Drystan had made his way, quiet as a shadow, from the tunnels back into the house at some odd hour in the night. He hadn’t wandered the caves at all, simply gone to the pool to deposit Grace’s remains and then to sit there at the pool's edge for many a long hour thinking. He then walked in the pitch darkness back up to the house, guided by the wards and Elder signs that lit the tunnels like a funhouse at a carnival. Perhaps he simply wasn’t looking beyond the haze in his head, but he didn’t seem to notice that Hunter wasn’t around, or find his bracer that had been shed.
He had stripped down and gone straight to bed after, waking late in the day to shower and go back to his chambers and sit silently. It wasn’t till he heard Dorian leave for riding, and the staff was out or quite busy in the kitchen that he got up, grabbed the small box he’d filled with things a few days before, and took to Dinah’s room, leaning against the door against his hairline, eyes shut.
“Dinah. Are you busy?” He shifted on his bare feet, and waited to hear her reply.
Dinah was seething. Furious, concerned, pacing. SHE had gone to the tunnels, found Hunter absent, and removed her books and the other more delicate things from the tunnels.
If Hunter was missing they would need to boost the security. If he was missing, she would need to find him.
The voice from behind the door had her turning and she opened it, mid-pace, and she softened on seeing the elder of the three, reaching up her fingers to his cheek.
"Not too busy for you, beloved." she said softly, reaching to push the door open to let him in. "How are you feeling?" She studied him, seeking his aura.
Leaning into her touch on his cheek, he opened his eyes, the third eye a bleary red and blue cloud of an ancient nebula. “I feel .. numb.” He stepped into the room, and set the little box on her vanity, and turned back to look at her. “You are.. Upset.” His brows knitted and he seemed to come more alive feeling her stressors. “What’s happened? Are you okay??” He stepped to her and put his hands on her upper arms to turn her and look at her more clearly, searching her face for clues.
Dinah hummed and frowned, reaching out to push his hair from his face. "Numb is not good," she glanced at the box, reaching her arms around his chest as he held her shoulders.
"Hunter is missing," she said quietly. "I am fine. A little tired from yesterday, which is why I've not tried to look for him yet. I don't want Maximilian to be waiting for me and strike me blind again" she growled quietly. "I need to summon something else to guard the tunnels. Maybe the house. And I want to skullfuck that man until his ancestors rue the day he crawled out of his mother." she managed through gritted teeth, glancing again at the box.
"...you have brought your jewels?"
Frowning, he repeated her. “Hunter is missing.” He looked up at the ceiling and let out an exasperated breath. He looked back down at her and softened a little, petting her hair as she had done his, her bright white blond curls slipping through his fingers and then his claws as he dropped his glamour entirely, letting out a small sigh. Her fingertips around him might feel the slight movement of tentacles squirm under the skin of his back. “You needed rest. Hunter might be missing for now, but…maybe he’s taking care of himself. He’s not a baby, not anymore. He’s capable of much. I worry over him too, but we will find him. I promise you that.” He believed his own words. He might not be able to do much for himself, but he’d throw himself to the fire to help his family, and Hunter was a deeply connected part of that web.
“I will pray with you, and we will find a way to have this place sanctified. We will ask our Gods.” He gave her a meek smile, it trying to reach the soft crinkle around the corners of his eyes. He looked over at the box and nodded, releasing her and stepping back over to it, pulling the lid off. “I did. I made some much finer pointed posts, actually took the time to fashion and polish them. I replaced these temporary bits with something more polished.” He gestured at his head, and in his ears were refined silver bars and hoops. He had no shirt on, so it was clear that he had taken those out, but he picked up some hoops that looked about the right size for that, and palmed them showing her. “I have some other sizes and I made a larger tool, so you don’t have to abuse your dear hatpins any further.” He smiled a little bigger as he pulled out a few stabby tools in various widths, all that came down into sharp wedged needle tips.
Dinah bowed her head towards his touch, stepping in closer so she could rest against his chest. "I am trying to be careful," she said softly. "I am trying...to not push myself too much. But this? This is an affront on our home. Our family. I want to summon a star vampire and see if the cunt will walk into our tunnels twice. I will summon Hastur Himself if I have to. Or Nyarlathotep. HE will speak with me to counter this nonsense, I know it. I just..need to know what to offer for his help before I call upon him," she stepped aside as he moved for his jewelry box, watching each in interest.
"You do such lovely work," she said in a murmur. "Did you want me to repierce your nipples again with the new ones?" she picked up the stabbing tools, pricking her fingers on the tips with a wistful smile. "...I feel like a witchhunter. Thank you, Drystan darling."
Drystan lifted his eyebrows at her when she mentioned his Patron. “I know what to offer him. He will grant us more than conversation. He listens. He knows.” A hand came up to rub over his mouth and pinch it up before letting go and pointing a finger in the air. “It will involve blood. Lots of it. And death..and much…reveling in such. He enjoys that particular chaos.. If you joined me, in one of my..erm, hunts? And with some specific things to draw him to us for counsel, ..I believe that would work.” He looked at her face a little wide-eyed after suggesting such. “That is, ..if you’re up to that sort of business. It cannot be faked or given by half, it is a commitment, you give yourself over to him in those extreme moments. Give in to all that feeling that consumes, as you do.”
He watched her with the pins and he allowed himself to imagine such a thing happening and his skin broke out in gooseflesh that rolled across his body like a wave. “Hmm. Thank you, love. I see the beauty in the physical working of the metal and gemstones. I was never that fond of sculpture, but this is different somehow.” He nodded at her and reached his hands up to his chest covering his chesticles.
“Ah, yes. I ripped one out getting dressed in a rush, and the other I took out last night, it had ripped a little sideways in the scuffle. I have some larger rings that I believe will hold more flesh, less likely to just be tugged off.”
Dinah was still fascinated by the ends of the needles, playing her fingers across the points and skimming her skin with them as he spoke of his Patron.
"Whatever it takes. I want this man worse than dead. I was content enough to have him dead before, but now... I do not want him to die. I want worse. I will do whatever it takes to make that happen." she turned her golden eyes away from the needles towards his face.
"I will be going to see the Deep Ones too. Soon. He has a ring that controls them. This is not them, I knew it as much. They will want rid of him as much as we do. They might be able to help us." She tapped the needles against her lower lip and she nodded again.
"As long as you still have nipples. I will pierce them for you." she said agreeably, gesturing to the seat in front of her vanity "Will it be these rings you want to use?" she looked towards the ones he had shown her before. "It might be a little more of a squeeze. But we can do it, easily, with how sharp these are."
Drystan nods to her and sinks himself down to sit on the cushion. “You will need that passion for this foolish man's pain to call Nyarlathotep. I think I will come very easily for you to be honest. You had it in you when we were young, I saw it then.” He huffed a laugh through his nose. “I sure hope I never lose them, what a tragedy. I’d have to put out a high ransom to have them found.” He joked. He actually joked. The layers of tension were peeling away now, all of it tangled up in his muscles for near a day, and anyone could see that he was slowly allowing himself to loosen up. “I was also wondering..if perhaps you’d do a few others. If I do it, the skin just heals to the metal, not the same as a healed hole in one's skin given time.” He motioned to her. “Have you managed to hold onto what you’ve got?”
Dinah sighed and shook her head in frustration, nodding in agreement. "Pain. He thinks he knows it now. He will. I promise it." she agreed, but she smiled gently at his words, matching the rings to the needle.
"It's been a while since I've gone quite as relaxed as back then" she agreed, but she laughed. "You wouldn't want them to fall off...it would be strange to be without them, wouldn't it? Plus, where else would I put the rings?" she squeezed his shoulder, smiling again.
"Others? Of course. I'll stab you wherever you please." she nodded at his question with a pleased smile. "I was considering my tongue next. Or my ears again. I took most of those out, but the nipples remained." she wiggled the needle. "Are you ready?"
Drystan let his smile fall into an impish grin and he looked at the ground before looking up at her. “Oh..I can think of a few places.”
He stuck out his tongue and tried to look down at it, going crossed for a second, considering. “That is an interesting choice… Had not considered that. You can put holes in your ears anytime, I think they looked rather good. The nipples as well…very sexy.” He pulled the corner of his mouth up again. “I think my ears are good.” He took a deep breath and shook himself out, waggling his arms and shaking his hands and then craning his neck around on his shoulders before shaking his hair from his face. “Yes, I think I am, Mistress of Needles. Have at me.” He lifted his chin and sat up straight.
Dinah bobbed her head and stepped around in front of him. Instead of sitting on the edge of the vanity this time, she knelt down in front of him, ring in one hand, needle in the other.
"You can think of a few, I have the needle. You just need to tell me where, darling." she cocked her head to one side, lining up the needle so it was straight, letting the point sit there for a moment against him before she pressed it through, the tingle of her fleshcrafting working a moment or two after.
"I can put them back in whenever I please,...but yes. I am fond of my new rings. And I get the chance to use some of my prettier earrings for it." she reached up to hook the ring through his nipple, flicking it once it was through.
"And one. Next one?"
Drystan watched her as she sunk down in front of him and his heart did a little jump and pitter patter, but he remained as he was, looking down as she took her time and then pushed the sharp point through him followed by the ring he’d fashioned. A pinch of pain and a small lingering reminder that it was there, and it was done. He exhaled and smiled wide, and when she flicked it he opened his mouth and exclaimed at her, “Hey! Haha! Watch it there..” He laughed and shook his head at her reaching his hand up to cup the ringed and flicked nipple in his hand as if it was some delicate thing. “My poor abused body!” he sarcastically joked, before letting it go and pushing his hair out of his face. “Yes, yes I only have the two last I checked.” He was still grinning but he adjusted his position a little and scooted forward a nudge.
Dinah smirked up towards him and readied the second ring, shaking her head "you are so precious and delicate, i do forget. However could I be so callous?" she countered his sarcasm with her own, bringing up the needle and lining it up, making sure that it was level with the last.
"and ready~?" she didn't give him much of a chance to respond, however, tugging his nipple out just enough to press the needle through.
"These are so much sharper... I don't know what it feels like on your side, but it's far easier on mine" she murmured, distracted in concentration as she weaved the ring through the already healing hole in his skin. "Next time, when we have to go and do something reckless, we should put something smaller through. A bar, or something flatter. Less likely to snag..." she beamed as she finished, giving that one another little flick too. "and you're done."
Drystan had the chance to roll his eyes at her before she was off and pushing it through, and this one felt better than the other, the pain and pinch pulling his face together in less of a jovial state. He hissed and let out his breath. “Hoooo… It feels, ahhm pretty smooth? Good. Better than the hatpin, this is for sure, even if it's a bigger pinch, I ..don’t mind.” Which was becoming more clear as he inspected it and she spoke of battle piercings, and then flicked him again. He sucked in his breath and flared his eyes at her grinning and leaning forward towards her to kiss her forehead. “Thank you, you’re too good to me.” He pulled back just enough and and put his finger to his lips, pointing at the angel's kiss that spread across his top lip. “Here.” He reached over and pulled a small tack looking bit of metal with a ball screwed on one side, rolling it between his fingers to show her how it fit together. He handed it to her and held his face still leaving his lips parted so that she could get in there and add more metal below the very small bull ring that hung from his nose.
Dinah made a pleased noise and she nodded again, shifting on her knees when she had done with a proud smile as he kissed her forehead.
"It feels better to do it this way. less resistance" she agreed, examining the size of the adornment that would grace his upper lip.
"This one will be interesting. you'll have to let me know if you can feel it on your teeth" she examined it carefully, selecting a slightly finer needle for this one.
"Alright darling. hold still" she settled herself into his lap, clearly helping matters, and she slipped her fingers beneath his lip. The needle, she decided, would be better to come from the inside rather than risk stabbing him in the gums, focus on her face as she pushed it upwards.
"...lips feel different." she murmured as she brought the needle up, the tingle of her magic holding it in place as she slid the tack into place. "It's like... almost like your earlobe but softer." she smiled, resting the needle against her cheek as she sat back a little to admire her work, leaning back so he could see in the mirror.
Drystan didn't move his face while she worked, but her sitting in his lap might help her work but it didn't help hide his reaction to the pinches of pain and her being the one inducing it. He still didn't move though while she poked the thing through his lip, the pain here feeling much different than elsewhere. He let out his breath when she was done making a sound. “Ooohhh ahh that one burned.”
He moved his mouth around as the area was healed and leaned back a little to look at himself in the mirror, turning his face from side to side and pursing his lips and moving his mouth all around in different positions to see how the flat little metal disk on the inside felt against his gums. “Hmmm…I like how it looks. It’s not really so much touching my teeth, unless..” He grinned cheekily and nodded before laughing a bit and leaning back into place. “Yes, that does press it against but it's not uncomfortable. We will see how practical it is when I try eating, or anything else with my mouth other than jabber on and grin like a fool.”
He reached up to her face and cupped her cheek in his hand, and his claws disappeared before he ran his thumb over her lips very lightly. “Your turn. You said you wanted to try your tongue? You can focus on where I am working to craft your own skin? It may bleed a bit…” He lifted a brow gently.
Dinah examined it even as he looked at it in the mirror, leaning a little closer to peer at it. "It's very nice to look at. but I think it would annoy me in my lip there." she reached her fingertip out, touching it lightly, smiling at his expressions.
"I can imagine it will feel very strange until you are used to it" she agreed, rummaging through the jewelry box for something that looked plausible for her tongue, offering him the needle.
"I don't mind the taste of blood." she murmured against his thumb, nodding again. "I will need to hold my tongue...I am not quite so skilled that I can fleshcraft without my hands." she dropped her mouth open, poking out her tongue and holding the tip of it between her fingers.
<"...that just feels unpleasant"> she complained with a mental giggle. <" ready, darling">
Drystan took the tool from her and set the metal barbell on the vanity. “Good…because there will be a lot of that if we worship together..” He said nonchalantly as he looked at the tool and and more studiously at her tongue, leaving the claws out on the opposite hand, as he could use them to pinch at her and move her tongue up, and then back down as she held the tip. He heard her in his head but he still used his voice.
“Alright then, I can feel your veins, sense them..I am going to use my blood magic on you, it may feel a bit odd, but trust that it is temporary and will feel quite normal when I am done.” He lifted again, so that he could see her veins, blue against the pink of her flesh, just under the surface.
The tongue was an incredibly strong muscle and had large veins inside, that he sensed and held the blood where it was, then he began to push the blood away from the area where he intended to push the needle up through to the surface. This way, he would not risk leaving her with a mouthful of blood, even if she didn’t mind it. “Okay then, here-” He pushed the needle through, followed by the barbell that he grabbed from the vanity with his mind as well, and it slipped through. “-we go.” He let go of her and allowed the blood to flow.
Dinah smiled a little around her tongue-poked position, though she looked a little thoughtful.
<"After what happened, I am hoping I won't just..throw it back up again"> she admitted, shifting in his lap a little and nodding just the once at his talk of his manipulating her blood.
<"...it feels strange."> She agreed when she felt his magic working, though then the needle was pricking into her and she reached her hand to grip the edge of the vanity with a thin hiss of pain. When he slipped the bar through she felt the pulse of her own magic and the cool tingle of her healing immediately healing around it "a-ah." she brought her hands up to her mouth, pulling a face as she dabbed at the blood in the corner of her mouth. The swelling that had been starting was immediately quelled by her healing, but the sensation of something through her tongue made her shift her tongue around, curling the tip of her tongue to touch the top of the bar.
"...it feels so strange" she whispered with a giggle, her voice still a little thick "if i give you some jewels.. Could you make me another? I want to put an amulet in the little ball there. Harder to get rid of it. I will be doing it with all of my piercings"
Drystan pulled his mouth a little sideways at the mention of what had happened with Niles. “This will be much, much different than any of that business was. I wouldn’t put you in that sort of position if I thought for a second it would put you through that sort of trauma again my sweet.”
He watched her after, and she adjusted to the thing being in her tongue, her words a little accented by the addition. “Hm. That is a fine idea, I am sure I could manage something. I had thought of using a fine tool to etch the metal, worlds smallest ward?” He lifted his brows to her, and pulled his hands around her middle and her hips, adjusting her on his lap, and leaving his hands there wrapped around her.
“My turn, I want to know how that is…” He chinned up at her, indicating her tongue. “After, .. I had just a couple others..”
Dinah nodded solemnly at his words, trusting him entirely. Nyarlathotep wasn't one of her patrons; she would have to take the lead from her brother on this one.
"it doesn't matter if it's small" she spoke slowly, carefully as she got used to the feeling of the metal interloper in her mouth. "I can ward it. I can make it as an amulet" she smiled as he adjusted her, shifting herself so she was more comfortable.
"Others?" she buried her fingers in the jewelry box, finding another barbell and examining it in her fingers, taking the needle in her hand.
"alright. Tongue out" she smiled in amusement, waggling the needle again. "you will have more blood than me unless you deal with that"
Drystan swallowed once and then stuck out his tongue, mouth open. He had to concentrate on his own body now, feeling out all the individual veins and myriad of capillaries in his tongue. He didn’t just drain his tongue, as he had not with her, instead choosing to be very particular and more fine tuned than that. He wanted to feel with as much of himself in the rest of his body, including his blood flowing through his veins. Usually just a background automated procedure the body handles and doesn't make one aware of, for him was a steady feeling that danced and weaved into the background music of heartbeats and blood flowing through nearly every body around him, all a part of his everyday existence.
He could not signal her mentally, though he sort of tried, and quickly made a sound out of his throat that came out as just a croak of sound, keeping his eyes intent on her golden gaze so she knew he was ready. Hands held her a little tighter and he was prepared for it.
Dinah smiled as she watched him, focusing on him until he signaled her with the squeeze. She nodded again and lifted the needle.
"Here we go," she whispered, pressing the needle into the flesh of his tongue. She slipped her fingers down to touch his tongue with the bloody tip of her finger and she let the little pulse tingle through her.
"and the bar..." she murmured, removing the needle and swapping it with the barbell in a smooth movement, screwing the ball in place and sitting back once more.
"and you're done." she added, pressing a kiss to his cheek with another chilly flare of magic; this one, her healing magic.
He felt the needle and the sear of pain that flushed the rest of his face with blood, and another sound came from him as her fingertip touched the blood and magic to him. He blinked a few times at the pain as it raced lightning quick down him from his face to churn with the stomach flipping feeling happening there. His body clenched as she pulled the bar through, and she sat back.
He let out his breath and pulled his tongue into his mouth at once, and then inhaled and tasted the blood from her fingertip. His brain fired off in different directions, letting go of the hold he had held on that one fine tuned area of his tongue. The thickness of his tongue sat oddly in his mouth as he tasted her. Then her kiss on his cheek was cool against the fire of flushed skin, the swelling reduced from against his teeth. His mind flashed to images of the two of them in his worship, just a glimpse of red everywhere, and electric energy as body and limbs of the living and dying moved and slid against bloody smears across skin.
He closed his eyes and let the vision and the sensations all overtake him and gave himself over to them, as they would to Nyarlathotep. The healing spread and he turned his face to her and caught her on the corner of her mouth, pressing his lips into her as the magic worked on him. His grip on her tightened, and he pulled her towards him, moving his mouth to hers and pressing his fevered kiss there, all the feelings that rushed him being mirrored and flared outwards to her.
Dinah 's fingers remained at his cheek as he had tensed, watching him and his reaction to the newest piece of metal through his flesh. Oblivious to what was thrumming through his brain, she smiled at the kiss that started at the corner of her mouth, but as his grip intensified, as did his kiss, she reached her arms over his shoulders to press herself towards him. The feelings, the sensations that seemed to seep from him caused a brief gasp from between her lips against his, but she didn't pull away, nor push him away. her fingers squeezed against his shoulders, one hand moving to curl into his hair. no refusals from her today.
Drystan kissed her deeper, the new metal in both of their mouths and above his lip making everything feel just a little different, but then things always did with her. Just that much more intense, that elicited that much more craving from him. He pulled his hand from her hip up her side and over ribs to grasp at her breast, feeling the metal and gem of her decoration there, and tugged at it gently. He swayed with her some as they kissed, moving to touch her face and pull it into him, and run through her hair, and clench at the base of her neck. Words rushed out of him between breaths and into her open mouth, “The others, … are in.. a very sensitive place…” He moved himself on the cushion and reached down to his lap and pressed against his hardness there, fumbling hurriedly for the belt so that he could release himself from his pants. “Very very… delicate …work..”
Dinah made a yearning noise in her throat into the kiss as his urgency increased, a noise that became a sharp gasp against his lips as he teased at the decorative jewelry beneath her blouse with an involuntary buck of her hips. It took her a moment to register his words when he spoke, not pulling too far from him, her mouth skimming his cheek as he did, unwilling to pull herself too far from him. She tugged at her skirt to move it from her lap to not obscure her view, eyes shining as he explained what his next piercings would be.
"Delicate means the fine needle" she whispered, fingers reaching down to glance over him as her other hand reached back for the sharpened spikes, toying it in her palm. "but it's a muscle. so that will be the bigger needle.." she whispered against his cheek. "...others....plural~?"
FTB~~~
(for now)