infectedvessel-blog

[infectedvessel-blog]

@voidhxxrt

ah. it seemed as though this snowy place had a way of reuniting the hollow knight with those from its past, didn't it?

they had been avoiding the majority of the rekindling activities and shying away from everything related to the bonfire due to the light and heat, but it was suddenly glad that it chose now to see where the glass hearts it had been hearing about were made.

the familial familiarity was nice, but what could have brought the little ghost here? it approached as carefully as possible, trying to not surprise its sibling, making sure that they saw it advancing. shocking people here had disastrous consequences in the past, after all.

[infectedvessel-blog]

thegenderedchild‌:

@infectedvessel

          {♦} —;  Cold, hard, and icy. The only thing that Hornet had seen since awakening in this land was the extreme conditions that it had subjected her to. It seemed whatever higher being dragged her here had provided her with home and nail, but none of what she had before. She’d tried to traverse quickly by throwing her nail and tugging along gossamer strings, but whatever spells she could do just simply weren’t coming. So for now, she would scout the tundra before taking on any jobs. To not get in over her head in this new settlement.

…..!

          {♦} —; She hears the snow crunching towards her, a creature of magnificent size approaching. It was distant, and she readied her nail, waiting for it to come into vision from beyond the veil of snow. Hulking, brutish, and slouched over, she knew exactly what this was, and she readied a fighting stance.

          {♦} —; “And thus my eyes do not deceive me so, it really is you.” she says. “Freed from the shackles of our forebears, you walk amongst us, was I unsuccessful in assisting the little ghost? It does not matter now, I can see you here plain in sight, and I see her still inside of you. I shall put an end to your suffering, my birth-cursed sibling, and once and for all provide the solution to her foul light.”

ah. it had been the gendered child that the hollow knight spotted from so far away. thk had briefly considered trying to approach her quietly, but it felt like a dishonest way to approach family.

it would be doing the daughter of hallownest a disservice to try to trick her in any way.

it was not a surprise when she drew her needle against it. anyone familiar with the plight of hallownest would be justified in taking up arms against the hollow knight.

but hornet was right. she was still inside of it, and thk felt some amount of relief that there was someone else in the village who would understand the need to extinguish the sickly light within. but there could be unforeseen consequences to doing so.

as such, the hollow knight had to force itself to speak up again, something it had been doing quite a lot lately. it was aware that its voice was raspy and unnatural, a late addition to an imperfect vessel. cruel, to give something voice but to intend for it to never use it. “i am indeed unshackled.” out of some sense of caution and self preservation, it drew its nail with the intent to defend itself if necessary. “and she is indeed still within me.”

it would be so easy, to accept the fate that hornet wanted to give it. its duty was already over and done with, hallownest was safe if it were here. but... if it were killed here, it didn’t know what would happen. it couldn’t, in good conscience, doom this place in the same way as hallownest. “however, i ask that you lower your nail and hear me out before we clash.”

— - - ( re: union )

[infectedvessel-blog]

constructivecritisms‌:

Exposure therapy. He had read about that in the books that were given to him. Or rather, it was supplied to him by Dreamsend itself. It was a technique that helped with anxiety and phobias, though usually it was given to a client by a therapist.

He knew this, but it’s not like there were any therapists he could actually go to, right? Which brings him here, to The Crystal, currently sitting at a booth by himself as he tried to figure out what to order. Though it was a bit difficult considering he felt like bolting out of there at any moment.

Thankfully, before he could get more restless, a… new stranger decided to approach him.

“Hm?”

Big, that’s the first thing to come to mind upon looking up. The thought is quickly followed by are those horns? 

“Hot… chocolate mix?” Blinking a few times, The Informant tilts his head. Whatever it was… couldn’t eat it? Huh, “Well, I don’t mind taking it off of your hands.”

Finally, something good to come out of this! He could get more hot cocoa, and he could help someone, two birds with one stone. Plus, it’d be a huge waste of a perfectly hot cocoa if the other decided to just… throw it away.

"something tells me that you would enjoy it more than me if i were able to consume it regardless." it slid the packet of cocoa mix to the informant as promised. it considered taking its leave immediately, but something seemed like it might be off with the human. perhaps he was upset? the hollow knight wasn't sure, it hadn't learned human body language yet.

but they were so squishy and fragile, it couldn't help itself.

"would you like some company, also? or is there anything else i can do for you?" it tilts its head, careful to not catch its horns on anything in this tavern that clearly wasn't meant for 8 ft tall bugs. "or am i imposing?"

[infectedvessel-blog]

unwaveringpath‌:

Without any other words, Primrose begun her dance.

It took only a few steps for the crowd to quiet down, all of their attention drawn upon her body and its movements. There was no music, but it detracted none from the beauty of the dance. There was something passionate about it. With each twist and gesture, a fire passed between the dancer and the audience, like a burning arrow shot through a dark sky. It wasn’t as if the dance was particularly flashy– it was quite the opposite.

The slow steps felt heavy with emotion but kept an airy quality to them, like loose snow being blown by the wind. And once the breeze stopped and the flakes quietly fell, the dance was over. If Primrose was exhausted, she did not look the part, her smile radiant as it previously had been– perhaps even more so.

“Time goes by fast when we’re enjoying ourselves.” And as before, another bow to the audience. “Thank you wonderful people for having me tonight.” It took no time for the crowd to begin clapping and asking for an encore, which the girl gently declined (another performance, so soon? maybe in a few days…).

And on that, she went to sit down at a free table by her lonesome.

absolutely enchanting. that's how the hollow knight would describe primrose's dancing from what she showed here tonight. it was tasteful, technical, effortless and one could feel primrose's passion for what she did in every single step.

it was exactly what this little village needed, the hollow knight thought.

it hesitated for a moment before moving tables to join her after she sat down. plenty of people in the village hadn’t reacted well to its presence, but surely she had been aware of her audience when performing? it just wanted to congratulate her, and then intended on leaving her be.

wait, was it feeling anxious about this encounter? odd.

“your performance tonight was lovely. have you been dancing for very long?” its tone was deadpan, and not for the first time since being in eidolon, the hollow knight wished that it could communicate what few emotions it had better. “i apologize if that question was a bit sudden, i just haven’t seen dancing that... expressive in a long time.” ever, actually. 

[infectedvessel-blog]

soulrewound‌:

          A plague.

                  A burden.

                                Hmm.

                                              … Interesting. 

          What pure hilarity it is, for him to strike down someone else that was not unlike himself. It’s the first time that he’s come to interrogate whatever manner of living being this was, but he had not lived all of these years unable to discern the genuineness behind another’s voice. After all, he himself is the ultimate deceiver, isn’t he? It’d be foolish of him to not pick out someone’s lies if they were standing right before him.

          Ozpin doesn’t say anything, instead opting to take in the words carefully, thoughtfully. The knight is right. The places, the terms it uses mean nothing to him. But the mission. Ah, the mission strikes some strange chord in him. How just. How heroic. How absolutely idiotic.

          He places his cane back on the strap of his belt.

          “ That’s enough. “ He says gently, taking steps forward. The idea of the other doubling back in fear is expected, and honestly not something new for him. But he still continues, malice completely dropped as he himself lowers himself to one knee in order to look the Hollow Knight in the eye. What an unsightly crack. Seems like they both have their own aesthetics when it comes to the demons that had taken residence in their bodies. “ … I’m sorry, noble cavalier. I let my instincts take control before my heart. “ A pause. Was he nervous, for once? “ I’ll take you to the Warm House. We don’t want your sickness to spread, yes? “

                    “ Lean on me. It isn’t far. “

when ozpin steps forward, the hollow knight does recoil out of fear. not the kind of fear that ozpin is expecting. it isn’t afraid of him, if ozpin wanted it dead, he already passed that opportunity up several stressful minutes ago. to suddenly strike it down now, while possible, would be needless and cruel. no, what’s making the vessel draw back is the fear of causing harm to him, even after everything.

not physical harm, of course, it would never. but its shell was softer than usual, and if touched it had the suspicion its shell wouldn’t be solid. while the viscous void that made up most of the hollow knight’s body would do no harm, what lied underneath, the contagion could. (that isn’t even counting its left side, which had a badly healing wound it surely reopened.)

he said he didn’t want the sickness to spread, after all. it spread through contact with infected beings.

so, instead the hollow knight waved him off with its arm before using the stability provided by its nail dug deep into the ground to haul itself up.

“i do not need to lean on you, you need not worry. though i would appreciate the directions to the warm house. i haven’t been.”

record scratch, freeze frame

[infectedvessel-blog]

@constructivecritisms

the crystal tavern was a comfortable meeting space for everyone in the village who wanted to be social. it was warm, the food was (supposedly) good, and the tavern owner, lute, was quite nice and seemed to enjoy having regular customers. which made it perfect for the hollow knight's current purpose.

last night it had carefully divided the hot cocoa mix that it had gotten for... crispmas(?) into thirds. it couldn't enjoy it, but it was clearly supposed to be a treat of some kind, and a child in the village would probably enjoy it more.

and that was how the hollow knight found itself approaching a booth that already had what it hoped was a child sitting in it. (it wasn't used to distinguishing humans by age yet, okay.)

"hello, i was wondering if you would not mind taking some of the... hot chocolate mix given to me for the holidays off of my hands? i am unable to eat it."

[infectedvessel-blog]

pluviabond‌:

in all her travels, Aqua had never witnessed a being like this .. and she had been to quite a few different worlds. regardless, it was never her place to judge only to explore. 

     “ hey are you alright? “ a small pause as her feet seem to stay firm amongst the soft snow beneath them both. the taller being looked … deep in thought, and this seemed hardly the place to do so, unless you wanted frostbite.

“ sorry to bother you, i was about to ask you a few questions but you seemed pretty focused for a moment! i do my best thinking when i’m inside and warm, you know? “

@infectedvessel

the hollow knight had indeed been lost in thought. it had just returned from a scouting trip, and sometimes one had to take a minute to appreciate the little things in life. suffice to say, it had been standing there much longer than a minute without realizing it. (but how long had it been here?)

snapping to its senses, it turned to aqua. “i am quite alright, thank you for asking. i apologize if i somehow alarmed you, i suppose that i was thinking of my home. compared to here, we got almost no snow.” hallownest instead had smothering white ash that rained down on the furthest edges of the kingdom. but that sort of somber fact had no place in this conversation. she has approached the hollow knight with questions, and she seemed like she may have been new in the village.

“that aside, you are right, it is a bit cold to have any real conversation out here. if it sounds agreeable to you, we could make our way to the crystal tavern. you could get yourself a hot meal, and i would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.”

[infectedvessel-blog]

soulrewound‌:

          “ —- ! “

          A sharp gasp. He finds himself digging his heels in as the tip of his disgraced weapon hovers mere millimeters above the creature’s head crack. For a moment, Ozpin feels as if the world is frozen all over again, the only rhythm being the blood pumping in his ears. He doesn’t feel hot, or cold, or anything, really, it’s just…

                                                  … an emptiness, as always. But the paranoia remains.

          It spoke? Grimm were never capable of such an advanced form of language. Quickly, his eyes dart all around, trying to find a video recorder or something, something to convince him that everything was just a ruse and that he’d be speared upon it’s nail at any moment. But there’s nothing. Nothing at all. Gods, what had he done?

          “ What– “ He barely manages to force out, the noise of it almost entirely choked on his confusion and shock. The immortal blinks, drawing back his cane but holding a defensive position. “ What burden? “

          “ Explain. “ Ozpin says in a tone that would be considered too harsh for someone who’s injured and surrendered already. Everything in him is so stiff. “ Who are you? One of Salem’s?  “

when the final blow doesn’t come, the hollow knight finds itself surprised, almost. this is the first act of mercy that this child had shown it, his previous attacks meant to kill.

its head swam due to its injuries, it was taking everything the hollow knight had to not simply fall apart. as such, it took it a moment to properly process ozpin’s words. salem? was this meant to be someone the knight should have known? was this a case of mistaken identity?

it keeps its eyes downcast at first, thinking that submission may be the best solution for its problems. after seeing that ozpin was staying on the defensive and actually giving it an opportunity to explain itself, it allowed itself to look directly at him, to explain.

“i do not know who this ‘salem’ is. i think that there may have been some sort of misunderstanding, and i am sorry for startling you.” a misunderstanding was reason enough to take lethal action. the hollow knight finally understood the child’s actions. “as for who i am, and what i mean by my burden, i am the hollow knight. a vessel created by my king, intended to contain the source of an infection threatening my kingdom, the kingdom of hallownest. those words may not mean much to you, but they are the culmination of my being.”

kneeling on the snow at this angle was distractingly uncomfortable, and the hollow knight again picked up its nail. not to attack, no, it still had no malice for ozpin, it just needed to lean on it to distribute its weight differently. to take some pressure off of its already damaged body. “to further explain, i currently contain the heart of the plague that destroyed my home. i am not sure what will happen if i break here, in this new world. that is what i meant by my fear of passing my burden on to another.” 

record scratch, freeze frame

[infectedvessel-blog]

unwaveringpath‌:

While she had been working at the Crystal, Primrose had slipped a word to the owner that she quite enjoyed dancing. Perhaps, she proposed, you would allow me to dance in here? It wasn’t a tough sell. Raising the morale of the customers– of Eidolon’s villagers– was something needed to survive the harsh reality of this world, and having the girl put on a show wouldn’t hurt in the least.

That was the reason for the girl’s presence on ‘stage’ this evening– as much as the free space could be called one. While it wasn’t as luxurious as the tavern she once danced in for a living, it was, needless to say, much more comfortable of an experience.

“It is my pleasure to be here tonight.” Addressing the audience, Primrose bowed. “Please make sure you are sat comfortably, as my dancing may sweep you off your feet.” With a little smile, she continued on. “And perhaps consider ordering a drink.”

On these words, Primrose was ready to begin her dance.

dancing? the hollow knight perked up a bit at that. it hadn’t seen any sort of dancing in a long time, and it had been longer still since the knight itself had been taught to dance. which, to be fair, most of its experience with dancing applied more to its fighting training, since choreography was key to being good at both activities.

but there was always something pleasant about dance. it was a passionate yet low stakes activity, or at least it seemed that way to the knight.

the knight also considered ordering a drink and was about to raise its hand to do so, but held off since it wasn’t sure if it could consume it. it hoped that loitering to watch the show wouldn’t be considered rude by the tavern owner. 

the young lady who was about to dance officially had the hollow knight’s undivided attention. it wanted to pay as close attention as possible to her choreography, just like it had been taught to growing up. after all, it might be a good conversation topic, since the knight already planned to speak to her once she finished performing.

[infectedvessel-blog]

uhh hey gang i’ve actually completed the starters i promised to people before the group opened so here’s my official starter call! 

if you wanna thread with a walking hollow knight spoiler (and ur in eidolon path, obviously), go ahead and like this! i’ll be capping at 4 likes/starters and there’s a high possibility that i’ll be darkening your doorstep (dms) to plot. otherwise, i’ll be trying to get these out sometime in the next few days! 

[infectedvessel-blog]

soulrewound‌:

          Would he be considered a sinner for the amount of satisfaction he got out of that? All that he’s fought lately are people, endless amounts that wanted him dead for their own or her personal vendetta. This is so much more detached. It was one of the things that he had never been pushed too far to think about. Grimm, creatures of destruction and suffering that contained no soul. It’s a strict simplicity that he has to run, jab, and hit his way through.

          The steps back are assumed to be from pain and fear of being hit again, as is the brandished… sword? Ozpin squints. It’s a large creature, though he hadn’t yet considered that it might be one of the older kinds. So they know their way around a fight. He’ll have to be tactful about it.

          Though, the man had never been the type to work at a battle slowly. A hard landing and a glare is all he needs before he’s back to running, fully intending on landing a barrage of jabs to get the other to fall over so he could land a final blow. 

          It must have been his own fault that this had happened. When was the last time he let his mask fall off in such an sloppy manner? He’ll have to readjust after this.

oh. clearly being non-aggressive wasn’t going to work here, at least not if the hollow knight wanted to stay in one piece. that would almost be shocking, if this weren’t par for the course in the vessel’s life. nothing could ever be easy, after all, and it was getting... tired, even before the child rushed it.

the knight did it’s best to parry the furry of blows while wracking its brain for any reason it could have given the child to attempt to kill it. it couldn’t think of anything lethal, anyway.

CLANG. running at him? no, that wasn’t a lethal offense. CLANG. CLANG. drawing a weapon?? no, he attacked even before that. CRACK. (ouch) didn’t like bugs? no. no that wasn’t a lethal offense. being alive wasn’t a lethal offense.

CLANG. something about being a vessel? actually, nobody knew about that here. nobody knew about...

the infection. it couldn’t b–

the hollow knight froze suddenly, creating an easy, easy opening for ozpin. the next thing it knew, it was on its knees.

“i do not know what i have done to inspire such aggression, but i hope that my own burden is not passed on to you. if it is, i am sorry.”

and it waited for the finishing blow.

record scratch, freeze frame

[infectedvessel-blog]

soulrewound‌:

          How low he had fallen, to be so defeated at the action of doing what was right. Maybe it is understandable, though. After all, Ozpin had never been the type to sabotage himself in such a way that he was brought back this many steps in a single action, but it’s because he had removed his capacity to care too much in order to press on, right? 

          Being able to get out of the village and walk around in order to collect his own thoughts… peaceful as it may be, he had always appreciated the busy work so that he didn’t have to reflect on himself too much. Is that why he’s been walking so fast? Perhaps.

          The loud crunch of snow stills him, and he whips around to see it’s origin. So heavy sounding… – Ah, that would explain why. Is this Eidolon’s way of making him comfortable with something familiar again? Fighting Grimm had been a staple for thousands of years.

          Cane poised, he readies himself, before rushing in to give a deft underhand hit to the creature’s mask. It must not come back to the village.

well, that wasn’t the kind of hello that the hollow knight had been expecting, although it was one that it was familiar enough with. the cane connected with a sickening crack, and the hollow knight’s vision swam black for a second. instead of sparing a second to recollect itself immediately, it backpedaled with what could best be described as a startled roar, trying to not give its attacker an immediate opportunity.

(huh, it didn’t know that it could even make that kind of noise.)

still, it didn’t plan on getting any kind of aggressive towards this child(?), but it still drew its nail as a cautionary action. it wasn’t hard to figure out that its already (further) cracked mask was a weak point, and it had to be able to at least try to block blows like the last one, or it would shatter very, very soon.

keeping its distance and intending to parry future blows seemed like a solid enough plan for now. after all, maybe he was just scared and a lack of aggression in return would deescalate the situation?

record scratch, freeze frame

[infectedvessel-blog]

kaneki you fool‌:

After finding himself in this strange new situation, all Kaneki sought was whatever isolation he could find. Anywhere in the village was out of the question; instead he ventured out into the snow with hardly a second thought. He wanted to be alone, and there was no privacy to be found in the few building in the vicinity. Braving the snow was nothing compared to being surrounded by people… surrounded by humans, being what he was.

A cave would be better than either option, though. A controlled space. And that’s how he finds himself walking into a cave filled with silver, light reflecting off the liquid metal of mercury. There was no scent, but that didn’t mean anything. If there was mercury vapor in the air, he wouldn’t need to smell it for it to be dangerous.

Rather than turn around, he ventured further into the cave… where apparently he would not find the solitude he sought.

“I haven’t been in the village long, let alone this cave.” He ignored whatever surprise he felt at the shape of the creature speaking to him, reminded nonsensically (or perhaps logically) of The Metamorphosis. One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams…

He wasn’t going to be waking up from this dream. “You’re not imposing on anything. I don’t even know where this is; it just isn’t there.”

the hollow knight visibly relaxed a bit at the words of this... human?? it wasn’t sure what did or did not make something human, but it was equally sure that kind of question wouldn’t be received well by anyone who considered themselves one. especially if asked by a stranger who was clearly not human.  still. it was going to assume this person was a human. 

it was good to know that it wasn’t imposing. the hollow knight didn’t think that it actually had the energy to find a different cave if it had been imposing. the hike here was the farthest it had moved in a long time.

snapping out of its own thoughts, the knight realized it would probably be rude to stay silent when it was being spoken to. oh fuck. it hadn’t held a conversation with anyone in... a long time. it wasn’t supposed to speak to others even before it had been bound.

“i take it... you cannot handle being here either...? we have that in common, then. i myself have only been here for... a day, maybe? i am not used to living so close to others, anymore. i simply picked up my nail and left.” the knight lifted its sword up from the mercury as if to give some clarity on what a ‘nail’ was. 

“that being said, i do not think anyone reasonable could blame you for not feeling at home. there are so many new residents in the village that it’s... overwhelming.”

[infectedvessel-blog]

uhh hey gang i’ve actually completed the starters i promised to people before the group opened so here’s my official starter call! 

if you wanna thread with a walking hollow knight spoiler (and ur in eidolon path, obviously), go ahead and like this! i’ll be capping at 4 likes/starters and there’s a high possibility that i’ll be darkening your doorstep (dms) to plot. otherwise, i’ll be trying to get these out sometime in the next few days! 

[infectedvessel-blog]

@tideheart

it probably wasn't proper to spend so much time in the crystal château while also not believing in diaidem. well, that wasn't quite the right phrasing. the hollow knight was sure that diaidem existed, how else would everyone have gotten here, but it didn't worship her at all. it had its own gods to worry about.

no, the draw to the crystal château was that it was like home. the glasswork and the metalwork, while different, reminded the hollow knight of the white palace. of its dear king and queen. of its parents. lingering here reminded it of better times.

still, it couldn't spend forever here.

on its way out, it was surprised when the door connected with someone trying to make their way in to the château. oh dear.

“i’m.... so sorry... are you alright..?”

[infectedvessel-blog]

@unwaveringpath

the crystal tavern, which was a nice and welcoming establishment, seemed more lively than usual. apparently there was going to be some sort of performance tonight? that was what the owner had told the hollow knight when she asked it for help moving the tables so that there was a large, open space in the middle.

everyone was now waiting, and it was intriguing. the hollow knight hadn't seen any kind of performance in years. what would it be?

musical? something daring or dangerous? theatre? puppetry? magic?

anything seems like it could be possible here in eidolon village. the hollow knight guesses the best it can do is wait for the performance to begin.

[infectedvessel-blog]

@flowershroud

the hollow knight had avoided speaking to its roommates so far. it wasn't sure how intentional this was, if it kept silent because it wasn't supposed to speak, or if it didn't have much to say. it was hard to tell.

but when the one who seemed the youngest tried to leave without warmer clothes, they found that the knight blocked their way.

"are you sure that you won't put on something warmer than that sweater? i hear that you could fall ill."