coolrushdad

[coolrushdad]

[coolrushdad]

#TeamSkinsona

would a sphinx cat be a fursona or a skinsona i’m fighting with my husband about it 

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

Odelia pulled a tight smile at the stipulation; he was always courteous, if a little rough around the edges. She reached out to pat his hand. “I’ll be okay. If I see it coming it’s easier– thank you for the warning.”

“I’m… maybe a little more concerned about lighting it in the middle of a library full of rare editions…”

“We’ll make sure it has plenty of pace, don’t you worry.” He kept a small candle in his bag for just such occasions. Never hurt to have a little protection uncase otherworldly beings came knocking. 

He retrieved a small plate, resting the candle on it. Cygnus pulled the old zippo lighter from his pocket. 

“I’d suggest turning away for a moment.”

[coolrushdad]

//I would like to say that I appreciate the image of Cygnus offering Devil a lollipop. It made me laugh so I thank you.

//He so mayyyud

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

Devil’s lip curled for a moment at the word ‘bellyaching’ and he spared a thought for the threats he’d usually meet that with. Not to Cygnus, though, he’d put too much time and effort into the old sack of 70′s nostalgia to follow through. And they were friends.

Still he had a sour look at the splint– he’d look weak enough with it, and Devil was anything if not concerned with appearances. Still he only gave a soft grumbled couple of curses before he offered his hand again for Cygnus to wrap. “I was busy. How long will I have to– ow, that’s too tight-! –Christ. It’s stiff… how am I supposed to work with it-?” 

“You’re not supposed to work with it, did you miss the ‘rest’ part?” The splint secured, Cygnus brought up the surprise he’d been hiding under the table.

“Now you’ve been good so far, so if you promise to actually let yourself heal instead of acting like you’re Wolverine, you can have this lollipop.” Cygnus knew Devil would’ve killed most men for talking to him like this, but he’d pushed his friend way worse before.

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

As always there was a moment of distinct hesitation in the way Devil eased closer to offer Cygnus his hand, but it was progress in how much easier it was for him. It was trust, though Devil would never really be the type of man to say so out loud. 

“I fell on it,” he answered in a small murmur, his tail flickering. “Through a floor. I caught myself, but it… bent a bit.” 

He gave a little hiss as Cygnus turned his hand around, a certain angle back stiff and resistant. “Careful.”

“Oh quit your bellyaching,” Cygnus replied, examining the bruising further. For just about any other client, the doctor could just ‘work his magic’ and be done in a few minutes. This, however, required the most difficult thing Cygnus could ask for. 

“You should’ve come to me weeks ago. I’m putting you in a splint. You need to let it rest. Actually rest.” He moved to the other side of his living room, opening up an old armour he’d outfitted for these kind of things. Just about any kind of medical tool one could need for emergency medicine, all in one place. Cygnus came back a moment late with the splint.

“Now hold still while I put this on, will ya?”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

Devil looked unhappy for a moment, almost guilty– the greatest tell was the way his tail went still between his legs for a couple moments. It only stopped when he looked back up at Cygnus with a furrowed brow.

“I hurt my wrist, actually. But I’ll call you if my liver ever decides to stop being superhuman.”

An eyebrow raised as he took off the glove of his left hand, the one that had been fairly still. It was hard to tell with the burn scarring up his palms, but there was a yellowing bruise along the outside of the right side of his wrist. “…It hurts when I move it.”

Cygnus gently laughed off his friend as he took the wrist gently. 

“Now tell me,” he said, looking down his nose at the injury, “How’d you manage this one?” It didn’t look like anything too serious, so long as Devil was able to actually let it rest. He’d seen his friend in far worse shape more times than he could count.

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

The fact that Devil reflected that sigh said a lot about him. A hand brushed over his horns and he lowered into a seat, crossing his legs. He definitely didn’t look older than Cygnus, but he certainly was.

“Is it so wild to think I just wanted to say hello?” There was a pause as a leather-gloved hand tapped against his armrest. The way he bit his lip said he didn’t want to keep up the lie– a friend deserved better, he’d learned. Slowly.

“…I… was wondering if you had a minute for a quick exam. Nothing big.” 

The question wasn’t uncommon, not just from Devil but from just about everyone who walked into Cygnus’ life. A mage tended to attract those who lived a life of danger, and no doubt that meant regular bodily harm.

Devil’s biology made him a bit of a difficult case. Cygnus could do wonders on the human body, but his mercenary friend’s anti-magic field left him with a more mundane toolset. 

“I should’ve figured it’d be something of the sort.” Cygnus brushed aside some of the table clutter, producing a legal pad from a stack of papers. The doctor took the moment to patronize his friend in return for the impromptu checkup. “Now tell me Devil, did you cut down on your drinking and smoking like i told you last time?”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

“I was more going for Katy Perry. Just for irony’s sake.”

He wasn’t shy about taking a seat at least. “I’m fine. I’d have called ahead if I needed medical treatment– I know that’s a tall ask for you.”

Cygnus folded the book jacket around his page, no doubt he’d be done ready for the rest of the afternoon. He took a sip from his oversized University of Michigan mug.

“To what do I owe the pleasure Devil? Or were you just in the mood to wax poetically about ten year old pop songs?”  Damn, it had been ten years hadn’t it? He let go the sigh of a man hurtling towards senior citizen status.

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

@coolrushdad​.

“Do you ever feel like trying to assimilate into the society people have created is banging your head against a wall?” Either he’s drunk, depressed, or fucking with him.

“Like you’re an interloper in somebody else’s good time. Like a plastic bag floating through the wind.”

Cygnus looked up from his book puzzled.  Either he was walking into an emotional minefield of the punchline of a joke.

“Well, of course, I’m a librarian. Keeping order is kind of part of the deal. As far as the plastic bag part, yes, I’ve seen American Beauty.” Banter was the default with the two old friends, but Cygnus just wanted to check in.

“Is everything all right?”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

“There’s a coffee machine in the break room. Keurigs are bad for the environment.” It was half teasing, half earnest– really weren’t vampires the ultimate tool in environmentalism?

Odelia stepped out to lead him to said back room, past a couple rooms of bookshelves where he might start his search. “If anybody has, they didn’t report it. My attendant did, but he’s pretty used to things being off here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but I have heard it once or twice– and felt it, certainly, but it’s hard to tell which ghost is which here.”

“Well, for our sake, let’s just say its a ghost, or ghosts...” Ghosts would make the whole matter a lot simpler for Cygnus. Spirits were beings with their own intentions beyond his capability. Ghosts, however, were much more human, beholden to the power of death’s grip.

“All right, tell you what, I’ve got a ritual that might do the trick, at least for figuring out what exactly we’re dealing with here. There, uh, is one problem though.” The doctor rubbed the back of his head, matters between occult communities were always a tender subject. 

“I will have to light a candle.”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

“Then I’ll hope it’s not a spirit,” Odelia answered, half-teasing. 

“It, er… threw the books around. It was after I took a day to go upstate, I think it was unhappy I left. Maybe I’m being assumptive…” She paused again. The Malkavian wasn’t used to soliciting others for help about the library– she tried to keep it to herself, but Cygnus was anything if not trustworthy.

“Can I get you anything first? Coffee, tea, I have some liquor…”

“Coffee’s fine, if you have it ready, or if you’ve got one of them, one cup thingamajigs.” Cygnus meandered the office, trying to look for any of the ‘gross’ warning signs. When spirits or ghosts interacted with the world, they often left damage in the tears between planes. 

“How many other people have seen the activity then? Or did you discover a ransacked room?” Definitely not the best way to come back from a holiday.

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

“It’s fairly hard to tell here. Windemere tends to… move locations, I think, so whether it was a prior resident isn’t really applicable to how local we are…”

“It might be some sort of imp. But I’m not good with classification– how are you with it, Doctor? Maybe you can…” she paused, then bit her lip. “If you have some time, anyway…”

It’d been a few years since Cygnus’ adventuring days, though some would argue it was far more than a few at this point. He’d no doubt faced a menagerie of otherworldly beasts and fiends clearing out the Mysterium on occasion.

“You know, cleaning up magical libraries is something of a specialty of mine.” The Doctor paused, losing the gravity of the line, “I can help ya with just about anything you need. Unless it’s spirits. Not really great in the department...”

[coolrushdad]

captain-wrench-wench​:

Harker playfully narrowed her eyes at Cygnus as he reminisced, though she turned her back on him for a moment as she did something at the stove and when she turned back to him, she was holding a mug of steaming liquid.

“I can’t say it’ll be as good as the one you’re thinking of-” she murmured as she carefully handed the mug over. “-but I hope it’s good all the same.”

He let the vapors rise up and hit him in the face, that gentle back tingle of the bourbon flaring up in his nose. He took a sip, smiling, and let then let out a relaxed sigh.

“Absolutely delicious, Harker. Just what I needed. You’d give those old bastards a run for their money, that’s for sure.”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

The look she gave him was both grateful and embarrassed, but she didn’t stop him any further from helping out. Odelia did sigh and give a little laugh at that, then pushed the bangs out of her eyes. “Don’t threaten me with that, you know I love Ghostbusters.”

“But, er… yes, we do have a bit of a haunting. You know this place is weak in the veil, this one spirit just, uh… got a little attached.” 

She righted herself and took a moment to sigh, leaning up against the push cart by her side. “I think it’s getting jealous when I leave the library. I’ve tried explaining I wasn’t interested, but…”

“They can be reluctant to take a hint, I’ll tell you that.” Working within a centuries old magical library, Cygnus knew more than his fair share of spirits. Though the Moros rarely dipped into the ways of the spiritual plane, Cygnus made an effort to study them, if nothing else. 

“Any idea what you’re working with exactly? An old resident here, or some kind of beastie just looking to cause trouble?”

[coolrushdad]

“Sounds just lovely,” Cygnus rarely dipped into hot cocktails, but late Fall in New York City just cuts through the body. Wind whips through the old city grid, leaving you chilled to the bone. 

“You know, I used to visit a place down on 11th St, old Irish bar, it’s a Starbucks or something now. They’d make some of the best hot toddies I’ve ever had.” He cracked a smile, “No pressure.”

coolrushdad​:

“So long as it’s not too strong, still have some books to reorganize later today.” Cygnus always felt he did his best book sorting under the influence anyway. “How’re you making ‘em?”

“Old family recipe,” she teased with a wink. “Bit of vanilla, bit of orange… I’ll try not to get too heavy handed with the bourbon, though.”

[coolrushdad]

luciferian-drama​:

“It’s… a little more complicated than that, but…”

She looked up at the sound of his knees– had she just imagined that-? Odelia reached out to pick up some others around him. “You don’t have to help, it’s alright. I don’t want to task you with janitorial work, Doctor…” 

“Odelia, I may be human, but I’ve been a library a long time. I’ve got no problem cleaning up the place a little.” He did his best to observe the wreckage, taking note of a few tell tale signs of paranormal activity.

“So, Odelia, you need me to call the Ghostbusters for ya?”