around them.

two; kissing. whether it's a peck on the cheek or a deep kiss, a kiss good-bye or a romantic kiss, you find yourself compelled to kiss the other person! be as tender or as passionate as you so choose.

three; holding hands. it's a simple gesture, really -- to reach out and take someone's hand. but that one simple gesture can convey any number of sentiments. what the sentiment is, is up to you, but you find yourself reaching out to take your significant other's hand.

four; carrying. is your loved one hurt and needs a lift? do they want a piggyback ride? or do you just want to spare them the effort of walking? whatever the reason, you're now itching to pick up your partner and carry them to their destination.

five; i love you. you've said it before or maybe you haven't but now you have to say it again or for the first time.

six; dancing. kick up the music, because it's time to dance! but no lone dancing allowed -- you need to have a partner! you can do whatever dance strikes your fancy. personally, i recommend the slow dance, but you can do whatever you want!

seven; massaging. did your significant other have a rough day? did they get hurt? or do you just feel like doing something really nice for them? whatever it is, you're giving them a nice massage now. they'll feel wonderful in no time!

eight; flirting. the easiest way to break the ice or maybe you're just an overly flirty person.

nine; cuddling. sometimes there's just no better feeling than curling up next to each other on a warm sofa. hold each other, lie next to each other, fall asleep on each other -- it's all good here.

ten; wild card! reroll, pick an option, or come up with something else!

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[[ooc: Because Guardians need some love too, especially since they are always diving into combat situations. F/F or M/F for shippy situations is fine. Gen is also fine. Cross canon and canon is good and I'm OC friendly. I prefer prose tags rather than action/brackets. :) Character info is HERE!]]

Edited 2020-11-13 07:17 (UTC)

"Oh. Hello, Katiri."
Ben sits down beside Katiri, a little shy. He's awkward around the Guardians, but his contact with Saint is helping him feel better. With him is the defective matter encrypter.

"I was looking for you. I have something you might want to see - it's something from your world. Blaze and I found it in the Wilds. I was wondering if you could give me some advice about what I should do with it.

Blaze thought a member of Pelsor's House dropped it back in that winter. Not surprisingly, it was broken. From what I know, Eliksni aren't the kind of people who throw away something they can still use. No good scavenger does that. But it's still usable."

Edited 2020-11-14 02:38 (UTC)

Katiri had been sitting alone, with a book in her lap. Though she had been looking down at the pages, she hadn't flipped one in several minutes. Her glowing eyes had a far away look to them, clearly lost in thought. The voice addressing her caused her to start slightly, and she sucked in a breath before looking up with a small subtle smile.

"Hello Ben."

Her attention was drawn to the object in his hands when he sat down. "You and Blaze found this?" She frowned slightly. "It's easy enough to lose track of something in a firefight. It doesn't surprise me there is still remnants lying around in the Wilds. It was probably hidden in the snows and forgotten." Her gaze shifted to the side as something crossed her mind, thinking of Winter. It was coming soon.

A flicker of light over her shoulder revealed Luce - wearing the shell that resembled a metallic blue fedora of the adventuresome variety. "Hey Ben! Did I hear you say you found some tech in the woods from our world?"

Ben shifts, showing the object to Luce. He's clearly proud of it for all its oddities and defects, and he's collected a few of those over his time living in the Nexus. The encrypter's one of the more interesting Nexus knick-knacks.

"Blaze said it's called a matter encrypter, but this one's defective. It doesn't store things and spit them out like it's meant to. Blaze thinks the Nexus's influence got to it somehow, since it gives back things of a similar value to what was stored inside. So I can't use it as a weapon, and it isn't really great for stashing anything valuable, either. I was wondering if there's anything that could be done with it."

It's been fun to use, though. Ben hasn't had the chance to test it.

"Speaking of House Winter, I can report a sighting - not mine, but my friend Misfire talked to some Eliksni outside the Wilds. They were probably interested in the scrap heap he found. Thankfully they didn't cause trouble, but I figured you'd want to know about Fallen activity here." He sighs heavily. "So they can behave themselves, if they want to."

Luce darted over to float around the device, making a human like humming sound as he inspected it; the brim of his hat tilting this way and that. Every so often a light would beam from his single optic as he scanned it. Katiri watched all this with a curious frown, though the subtle amusement was on her face at her Ghost's antics. Honestly the Awoken woman looked exhausted. Like she hadn't slept in several days.

"Yep. Definitely defective." Luce announced, chipper as ever. "Though it doesn't seem like a difficult fix. Huh. I wonder if Master Rahool back at the Tower would know what to do. So it just spits out random things and not what was originally stored?"

The mention of the Fallen sightings in the Nexus caused Katiri's eyebrows to raise a little. There hadn't been reports of any activity in months. Most of the year in fact. Something flickered on her face at Ben's words and she nodded. "Yes. They can." She noted quietly.

"So, they didn't cause trouble?" Luce wondered, drifting closer to his Guardian. "That's good to know."

"That's what it does. For example, it took a piece of Cybertronian food - their species eats metal - and spat out a giant hot dog. You should have seen it. Misfire thought it was hilarious. I'd actually be interested in experimenting with it to see if there are any patterns. I think it gives back similar items."

He notices the look that flickers on Katiri's face. There's more to it than the Fallen, and he wonders what's going on back home.

"You've been thinking about this? You look troubled." Ben sighs. "To be honest...I hope they have the chance to live in peace here, even if they'll never be our friends. Whatever we think of them, the Eliksni people have been through a lot. Maybe not now, and probably not with Pelsor in charge, but what Misfire reported made me think there could be hope. Granted, Misfire's Cybertronian, not human, but from the impression you and Saint gave me I was surprised they were willing to talk at all."

The mental image of a giant hot dog caused Luce to splutter a very human sounding chortle of amusement as he bobbed backwards in mid-air. "I would have loved to see that." He managed between snickers.

"I'm sure you would." Katiri batted at him with a hand.

Luce tittered again, optic brightening as he drifted out of reach. "How big was it?" He couldn't help but ask. His Guardian rolled her eyes but there was a quirk to her lips like she was trying not to smile.

Ben's words about looking troubled caused Katiri to look down at her hands, folded in her lap on top of her book. It was a history book that Palmer had given her from his world. It was a very interesting read. Or it would be if she wasn't so distracted.

"Cybertronian?" Luce asked, sensing his Guardian's curiosity and acting as her voice. "What is that? You said they eat metal?"

"Yes. That's the name of the species Misfire belongs to - they look like giant robots. Like Exos, but much bigger. They've got a troubled past, too, but the ones here are looking to make amends for it. I'm friends with them and can vouch for their intentions."

Since Ben's involved with the Cybertronians here, he feels obliged to step forward on their behalf.

"What's going on? You can trust me - I won't tell anyone." Ben's a little concerned about Katiri. "Has something happened in your world?"

He doesn't know too much about the Guardians' world, but he knows enough from talking to the people he knows from there that there's a war on, and a complicated war at that, with more than two sides. Humans and Exos versus Cabal versus Fallen versus Vex.

And beyond that, two primal forces of Darkness versus Light.

"Ohhh that's probably why they behaved." Luce noted about the Fallen. "It's because Cybertronians are living machines. The Eliksni kind of worship machines and technology - specifically the Traveler." He paused, not sure how much Ben knew of their world. "I uh...am not sure how much you know of our world, but it's quite the long story..." He would be happy to explain bits and pieces though if Ben was curious.

Katiri glanced at her Ghost. Well that was an understatement. Ben's question caused her to look over - eyes dimmed slightly in obvious worry and unrest. "What I tell you cannot be told to the other Guardians. Due to the Nexus, our fireteams might be from different timelines. Only me and Saint know of this." She heaved a heavy sigh, hands curling on her lap. "The Darkness has arrived. Just as it did many centuries ago during the Golden Age."

"And the world...ended." Luce said quietly.

"It caused the collapse yes." Katiri nodded. "It nearly decimated humanity and destroyed our entire civilization. If it wasn't for the actions of the Traveler, none of us would be here."

"Now it's back." Luce murmured.

"All Guardians were called back to the Tower as it encroached on the solar system. Some didn't make it and some are not accounted for. A few of our worlds were also consumed." Her voice sounded hollow.

"Commander Zavala, head of the Vanguard at the Tower bid everyone that wasn't lightborn to stay in the Last City within the walls. Underneath the Traveler so that they will be under its protection." Luce added softly. "It's a very uncertain time right now."

Edited 2020-11-14 05:00 (UTC)

"That's interesting. Blaze reassured me there's been no evidence that they've stolen from anyone since the truce was made. Pelsor probably doesn't want to start something with two fireteams watching her. She's smart, and not playing from as strong a hand as she was in winter. I still wonder why she sent a messenger from outside her House rather than address the Nexus herself or at least send one of her Fallen, since cowardice is not one of their vices. It suggests she knows she's vulnerable."

Ben's still wary. He doesn't trust Pelsor, but he doesn't want there to be trouble for anyone's sake, and it's better if both sides keep their distance from each other.

"So," Ben says quietly, this Darkness. I know a little bit about it, but not much. I know it's dangerous and powerful, and that it's more like a force than a living creature. I won't say a word of this to Blaze, I promise."

But he's visibly concerned.

"The war must have heated up, then. It must be hard, now that you're fighting off even more enemies. I assume the old ones haven't let off now that there's a worse one at the gates."

He knows about machines that can destroy a planet - but not a supernatural force. That's deeply unsettling.

Edited 2020-11-14 05:13 (UTC)

"Both the Light and the Darkness are paracausal forces, yes." Katiri nodded. The Light is represented by the Traveler. One of its last acts during the last Collapse was creating the Ghosts, which in turn, raised the Lightborn. Guardians." She continued to explain. "Since the arrival of the Darkness, it appears to have reforged itself, and now shields us in its light beneath it in the Last City. I'm sure that we'd be consumed like the rest if it wasn't present."

"A lot of our foes were most likely taken out along with the planets they were based on. Though I'm sure the majority on Earth still survived." Luce mused. "We don't even know if the planets are officially gone. The Darkness has left these...voids in their place. According to the reports."

"In the meantime, we have the Fallen to deal with." Katiri said finally. "A large force of them had retreated to settle on Europa, an ice moon that orbits a gas giant in our solar system. I was there following another summons when I heard a distress call from one of them." She fell silent, looking down at her hands which had curled into fists. It wasn't anger that caused the gesture.

Luce decided to take over, telling Ben of Variks the Loyal needing help in fighting Eramis, who had risen as a Kell to join the shattered Houses and get them all to forsake worship of the Great Machine, and give them the power of the Darkness to wield. Stasis. "That's where we're at right now. We're trying to figure out a way to stop her before she empowers an entire Eliksni army of Darkness wielders. Variks leads groups of Fallen that want nothing to do with this. We are helping them escape to safety."

"It's...very powerful." Katiri murmured, rubbing her arms slightly as if chilled. "I'm working with a fireteam on Europa who had decided to take...alternate measures in the fight with the Darkness."

Edited 2020-11-14 05:56 (UTC)

"I wish this Variks had been the one to find the Nexus rather than House Winter," Ben mutters. "Eramis the Shipstealer, huh? Those are dangerous powers she's tampering with, just from the little you've shared. No wonder there are other Eliksni who aren't going along with her plan - she could risk the lives of everyone on that moon. At least Pelsor valued the lives of her own people enough to call a truce with us in the end rather than fight to the last. Eramis sounds insane."

Like him - Ben himself would have done that, in the old days. But he's wiser now. Suddenly the issue with the broken encrypter sounds small in comparison to a rampaging paracausal entity and a mad would-be Kell.

The fact that Guardians helped Eliksni interests him. "So, I was right. They aren't all bad - though I'm afraid any Eliksni who came here would more than likely get some hard stares. Pelsor and her clan did not give us a good impression of their people. But I'd be willing to put old prejudices aside if anyone needs help."

He's done evil things in his time, so he's in no place to judge - but he worries that others might not be as forgiving if the situation flared up again.

"What kind of alternate measures are these Guardians trying?"

"You and me both." Luce muttered when Ben expressed wishing that Variks and his group settled in the Nexus instead of House Winter.

"The Darkness has driven Eramis to madness." Katiri agreed. "She would have tortured and killed Variks if Luce and I hadn't of gotten there in time. We got him out and tried to go after Eramis but during the battle we were overwhelmed and had to retreat. Stasis was just too powerful."

"Once we get Variks and his people out, we'll probably still refrain from mentioning the Nexus until we are confident of his true intentions." Luce said carefully. "Though so far, he's pretty amiable. On the surface he definitely appears to be easier to trust than the Spider." His optic flickered. "Another Fallen we have worked with before." The Ghost sighed. "If it came to it and he's trustworthy, and he did end up coming here we'd speak up for him."

Katiri didn't elaborate at the mention of the Spider. That had been a tough time. When they had been hunting down the Barons and Uldren Sov for Cayde's murder. At Ben's question, her thoughts came back to the present and she looked down at her hands. "They've attuned to the Darkness and are using Stasis to fight back." She said finally. When her glowing eyes rose to look over at Ben again, they were filled with sadness and if she was honest with herself, she was also afraid.

"I have been tainted too. In fact, the whole reason why I went to Europa was because...the Darkness was calling us there. If we are to fight it, we have to learn more about it. So I went. It claims to be our salvation, freeing us from the chains put on us by the Light." She shook her head. "We were 'gifted' a shard from one of its pyramids. With it, we became attuned to its power." Her tones shook slightly with disgust and sorrow - but there was also a resigned acknowledgement too. "It goes against everything I have been taught. But even I can't deny the sheer power of it. It's unlike anything I've ever channeled."

"I'm under the impression Eliksni aren't particularly fond of each other - Saint informed me that they are more likely to view any other Eliksni Houses as competition more than anything else - but it sounds like something different happened there. It was brave of him to stand against someone so powerful, and so unhinged. It speaks to a real concern for his people that he'd ask for help from humans."

Ben is running through Saint's briefing.

"That's good. If Eliksni settlers ever do come here, there will likely be a lot of distrust. It's easy for me to forgive since I wasn't involved - but I also think that prejudice and blame help no one. If the subject comes up one day, it would be only fair to let them know that there's a hostile House and a hostile Baroness." He has a feeling that Pelsor, too, wouldn't take kindly to new arrivals. She was clearly a follower of the old pirate ways, going from her behavior on arrival.

"I wouldn't trust the Darkness, obviously. It certainly has ulterior motives for giving you that power, but you still have your values and you know who you are. That's important. You have to hold on to them when you're dealing with that kind of power. And since you know who you are, you can keep control."

He listens to Katiri's concern. So...the idea was to use the Darkness to fight the Darkness. It's dangerous, but he can see what the idea is, especially when Katiri and Luce are fighting someone who has very similar powers and conventional methods aren't working.

"I believe that darkness can be used for good, in the right situation - but you have to be careful of your intentions and not to tap into it lightly. I might be able to help you. The powers I use aren't exactly the same as yours, but I've walked in the darkness too long to be afraid of it. But you can't let it consume you, like I was consumed once. Like Eramis is. It has to be used only when needed, and it's important not to make a habit of it."

"No, they aren't. They tend to do a lot of infighting between houses." Luce confirmed. "We would definitely warn Variks about House Winter if he ever decides to seek refuge in the Nexus with his group." The Ghost knew that he and his Guardian would do what they could to help Variks in defeating Eramis the greater threat. But there was still a ways to go before they fully trusted him.

As Ben speaks of the Darkness, Luce could see that he was drawing on actual experience. Katiri didn't speak up at first, merely looking down at her clasped hands. When he finished speaking, the Awoken woman didn't look up and was silent for several moments. Knowing that she could go quiet and non-speaking sometimes, Luce was about to speak up. But his Guardian's whispered tone made him pause.

"It's like ice. Cold." She murmured. "When it moved through me, it was effortless. I felt like I could take on all of them. I was surrounded by Vex and I froze them all and they shattered like glass. I...I relished in it. How powerful it was." She shuddered. "What does this mean?" Katiri looked up and Luce could see tears lining her eyes, glittering in the light they emitted. "I'm afraid. Was it wrong of me? I have barely existed for three years and I feel as if I betray everything I know." She closed her eyes.

"And at the same time, I look forward to using such power again."

"I don't know much about Vex - but from my understanding, they're worse than Fallen. Fallen and Cabal may be from warlike cultures, but at the end of the day they're people like us, with free will and the power to choose. Hive and Vex are, from my understanding, don't have free will. So I wouldn't feel bad about killing someone who was going to kill me - now, I don't like killing people, but I'd do it if the enemy gave me no choice."

The few people Ben has killed since coming to the Nexus were monsters like the draugrs in Midgard and the cannibals who would have killed and eaten both him and his young friend. And by killing them, Ben had saved future travelers from their depredations. It's a matter of weighing lives taken versus lives saved.

"Dark powers of all kinds are intoxicating, that's true across worlds. They promise power, and sometimes that power is necessary. But you're right that the danger's addiction and being consumed by it. Eramis might find that she's bitten off more than she can chew. What you feel is natural. The key is making sure you're the one making judgement calls, not the Darkness. I can teach you a few things. Mental tricks, mostly. It's a delicate balance - to this day there's as much dark in me as light. But I'm not going to let it get the better of me again."

She can see his fist clench at the last words.

"My powers aren't yours, and yours aren't mine. But I'll show you what I can."

Katiri's eyes still glittered as she listened to Ben. Luce, feeling her distress had drifted closer to her and she curled a hand around him to hold him in her lap as she sought comfort.

"How did you come back from that?" She whispered. It sounded like he had been taken over by his own Darkness, but here he was talking with her. She was grateful though, that he was willing to help her even when their powers were different. There was probably still information and techniques that she could use.

Holding Luce in one hand, she moved to reach into a belt pouch and take something out of it. She held open her hand revealing a dark angular glittering shard no bigger than her palm. It shimmered like ice, but was solid like stone and radiated a chill in the air around it.

"I'm not sure what you can feel from this. But this is the splinter from the Darkness."

"Whatever that is, it's strong and dangerous. Hold onto it and keep it safe, and I don't need to tell you but it would be best if wind of this didn't reach Blaze's fireteam or the House of Winter. Neither of them would likely be pleased that the Darkness has a presence here."

Ben shudders a little. That splinter is Dark. Not the same darkness as the Dark Side of the Force, but dark nevertheless. He recognizes that, even if he could, he is not the best person to wield that kind of power. With his emotional issues it would be all too easy to slip.

"With a lot of effort from myself and people in my life who cared about me. It didn't happen without a lot of pain and sacrifice, but it did happen. You might want to talk to the Gelfling Deet, since she's working to control a similar power. Granted, the Darkening's a mindless force, where there's an intelligence behind the Darkness which makes it a different kind of threat. You have to make sure you use its power without letting it take you over."

He considers touching the splinter, then yanks his hand back.

"I think it wants me to touch it."

Ben wouldn't have need to convince her. Katiri had no plans on telling anyone about this. Not just the fact that other Guardians in the Nexus were from different timelines - but the splinter in itself was dangerous. Even Saint didn't know that she had this in her possession yet.

Luce watched the exchange uneasily. "We have not met Deet as of yet." He admitted, taking note of the name so that they could seek her out. Any help with dealing with this would be welcome. Different powers or not.

Katiri jumped a little when Ben yanked his hand back. She figured it would be a bad idea to let him touch the splinter anyway and would have pulled her hand back if he had tried. But his reaction caused her face to twist slightly with anxiety just the same. Worried about him. The last thing she wanted was to cause him harm.

"I'm sorry." She curled her fingers around the shard. "I wasn't sure if you'd be able to feel anything. You can...actually hear it?"

"She has something named the Darkening inside her, and she's found a way to control it so it doesn't harm people. The Darkening can wither plants. That, and I can't imagine it would be great for people, either. Deet might be able to give you advice on how to contain it, but as I said it's important not to let it take you over."

Ben's unhurt, quickly reassuring Katiri with a nod, but is shaken. He doesn't like being around the splinter of Darkness, though he's spent enough time in darkness that he isn't afraid of it, exactly. Still, he wants to stay away from the splinter just in case.

"Not exactly. But I can feel it. It's powerful, yes, and malevolent. It wants to be used, I can say that much. You say Eramis has learned to use the Darkness as a weapon, too? You mentioned that Eliksni of the other Houses, like Winter, worship machines. It sounds as if her faction has different beliefs."

Ben knows something of Eliksni culture from talking to Saint. He figures that Pelsor's group are traditionalists, in beliefs if not always in behavior, but Eramis sounds more dangerous and ambitious than Pelsor.

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Affection

Katiri | Destiny 2 (player character) | OTA

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Beyond Light spoilery things beyond this point. <3

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