bless me of father ; vale

[Cobra]

dreams. something that livingdead had few of. her dreams were the nightmares of others. death was her comfort and rot was her desire. she was not normal. yet, she knew that early on. as, how could she not? it was very clear to her as no emotions were there to cloud her mind.

she could think clearly and she knew what she wanted. the woman would be found at the border of bodies. sniffing the air for any sign of life among the dead. though she did not smell anything but rot. in her mind, she knew she loved it. but she did not feel anything.

she never had. her mind controlled her, not her heart. if she thought she loved it, then she did. simple as that. it was how she always worked. moving to the bodies, she scanned them with those empty eyes. there would have been longing in her eyes, if she could have felt such a thing.

"speech"

✘ "the same thing you are"

[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed cheetah

The crow landed upon a bovine skull, claws curled around the horn. Ve watched Livingdead for a few seconds, head tilting too and fro, as ve considered the method behind her madness. She looked upon the corpses with envy—and upon Vale and Arfur, in a way—when she’d joined. Vale was intrigued.

Wings beating in a frenzy, Vale straightened up as vis body spasmed. Feathers fell out in clumps, revealing bubbling flesh. Black sludge dripped from wherever the muscle outgrew the skin, healing over and ripping apart as the body jolted and contracted as Vale forced vis body to lengthen and change.

The wings became bones stitched together by sinew. Each convulsion dragged them through the sands until the pair of limbs arranged themselves upon vis back. Muscle regrew. Then leathery skin.

All of vis joints crackled and popped, turning and twisting in unnatural ways. A set of limbs ripped out of the spinal column just below the neck, and those, too, snapped into proper alignment as legs. Vale’s shape became unmistakably mammalian, then feline, and with the addition of a snake-like tail and spindly arrangement of the legs with a spotted pelt, ve became unmistakably cheetah.

The body stilled. For a full second, nothing moved.

Then Vale drew breath, pulling the paws underneath the torso and rising to vis paws. The black wings spread upon vis back—intimidating, yes, but intended for assistance in balancing this new shape—as Vale turned vis head to look upon Livingdead with vis three red eyes.

“You act as though you’ve a question for the corpses.” Vale drew a grey tongue over vis teeth and pushed vis jaw with a paw. Pop!

A smirk flashed across vis muzzle. Not because of her; Vale suddenly realized ve’d done variations of this theatrical shapeshifting as a flirting ritual twice before with Brymstone and Jor, so this was unmistakably a pattern. Was this vis form of romance? Likely not; Vale had never understood romance, and all of this was simply a thrill.

“Perhaps you can ask me instead?” Vale’s smirk deepened, and black sludge dripped down from vis maw to discolor vis chin. “Quite fucking obviously, I’m something in between you and a corpse.”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[Cobra]

[align=center]

LIVINGDEAD— CHEETAH — FEMALE — 12 MONTHS — SINGLE — THE PITT

[div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0px; font-family: georgia; color: #64F58D;"]the golden fur of the woman glimmered slightly as her body twisted. eyes seeking the voice that had spoken to her just now. her emotionless gaze flicking over vale as she took in vis words to her. vis new form would have surprised her, if she could feel that. alas, the most she could muster was a slight tilt as she studied vim. that is quite a talent you have there. i can see it having many uses. though her voice was emotionless as always, her words rang true.

in her mind, ve was gifted in many ways. vis abilities and looks both eye catching. not that she could feel that sort of thing. she simply let her mind tell her this and she followed her mind. you are lucky. you can be what you want or who you want with that gift of yours. she mused as she looked out over the sands beyond vale. her spotted fur was much brighter than vis, but he was spot on otherwise.

it was a moment before she looked back at the corpses. ears flicking backwards a moment. her mind racing with all the things she wanted to ask. eventually, her gaze flicked back to vim. i have many questions, if you wish to try to answer them. she warned in that emotionless voice like ice.

she took a moment to gage vis limits. what is death like? what is returning as a corpse like? can you feel anything like that or is it still nothing? she let the questions flow before looking away again. what would ve say now? would ve have the answers to her questions.

she reached a paw out to brush the closest corpse. watching flesh fall away from her paws. it was something she wish she could understand. i want to be like you. one of the living, but one of the dead. she mused with a curl of her tail. she spoke the truth, as she very often did. she had one dream. to be like arfur or vale.

living dead.

the woman blinked those cold amber eyes. her eyes flicking over the black ooze upon her paw from where she was now pressing her claws into the corpse she was touching. the woman wanted to be what her name stated. maybe then she could feel something for a change.

it seemed to her that arfur had emotions. perhaps vale felt things as well. is being undead worth it? i feel like it would be. was feel the right word? she had no idea. she removed her paws from the corpse and brought herself to a fully relaxed position on the sand.

i have weird dreams, i guess. yet, i am not sure if i can call it a dream or desire or.. a want? perhaps that is the word i seek. she adds with a soft huff. her emotionless gaze looking upon vim as she lay in the ooze and sand alike.

speech

[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed cheetah

“Hmm, death? I don’t know. I don’t really die—can’t, actually, it’s a curse.” Xe shrugged, rolling xyr red eyes as if this weren’t a fact which tormented xem across decades (centuries?). “But if you’re asking if the rotting hurts? It doesn’t. Perhaps it did, before I mastered the skill of shapeshifting until it looks like a talent. But I don’t remember if it ever did.”

Xyr red eyes followed the cheetah as she pawed at the corpse. Longingly? Her tone didn’t change much—so monotone, this one—but xe believed she genuinely wanted what she claimed to want.

“I don’t remember being fully alive,” Vale whispered. Xyr speaking volume had dropped; this was the painful part of the curse. “You remember what you want to forget, and forget what you want to remember. This fact holds true whether you’re alive or undead.”

But the mutated feline straightened up, flicking a leathery wing with a performer’s flourish. “Well, you seem more at home in the rotting filth than most of the undead ever will. Perhaps you’re right. Maybe becoming undead will make you happy.”

Xyr head tilted a tad to the right as xe thought it over. “And maybe I can grant your wish. I can possess your body and shapeshift it into gore, as I’ve done with this skin. But if you’re not willing to let me in, then perhaps simply eating a limb will suffice. Strange things have happened to those who eat of my flesh.”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[Cobra]

LIVINGDEAD!!

SHE/HER - ZOMBIE KING CHEETAH - THE PITTS - 12 MONTHS

xe spoke and her gaze turned to look directly at xem. each word hung in the air around her as each question was answered. vale could not die, so xe could not say. this was fair and did not trouble her, as nothing could really. the fact xe could not die was news to her and she would have been jealous if she could have been.

eternal life is a bliss i may never understand. but, to most a curse, i assume. she mused in that dead tone of voice as always. a moment of pause and she clarified. attachments make life worth living, but i have none. perhaps death is my escape, or perhaps i will be as you are. only, i will live with nothing to lose. a strange thing, i suppose.

a simple sigh escaping the woman, yet even that was simply emotionless. some days she wondered what feeling anything would be like. xis mention of the rotting not hurting, or not remembering if it ever did, well that made her look away. perhaps i would feel something, if only pain. pain is better than nothing at all, right?

her empty optics shifted back to vale and she watched xim a moment. the words that xe spoke now brought new thoughts to racing mind. xe didn't remember being alive? that was interesting. i have nothing to remember or to forget. nothing matters when you feel nothing.

this was her deepest truth. nothing mattered but what her mind told her. yet, she could not feel the loss of others as xe could. she watched others die and it was nothing to her. to her, forgetting her own parents faces meant nothing. so, nothing about this bothered her in the least.

she was alone in her own twisted way. perhaps this was her own curse, yes? it was the flourish of a wing that brought her thoughts to a screeching halt. the words xe spoke made her look to the corpses. the dead are the only friends i will ever have. mother told me no one would care for me, so i found something that did not have a choice but to tolerate me.

she told her past as though it was a fact of life for her. no one could care about her. if she died and no one remembered to put her in the ground, she would not be bothered by it. xis offer to grant her wish caught her full attention. her mind swirled with the two options granted to her.

options.

this was a gift and she had a choice to make. will possession hurt? though flesh sounds good as well. i would not wish for you to feel the void that is me. she answers with a tilt of her head. hoping that was the right motion for her given words.

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[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ 3-eyed cheetah

Vale nodded and licked a fang as Livingdead spoke. Had ve been this traumatized when ve’d accepted the god’s bargain? Oh, there were differences between them, but Vale had been so broken by vis brother’s death, perhaps ve’d looked as dead inside as Livingdead.

Perhaps, in time, Livingdead would come to see her affliction as a blessing and a curse, as Vale did. Possibly not. Vale could tell she genuinely couldn’t feel, while Vale often suffered from feeling too deeply. “Well, you’ve convinced me this is what you want. And you won’t loose your mind.”

Vale’s lips turned up into a smirk. “Not any more insane than either of us are now, anyway. Though I’m sure I have farther to sink before I truly hit insane.”

Decaying flesh squelched beneath vis paws as ve stepped through the rot to join Livingdead amongst the corpses. The crows, silent observers thus far, broke into a chorus of caws and wingbeats. This murder had followed Vale for years and knew vis body language better than Vale verself.

Vale reclined in front of Livingdead, and attempted to briefly touch vis forehead to hers. Steam hissed from between vis teeth.

The crows screamed; Vale didn’t react. They’ve seen a version of this before.

“I’m not worried about feeling your mind, if you aren’t of mine.” Vale pressed a paw against vis jaw. The joint popped while ve talked, but ve didn’t pause. “Possessions is guaranteed to work. I would rather not half-ass your transformation.”

“And it won’t hurt. I promise.” Vale vividly remembers possessing Jack, though ve was less sane than usual, and ve had intentionally left the pain receptors firing. But ve’d shapeshifted Jack for vis own amusement and revenge.

“If there are any specific changes you want, now is the time to request them.” Vale’s chin lowered to rest on vis right paw. “Do you want wings? Multiple eyes? You’ve seen many of my forms by now—if there is a mutation or particular rot you want, I have the skill to make it so when I possess your body.”

Vale held out vis left paw. Up close, vis flesh was all wrong, no matter how ve tried to imitate the living. Black sludge of rot dripped off vis nails. “When you’re ready, take a bite. I have always been better at possessing bodies when they’ve eaten my flesh.”

// permission to powerplay granted + permission to powerplay livigingdead?

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[Cobra]

LIVINGDEAD!!

SHE/HER - ZOMBIE KING CHEETAH - THE PITTS - 12 MONTHS

her eyes never left vim as ve spoke to her. watching vis every move with those dead optics. she, in some weird way, trusted vale not to steal her body forever. ve would likely run from her dead inside self if ve did try to take hold for to long. so, vis offer would be one she could not refuse. her mind was made up and logic told her this was the only way.

trust the ardent and be what you want. be what you are already. be the living dead you spend so much time among. so, she took vis words as a blessing and chose her fate. without emotions, it would never be a curse as she could not feel loss as others could. though, she wondered what it was like to feel things as others did.

part of her wondered if her body was what was broken. maybe when vale turned her, she would feel. part of her doubted that deeply. my mind is all i have, so i surely hope i never lose it. she replied with a tilt of her head. it was likely to be funny seeing her try to express fake emotions as she often tried.

am i insane? what an interesting thought. perhaps i am. she was not sure if that was how others viewed her, but she was sure that she was odd to them. ve soon joined her in the rotting corpses and she snapped out of her thoughts. eyes studying him as her head snapped back up from her tilt.

the crows adding an air of wonder to the seen. if only she could feel what it was like. she wanted to feel something, anything. yet, the crows cries did not cause fear or wonder. they simply were a noise for her to tune out. vis head touched her own and steam hissed out. livingdead would have blushed, if she felt any sort of feelings towards the touch.

i want to see how you think. i'm not worried. she responded in that monotone voice. then ve spoke about possession being the better option and she blinked. then do as you see fit. i trust you not to make the wrong choice, vale. her response was honest in words, but dead in tone.

vis promise was mute for her as pain was the only thing she felt and she rather enjoyed it. at least, in her mind she did. the promise forgotten at vis next words. hmm.. i trust you to decide what i look like. she decided after a long pause. what a risky move.

turning her head slightly, she would take a bit and then pull her head back. the black ooz from vim staining her maw as she waited.

// permission to powerplay granted

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