#Aurumi Faurux

[memurfevur-archive]

We’ll probably closest to you would be Marran’s brother, since of course grubs usually come in pairs if they’re bucket grubs you know. That would be Expyno. He’s also good friends with another Faurux, Ashter. Marran’s moirail also has crossed paths with another one, Aurumi, who used to be some big star I guess?

"Should I grab like... a notebook or somethin'?"

[mageofspacemultiverse]

So you haven’t met any others but do you KNOW about any beyond Ashter and your Ancestor?

Oh yeah--! Superego has a saying: look for people as bad at concealing your status as you, and it's another Pyrite--! I think it's a bit embellishing, buuuuut she--...isn't entirely wrong, hahah--!

I've got a printout with trolls last named Faurux on it though to help me keep track--! Ashy was first on the list and the next one is sometroll called AURUMI--? Ahrummy--? There's an APOLLO here as well--? Lots of A's in the tree--.

Maybe I'll ask Superego to get me an updated sheet sometime in case I'm missing anybody--...

[whispertrolls-archive]

Marionette

Tonight was the night of the long-awaited appointment. After a lot of thinking and a little extra coaxing from a bespectacled stranger, Aurumi had made up his mind: He would tell Masuni everything, and then he could help Nova and let Omnius know that they were at least alive, if nothing else.

It was onward into the office and waiting for his name to be called that he felt himself getting a little antsy. The lights were bright, the fans and computers roared, and even the currents in the walls were loud. He didn’t like this place when it felt like it was just him and his senses.

Aurumi held his phone in his right hand, letting his thumb over idly over the screen as his left hand fidgeted with a small, almost gelatinous rubber toy. It was a distraction when he needed it, and sometimes when he didn’t. 

Still, he couldn’t shake the weight that felt like it closed in.

The Pyrite exhaled a tiny flame and trail of smoke harmlessly into the air with a sigh, feeling it took forever before his name was called. He forced an awkward smile and nod as a semi-verbal utterance of thanks passed his parted lips, then he turned his gaze to the familiar door.

Excitement rose. Masuni was someone very dear to him, and he had many things to say as he strolled over to the door and knocked to announce his arrival.

@memurfevur

[memurfevur-archive]

"Oh, uh... Mr. Dioxal? I... I just wanted to check in... I brought some cupcakes that I made and everything."

Omnius looks down at the Faurux at his door, then runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. He had no energy to come up with a lie, so instead he invited Aurumi in.

"It's been a while, I must apΩlΩgize. Things have gΩtten much, much busier. Are yΩu waiting a payment? Er, thank yΩu, fΩr the treats."

There was an awkward hair to his tone. A former red sugar baby, now a pitch, hardly kept up with. He didn't really give Aurumi much thought since Kulsot entered his life, and guilt twisted at him. Why guilt? Such a silly thing to feel for a pawn.

"HΩw have yΩu been, Aurumi?"

[whispertrolls-archive]

Nova gets a text message from no other than Rutaci:

'Hey kiddo. I don't know if this will reach you, but I miss you.'

Nova jerked awake from a restless sleep on the graciously offered couch on which they'd found themselves spending their days. Was that a text? Nobody had their number, did they?

They reached over to grab their phone and selected the notification. When it opened, their eyes teared up, and they took a breath as they read the message. Nova went to set down the phone again, leaving the message on read, but it almost hurt them too much to do so. After a moment, they tapped on the 'reply' bar and typed out a short message.

'/|\Miss you too. Don't worry, I'm safe. /|\'

The Canpio lowered the phone and leaned forward, resting their crossed arms on their knees and sighing.

"Who was that," Aurumi queried as he poked his head around the kitchen door frame, his horn jewelry clicking together with the movement.

Nova only shook their head in reply and sniffed as they hugged themselves and lowered their head. Their voice cracked pitifully as they spoke.

"/|\I-It's fine. It's nobody./|\"

[whispertrolls-archive]

Since my dash is quiet, I have thoughts, and my corner of this rotating hellscape is sound asleep, I’m gonna go off about someone I didn’t expect to grow on me and also explain why his theme is “Addict” by Silva Hound, aka this song fits him so perfectly and you’d never know it at a glance, or even after you’ve known him for a while and it’s entirely because he doesn’t want to see it in himself, let alone show it.

Also, shoutout to @contrastparadoxx and @memurfevur for breathing actual life into this man, I owe you both my life and one of my absolutely massive candy bars that I’m self-medicating with

Also also, warnings of abuse, drug use, addiction, mentions of sexual assault allegations and a lot of other stuff being hinted at, but not explicitly mentioned below the cut

Aurumi Faurux, one of Rutaci’s thus innumerable and counting descendants, is the pinnacle of longing, lust, inability to heal, and refusal to recognize one’s true nature. This man lives with a brightness in his eyes, a fire in his heart, and a fatal flaw of self-conditioned naïveté that clouds a majority of his judgements.

He’s far from the smartest troll that I have, but, contrary to popular belief and even my own previous judgements on his character, he’s less of a fool than what most realize; in fact, it comes across as genuine because he’s so deep in denial out of fear of the truth that he’s convinced himself not to learn from his past experience.

He’s a terrible liar, but he’s an even better actor. He was a prodigy, a child of the stage who grew into a young adult that reached for the stars. He was a broadway star, on to big things, but to say that he was in control was a far cry from reality. Nope, Aurumi’s manager had a firm grip of his life in the wings, all but maneuvering him like a puppet on a string. He was trained young and bore his lessons deeply: Lowbloods and mutants speak only when they are spoken to, they do what they’re told by highbloods without question, and their rightful place is to entertain and be subservient to those above them. 

He’s tragic, a kind young man who lost everything when a hands-on gesture in fondness was mistaken for, and twisted into, something far more sinister by a colleague who envied what Aurumi had. Overday, he found his stars ripped away. He found that his name no longer shined in the glow of neon lights. He was blacklisted and cast aside, shocked, confused, and now with no direction in his life.

He eventually had a stroke of luck in finding his way to a city that, for the most part, couldn’t care less who he was or had been. He found work at a club as a performer, at least finding a silver lining where one would be hard-pressed to seek out even a glimmer. Luckily for him, his employers bore a will to help him settle in, though Aurumi carried an unexpected burden from his prior nights: The prior control that ruled his life had resulted in a sense of learned helplessness. Aurumi grew convinced and conditioned to believe that he was best leaving decisions about himself in the hands of others.

Maybe it was by a stroke of luck that his new bosses were willing to work with him in exchange for his services. He had a way to earn a living, and they had a stunning new asset to add to their repertoire. They planned everything from his outfits to his setlist, and Aurumi took to the task like a fish to water. His skills from his former life set the stage ablaze, and Aurumi flourished. Whether it was commanding the eyes of the audience or catering to any clientele who could buy his time, life couldn’t be better.

Or so you’d think. In spite of his riveting performances and the shimmering golden silks and jewelry that adorned him, it likely doesn’t come to shock that so much of his life is a façade. He never stopped suffering from the effects of abuse, betrayal, and immeasurable loss. As with many who rose and many more who fell from fame, he, too, had fallen victim to a poor decision turned into a crippling addiction, too blinded by the lights to see his way out of the path of devastation. 

He knows how to hide, and he hides well, more often that not. He hides a life of pain and grief behind a well-placed needle and the glow of his own flames. He hides a fear of truth and a cynical dread behind such a heavy veil of foolishness that even he believes it. It is, to a point, within his nature to be too forgiving and to see the best in everyone he meets while also painfully avoiding their flaws, but it’s one of many demons that he struggles with. He reconstructs himself to be as palatable as possible to those that are, without any doubt in his eyes, better than himself. He will suffer if it means pleasing someone else, but he consistently reminds himself, wholeheartedly at that, that it’s worth it to be cherished and loved. No one will toss him aside if he’s everything that they could possibly want, and what’s it going to hurt to play another role?

The grim reality of Aurumi’s life, that which he runs from night and day, is that a boy dancing on a set of strings grew into a man who became so good at what he does that he even manages to fool himself. He’s addicted to the madness of the entertainment industry, and he’s addicted to the feeling of being seen, held, and remembered, whatever it may take to achieve those means. It’s like a high for him, one that he clings to so desperately because he doesn’t wish to turn even a blind eye on the lows in his life. While he fights the demons that could, tragically, save him by destroying the spark that he clings to with a deathly urgency, he gives in to the ones that he believe protect him.

He’s headlong and knee-deep into forces that, if he isn’t careful, could destroy him.

[whispertrolls-archive]

why dont you go pay him a visit then?

"He's not very big on visitors. I tend to respect his boundaries a lot."

Still, you miss him. Maybe you should send him a text, first, just so you don't catch him off guard. Or maybe you could surprise him with a cake or something.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Nova in a little while, either. Maybe Mr. Dioxal knows where they went."

[whispertrolls-archive]

you uh... you do know he pays people to spend time with him, right?

"Well, yeah. He buys my time all the time."

You tilt your head in curiosity.

"I tell people he's my client an' all, 'cause he is, but y'know... he treats me so nice, an' he always comes to the club for me. We have a lotta good times an' all that, so it's... I think it's for real. If he keeps comin' for me, it's because he cares about me. He could buy anyone, someone better than me, but he doesn't, so it's gotta be."

You nod, as if confirming your words to yourself.

"Yep! Of course that's what it is."

[whispertrolls-archive]

werent you and omnius seeing each other?

"Yeah! Mr. Dioxal usually comes by at least once a week or so."

Your eyes light up as you grin.

"Sometimes, we go on dates, have a nice dinner, go see a film or a live show, and then we come back to one of our hives and- and... spend the day, sometimes..."

Oops, you're not supposed to give away that much. Your grin wanes as you tilt your head.

"But I know he's busy. I dunno what he does, but I know he's busy."

[whispertrolls-archive]

aurumi have you heard from omnius lately?

"Huh?"

You pause to think. How long has it been since you last heard from him? Surely not that long, right?

"Oh, uh... nope. Not in a bit, but it's not exactly surprisin. Why do ya ask?"

[whispertrolls-archive]

ya know, i heard that omnius is a friend of your ancestor's, and your ancestor is worried about nova; maybe you should go tell omnius about them and see if it helps. heck, the dude is a lawyer! if either of you get into trouble he can help

"Huh. Yeah, they did tell me that much."

>The anon's right. You can make this all better.

"I've got an appointment tonight with Massy. I'll let Mr. Dioxal know while I'm there that it's all gonna be OK."

[whispertrolls-archive]

do you think youll get nova into seeing a therapist, maybe even masuni?

"Oh! That's a good idea, actually."

"I don't really know how to help 'em. They're real jumpy, especially when they don't see you comin'."

>You scratch the back of your head.

"An' they just kinda... get upset outta nowhere, cry a lot. Sometimes I can hear 'em in their sleep, lotta daymares. I can't ever get 'em to open up, though."

"Mm... I think if anyone could, it'd be Massy."

>You pause in thought, then you offer a nondescript hum.

"Kinda funny how it works. I remember Nova sayin' that we have the same ancestors once, but y'know, I think that they kinda look like Masuni. Maybe it's fate or something for 'em to meet up."

"N...Not that I believe in all that. Just an expression."

[whispertrolls-archive]

oh yeah! you're seeing him now, aren't you? hows that going?

"Are you talkin' about Masuni or Mr. Dioxal?"

>Your ears flick in thought before you shrug.

"It's more like I see Mr. Dioxal around the workplace or on one of my appointment nights, but he's always really nice. He's smart, too, handsome, and uh... well."

>You pause and clear your throat. You're not sure that it's okay to say much on that.

"Massy's also really cool, I can't forget about him. He's helped me through a lot, so I..."

>You fidget with a little ball of flame between your hands.

"I owe him for it. Both for being my therapist and being a really good friend, on top of it."

[whispertrolls-archive]

so aurumi, has nova told you about omnius yet?

"Huh?"

>You blink.

"Mr. Dioxal? I didn't know they knew him! Talk about a small world!"

>You hum in thought, then an idea pops into your thinkpan.

"Y'know, they did say they were lying low. Maybe Mr. Dioxal can help them out?"

"At the very least, I should probably let him know that they're safe."

[whispertrolls-archive]

Aurumi, how's it going with the therapist?

>Your eyes light up slightly at the mention of your therapist.

"He's great! Massy's always so level-headed and nice, a-and he knows exactly what to say to help me out of a funk, and he's- he's like-"

>You've started wringing your hands in excitement as little flames manifest at your fingertips, but you quickly catch yourself and hug yourself sheepishly before the embers have a chance to catch.

"Heh... uh, well, maybe it's a little weird to say, but I trust him. A lot. It sorta feels like family, almost, I think?"

[whispertrolls-archive]

blows aurumi

...

a kiss <3

>You grab at the air as it catching the blown kiss and cup your hand to your cheek as you flash a grin at the anon.

“Cool, thanks!”