Gregor

[rosebleed]

🪳🥀

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WEEK 0: First Saturday

[rosebleed]

[They're at the bar because I say so. Rosamund has probably whisked herself into the seat next to him, happy to find a familiar face (and perhaps a sympathetic one.)]

Hellooo~ [She beams at the older man.] This is a much nicer selection than those food boxes, wouldn't you agree?

Did you find something to smoke yet?

[verminous]

Not yet, but it sounds like we oughta be getting more stock soon. Ask 'em now if you need anything and we'll see whether they follow through in a couple days.

[evidently they take requests! not terrible, actually.]

WEEK 0: First Monday

[rosebleed]

[ANOTHA ONE /dj khaled voice

anyway high if he hasn't had enough of her fairy tale nonsense yet, Rosamund makes a beeline to him the next time she sees him. Regret to inform you he's been marked as a Reliable Adult.]

Are you having weird experiences too?

[He receives a wave of impatience, fright, and teenage anxiety in one calamitous wash of emotion.]

[verminous]

Eh-? Oh, weird experiences like... feelings that aren't yours, right.

[such as: the fright and anxiety coming from her... his own vibes were initially pretty calm, and he's doing his best to maintain that chill.]

Try breathin' a little slower.

WEEK 0

[rosebleed]

[She can't stand this. Useless all week, useless in times of need.

There has to be something. There has to be some sign.]

Gregor!

[She runs to him, snatching his sleeve.]

You know about this machine stuff, right? You know spaceships?

[verminous]

Ah- hey, Princess.

[his vibes are not rancid, at least. there's a tense frustration there, the occasional little pang of sadness after waking up to that news, but it's something he's working on keeping in check right now. can't let it get outta hand.]

I'm not the mechanic of my company... but I did ask the officer folks here about it. They've got no clue what's been going on either. Said it's all coming up clear for any issues.

w1 friday

[verminous]

Well, that's not encouraging.

[lingering near the food court barrier, after that alert. whaaat the hell. also i forgot he changed clothes he's in a hoodie and jeans rn.]

C'mon, they could at least let somebody deal with it.

[rosebleed]

It really isn't.

[Rosamund pulls up to his elbow. Armed but impotent, just as this place likes to keep her. Her bow remains low in her grip but she won't relinquish it this close to the barrier.]

You don't think it's actually one of us, do you? Has anyone done a headcount?

[What if they trapped the "killer" in there?]

w1 sunday

[verminous]

Hey, Princess.

[rosamund is the only person he's not smoking around today, honestly, he's. holding back for now, so she doesn't have to deal with it.]

Holding up?

[rosebleed]

Afraid so.

[She's posted by the window on the Observation Deck. Perfectly fine place to have a smoke, Gregor. She won't mind.

She's not in the mood for kicking up any kind of fuss anyway. Though Princess Privilege maintains her good looks no matter what the occasion, she's certainly greyed around the edges.]

I'm not great company at the moment, but...if you want a seat.

[She gestures at the chair opposite.]

WEEK 2: Sunday

[rosebleed]

[Coming out of her cage and she's been doing just fine—]

Oh! Sorry... [And he nearly walks direct into Gregor.] Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you all right?

[She hasn't spoken to him in a minute, has she?]

[verminous]

You're fine, Princess, don't worry about it.

[he's fine he's fine he's super fine.

at least he's not extra buggy today; he has antennae, but mostly he's got thorns around the crown of his head and down his arms, grey roses blooming from them.]

WEEK 3: Monday ((cw: body/edritch horror, cannibalism, threatening minors, squelching noises))

[rosebleed]

[Bad news Gregor. You've been hit by 👏👏 you've been struck by 👏👏 a stray memory.

He finds himself looking through the eyes of Rosamund. It's a room in a dark inn, a candle of ominous importance on the table. Standing around are a motley crew, more fable than human. They speak, fretful but quick-paced, as if sensing they're on the verge of doing something they'll regret.

"Do you want privacy while you talk to your mom?"

"No, no. I'm not-"

Rosamund pipes up, "I'd like to meet your mom."

The little puppet boy fidgets on the spot. "Yeah, I'm not embarrassed of my mom. I mean, I've never had a mom before, so, I mean, I just... And she's just very..."

He hesitates. The candle flickers before him, waiting for his choice. Before he speaks, the old man panics and thrusts Rosamund — only Rosamund — into a closet.

From there, things get strange.

The light in the crack of the door shifts. There's a sense of expansion. There's a scream — a woman, not anyone present before. A shadow stretches, vast, unknowable.

And by the time the madness ends, their saviour sums it all up with one concise phrase.

"What the fuck was that?"]


((Watch from 17:39-End))

[verminous]

[hey, yeah, actually that's a fantastic question? his voice is shaking slightly as he asks-]

Princess? What the fuck was that?

[that figure is--

well. that hits on a couple different things that unsettle the hell out of him, enough to be shaken by the time it's done with.]

w3 sunday

[verminous]

[hi princess...

gregor is in the medbay, of course, waiting for yuri to be done in the pod; he's seated on a cot, silent, just sort of existing here until then.

he glances up to her with a little nod, but is otherwise quiet.]

[rosebleed]

[Guess who's got two hot chocolates and a doomed mission to lighten his load?

Rosamund sits a drink next to him and assumes the seat at his other side. She takes a tiny sip of her own, letting the silence settle around them.]

She's a tough one. And so is he.

w4, tuesday

[verminous]

[well, he knows about how long that curse lasts after he's been hit with it himself... so after a while, when he's relatively sure rosamund ought to be her usual age again, he's gonna go check in on her.]

Hey, Princess? You back to normal?

[rosebleed]

[Looking mighty sheepish, patting her hair down]

Seems like it? I wasn't too chatty, was I?

w4 tuesday (dropoff)

[verminous]

[left at rosamund's door is a little package containing the following:

-a diary
-a bracelet
-and a little bird trinket.

also a note:]

Hey, Princess. Figured why not do a little shopping while we're on this planet, right? I got Rodya to help me out a little bit-- she picked the bird, for the record, something about needing to decorate rooms?

Anyway. Try to have a good time while we're here, yeah? I think we all need a break.

-Gregor

[rosebleed]

[RETURN FIRE.

The following day, Gregor will find

- 3 dress shirts
- a high end charcuterie plate
- and a round dog.]

Dearest Gregor,

I was so thrilled to receive your gifts, they're lovely and so thoughtful! The bird is really funny, tell Rodya I adore him. I wasn't sure what you might like and I'm unable to purchase alcohol for reasons beyond my understanding, so I just followed my instincts. Let me know if anything doesn't fit, I will return it at once. And the dog just spoke to me for some reason. It's yours now.

I hope you're having a splendid time on this station, and that all is well with you. Thank you again, your kindness is one of your many sparkling traits.

Sincerely,

Princess Rosamund du Prix.

w4 saturday

[verminous]

[hi... he's coming to the medbay, after a while. maybe lightly sweaty from exertion but don't worry about that.]

...hey, Princess, you up?

[rosebleed]

[Still inert, still in the pod, refusing to budge long after she's woken, Rosamund looks to him with low-lidded eyes and not a whit of cheer.]

I might be.

WEEK 5: SUNDAY

[rosebleed]

[coming over here from the grinder, I guess. She's showing him locations!!]

This is Applebee's! [Opening the door to this fine establishment.] We got locked in here on Tuesday and played party games and got drunk. Also, Lucien showed up as a rat here the other day.

[She smiles warmly.]

Most of the drinks are corn based.

[verminous]

Lucien was... a rat?

[whaaat the hell.]

What's the deal with corn, anyway? One of the rats tried to give me some after I showed up.

w6 monday

[verminous]

[we're gonna be in the conservatory! because it's not the rat strip club!!]

Now this is what we could use more of, right? I kinda like this spot.

[rosebleed]

[FUCKING HELP I LOST THIS TAG COMPLETELY?????? MY GREGOOOOR]

A little bit useful and a little bit romantic? A good combination if you ask me.

[She skips up to the telescope, curious.]

How do you use it?

w6, friday

[verminous]

[he's still in the pillow fort tbh he's comfy]

Well, didn't expect that... you think it's a good sign?

[rosebleed]

[Ain't that a mood?]

I...don't know?

[Her mouth purses.]

I want to think it is, but it's really quite difficult to believe. Do you suppose something might happen later?

WEEK 7: Saturday

[rosebleed]

[The moment she sees him, she is going in for the hug. C'mere.]

Thank you for everything today. You're an absolute saint, Gregor.

[verminous]

Ah, let's not go that far, Princess...

[a little sheepish. come on, saint is a bit much--

but he hugs her right back.]