2021-07-09: Heavy Silence

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  • Log: Heavy Silence
  • Cast: Riley Arwell, Xander Lovell
  • Where: Sylvara Great Woods
  • Date: July 09, 2021
  • Summary: To delay sating the Fangs is to play dangerously. When the next manifestation of the curse in Riley takes a critical turn, Xander begins to resolve himself toward greater sacrifices.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Another diversion for when you're trying to make the most of a cursed vacation in the woods: "The three of us are going to put on a concert."

Riley means, of course, himself, Xander, and the toad. Is it the same toad as before? Similar enough that it's hard to say. In any case, the toad is a good sport as Riley holds a recording sphere up to it to capture its croaks and burbles, which he then loops into something like a bass line.

He then takes another sphere and precariously picks out a melody on his guitar that also begins to loop, freeing him to stop abusing his hand. He gestures to his head and then to the sphere, grinning at Xander as if to say 'smart, right?'

Then, apparently, it's Xander's turn to join the musical ensemble. "Xander, give us a beat," he says. There's no sphere offered, apparently this part is supposed to be performed live.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander holds his face in his hand, sighing in silence as Riley declares it concert time. With a toad involved. More infuriating is that the toad's involvement is clever and is working. And before Xander can make a snappish remark about Riley's use of his hand, Riley takes care of that, too.

Mouth half open, Xander stares, then sputters back to life as Riley gets to his part in this.

"Wh-what makes you think I know the first thing about giving anyone a beat?!"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Wh-what makes you think I know the first thing about giving anyone a beat?!

 Riley tsks at his reluctance. "Just play whatever beat is in your heart. No one's listening except me and this guy, and we trust your artistic instincts." Riley gestures at the toad. He takes a moment to consider. Xander is clearly feeling shy, so he could make it a little easier. "Let me start us off with the vocals and you can join in with the beat whenever you're ready," he offers.

He counts down to what he decides is his cue, then begins to sing along to the loops. "Nighttime in the misty forest... it's just two cursed guys and our amphibious chorus..." Whatever's coming next in this (as always, oddly catchy) monstrosity of a song gets cut short by a sudden stab of pain in Riley's throat, followed by an upwelling of blood that floods his airway, choking off the start of the next note. His whole body goes rigid and tense, then convulses as he tries to cough but only releases more blood as the movement compresses his throat against the newly sprouted thorns.

After several terrified moments, he finally doubles over, letting gravity drain most of the blood from his mouth before gently coughing the rest out and wheezing in a breath of air.

Then he sits there, shellshocked, as the looping guitar riffs and toad burbles continue.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

With a heavy sigh and a red face, Xander relents to this show of kindness(?). "...Fine."

It would be easier with some music to follow. Relax, listen, feel out whatever Riley's doing, then... go hit something. He's good at hitting things. Hitting things makes noise and maybe that's good enough.

But the song stops. Xander's complexion turns from pale to colorless at the first sign of Riley's distress -- years of familiarity recognizing an off look on Riley's face, telling Xander that something is genuinely wrong even before any visible choking begins.

"Riley?"

Xander closes the distance between them once Riley doubles over, catching him to hold upright -- and to sink down if Riley needs it. He can barely hear those weak coughs over his own hammering heartbeat. "Riley -- Riley can you hear me? Are you with me? Hey --"

His fingers tremble as he reaches to delicately brush them over Riley's neck, whispering a soft, terrified curse. Inside his throat. Inside Riley's fucking throat?! Xander takes Riley by the face once the blood seems to have drained out, searching Riley for further symptoms and signs of distress.

"Just -- just breathe. Please. Just let me hear you breathe."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Somewhere in the panic of struggling to breathe and the relief that follows, Riley does sink to the ground, letting Xander guide him there gently.

I'm breathing, is what Riley intends to say, once he gets enough breath back in his body to feel like he can say it and mean it. But his voice cracks on the "I" with another bolt of pain like it's about to happen all over again and he cuts himself off, trying to do the quiet half-coughs to clear the blood from his throat until it feels safe to breathe again.

He gestures toward his throat and then shakes his head, though there's a fearful question on his face as he does it. He can't talk? At all? But eventually he's got to be able to talk, right, once he figures out the ... trick to it or something.

Otherwise... ... ... it's thorns in there, isn't it? They won't get better until they've made a kill. The coldness of the thought settles over him.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Talking would be great right now, actually. Xander regrets every moment he ever told Riley to shut up. Do the opposite of that right now, please. It would prove Riley's breathing clearly, that he's fine.

Dread seizes every thought with that broken attempt to speak. Without ever taking his eye from Riley's face -- as if one single moment away could be the moment it all turns deadly -- Xander gets a kerchief out, holding it up to Riley's mouth for him to use.

The fear in Riley's eyes cracks something in Xander's expression. Xander presses forehead to forehead a moment, swallowing and holding his own breath to make sure he can verify a steady inhale and exhale from Riley. Even if he can't talk, as long as he can breathe...

Xander has to will himself to stop shaking -- Riley must be terrified enough, and has his own pain as an inescapable reminder.

"I'm here," he says, like that's ever fucking meant anything. "I won't let you choke."

There's only one true way to stop it. The symptoms only get worse from here until a life is bled dry in place of Riley's own.

The thought of driving a dagger into someone's heart was never so easy as it was right now.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Riley accepts the handkerchief and wipes at his face, his gaze going distant. It's still sinking in how much this is going to change things. Even at its worst and most miserable, the curse never took anything completely away from him like this. It made things hurt. It made them harder. But there was always some way to push through and hang onto a little of whatever was getting squeezed out of his life.

A moment ago, he could sing. Now he can't say a single word? Maybe there's some way, but the fear of his last attempt hasn't left him yet.

Xander is worried, and trying to reassure him with closeness and caring words. I'm here. I won't let you choke.

Riley forces a smile, feeling tears springing to his eyes. He mouths thank you.

Xander is still here. And they're going to do what they always do. It's not like his whole stupid life is over. But ... ... the music is still going.

Riley scrambles up suddenly and shuts the spheres off one after the other with a frustrated urgency, some of his fear bubbling up unexpectedly into anger or ... shame or something. He feels like the joyfully ridiculous version of himself from a minute ago is mocking him.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander flinches when Riley moves, but it's only to turn off music and he finally lets himself breathe out. It had been easy for him to tune it all out in the moment, but without it, the silence that follows is sharper than before.

The vacation is over. Xander doesn't need to say it. ... But he needs to say something, doesn't he? Or the silence stretches on forever. What is there to say that they don't already know? What can he say that puts any of the spark back in Riley's gaze.

"We'll try it again the next round," he ventures. "...I'll... probably be able to manage a beat by then." It is woefully impossible for Xander to promise this without a grimace. Even so, he grips Riley's shoulders, giving a squeeze.

The next round. The next kill. Moments of stolen time, interrupted by Valmar's accursed cruelties. The pattern has to stop before it erodes Riley down so thin that hope never comes back.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

We'll try it again the next round.

Riley gives a shrug, his eyes going down to the ground. He's not ready to think of next time yet. Isn't something horrible waiting for them every time? It seems like the resurgences of the curse are getting crueler. And even if they're not, and it's just a couple of horrible flukes, how many more next times do they even have before it's all over, either because the curse sends them into a death spiral or they finish feeding the Fangs and get devoured? One day it will get bad and never get better. How many times before then is he going to be able to muster up the will to pretend everything's all right?

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Riley's wilting rapidly, and Xander's... useless. He almost feels like laughing. This is... this is getting absurd... These brutal manifestations of the curse, the biting words of Drifters, the absolute relentlessness of their task... There's never enough rest. Never enough time.

"Riley." Xander wraps his arms around him, pulling him in close. He's silent a moment himself, wanting to confirm Riley's breathing and heartbeat a moment. To listen -- really listen -- for any disruption. Maybe there is some medicine he can make for this... something to soothe the throat, at least. Or something to taste sweet enough to distract from the discomfort that can dissolve on the tongue without needing to be swallowed.

They'll have to be careful with eating. And sleeping... Xander will have to monitor him carefully. But those are temporary measures. They need a real plan.

Or an old one, reworked and reenacted.

"We'll go back to the mainland," he says. "And then I'm going to take care of this. Really take care of this, so there will be a little more time. All right?"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Riley.

There's a dull ache of guilt when Xander's voice pulls him back to himself, and he feels the pressure of his arms holding him. He can't give up and retreat into hopelessness and leave Xander alone to face everything by himself. Riley's supposed to be the one to make sure their lives stay worth living. But how's he supposed to do that without a voice to sing to him and tease him and make stupid plans? And with his own spark sputtering out like this... ... maybe it's just shock. Maybe he'll recover, at least a little.

And then I'm going to take care of this. Really take care of this, so there will be a little more time. All right?

Riley turns to look at Xander, his expression uncertain, and his brows drawing together in worry. Whatever he's going on about, it sounds... even riskier than what they've already been doing and getting horribly unlucky disaster results from.

He smooths his hands down over Xander's shoulders and down his arms, something protective in the gesture meant to suggest 'stay safe.' Then he raises one finger and holds up his palms questioningly. Why not one?

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander watches Riley carefully, trying to read into every touch and gesture the best he can.

"I know." And at least for that part, he's managed to be right, because he knows how empty the promise sounds as it is with how little luck they've had getting the sacrifices they need lately.

Conviction steadies him. Xander needs to be able to do this, or Riley is going to fade away. He brings his hand over Riley's, closing the finger down. Either he doesn't understand it, or he's ignoring it completely.

"There's a number of settlements in Aquvy." Xander glances aside. There's something distant in his gaze a moment. "...A lot of places like Cereza. Small and out of the way. It'll take months for anyone to notice."

His fingers squeeze a little tighter on Riley's hand as he finds his gaze again.

"...I remember how to do it now."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Riley's eyes widen in a slow realization of what Xander is getting at. Places like Cereza? ... ... he wants to do Cereza again? On purpose? Riley didn't see it happen, but he saw the stories the corpses told. Killing entire families, the young and the old. Cutting off paths of escape with nightmare flowers and relentlessly hunting down victim after victim as they ran or huddled and hid. How could he willingly do that again? Why would he do that to himself again? The only reason he was able to recover as much as he did was probably because he spent it all in a murderous haze, that even if he can't forgive himself, he knows on some level he didn't choose it. There wouldn't be any coming back from doing it with intent.

It's hard not to blurt his name out loud. How can he talk Xander down from this without his voice? Riley pulls his hand from Xander's grasp and grips him by the shoulders in an echo of his previous gesture, this time like he's trying to keep him safe and hold him still.

He holds up one finger again, then two, then three. He looks at Xander, insistent, as the other hand gestures plaintively toward the conservative count. That's all they need.

Then, he flashes his hand open and shut again for 5, 10, 15, 20, and more, and shakes his head, his expression grave. He makes the 'hold still' gesture again and then puts his hand over Xander's heart, shaking his head once more.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

This time, unfortunately, Xander doesn't grasp the nuance of what Riley's trying to say. Every single one of those fears has fluttered in Xander's mind before. It's why he has to hold back. It's why every twinge of bloodlust sends a spike of panic through him, nearly impossible to endure. But to see Riley like this...

Those grim possibilities aren't where Xander's mind is anymore.

Xander's expression softens. "I know you don't like it," he says. He draws Riley against him, holding him close. It's as much to avoid that look in Riley's giving him as it is to comfort him. "I'm not asking you to help."

I'm just asking you to still look at me when it's done, he doesn't say.

"...It'll give us a break, like we had back then."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander lets Riley's 'argument' roll off of him, holding him close and reassuring him that he doesn't have to help.

No, no, why is he still talking like this is an actual thing he's going to do?!

Riley needs... words! He pushes out of his grasp and gets out the small notebook he uses for jotting down songs, hastily flipping to a new page and scribbling out a message. He flips it around and shows it to Xander, his expression fierce:

I don't want YOU to do it.

IT WILL HURT YOU.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

When Riley pulls away, Xander gives a start, reaching after him and feeling something cold puncture him inside, like a needle in his chest. Of all things... this can't be the line. Not when Riley's in this state...! Xander needs to do this.

Riley writes, and Xander hangs on the sound of every scrawl. That look in Riley's eyes is paralyzing, at least until Xander finally gets to read the words.

Then he just... blinks for a second before flickering back to life with urgency in his tone. "You're hurting right now!" He jerks his gaze away. "I'm -- I can handle this, Riley. Killing twenty people in one day, or twenty people over several weeks... it doesn't make a difference." That's what he's decided to tell himself.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

I'm -- I can handle this, Riley. Killing twenty people in one day, or twenty people over several weeks... it doesn't make a difference.

Riley unthinkingly makes a noise of frustration and then cringes, needing a few moments to recover and clear his throat again and then just... collect himself.

...This conversation would be hard enough even if he could speak, how is he supposed to do it like this?!

He starts writing another message below the first two lines.

I know we're not good people anymore. He frowns at that. Crosses it out. I know we've done terrible things. But this IS different. You have to know it too. You didn't want to be here after Cereza.

He finishes this message and turns it around to show Xander. He still looks upset, but his expression is more plaintive this time.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

One has to wonder if Xander -- intentionally or instinctively -- knows Riley's going to struggle arguing with him right now. But it's more because Riley isn't in the condition to argue that extremes need to be taken. It's a subtle, but critical nuance.

Xander steps over to Riley, setting his hand gently on Riley's notebook to lower it.

"...I didn't," he admits, quietly, because there's no way around it. "But I want to be here now."

He loses eye contact again, always fleeing from Riley's gaze, but finding it so much worse now. Xander swallows. "And I want you to be here."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander wants to be here now. Under other circumstances, those words would be so good to hear. But these are very precarious, dangerous circumstances.

And I want you to be here.

This is... coming from worry for him?? Riley wants to hold Xander and reassure him and also to scream, but two of those things he can't do at once right now, and the third he can't do at all. He scrawls another message and doesn't turn it around for Xander right away, instead pulling him against his chest while simultaneously sort of passive-aggressively propping the notebook by Xander's face where he can see it. It reads:

We don't need another Cereza to keep me here?! ...There is a bit of a dissonance between the two gestures, but they do sort of get at what Riley wanted to do.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander is torn between wanting to watch Riley write over his shoulder and not being a looming, invasive bastard about this. But each time Riley's pen hits the paper, Xander finds himself holding his breath to see which words are going to come out.

In the anticipation for words, he doesn't expect getting grabbed and held to be a part of this at all. "Hey--!"

Maybe he's better off fucking staying here with the heat rising in his cheeks. Xander sighs, turning his head to look to the notebook. For a moment after that, Xander closes his eye and takes in a deep breath as if to calm or steel himself, but really it's just... a sigh.

"You're tired," he says. "I'm tired. One or two isn't enough for us right now. We need more." You need a break-- no, don't say it like that. "We need a break."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

We need a break.

...It won't be a break, though. It will be... at best, an injury that could take as much time to heal from as they get in peace. At worst, it could be the end of the scraps of happiness they've managed to hang onto. He wants to say it, or... something like it, but he can't organize those thoughts into writing and he doesn't want to let go of Xander. He leans his head down against Xander's, both a solemn, affectionate gesture and an attempt to beam the words into his brain.

...Then he shakes his head a little because he realizes he probably did not successfully beam the words into his brain and Xander has no way of knowing this isn't him just giving in.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

The warmth and closeness do a lot less to discourage Xander and a lot more to remind him why this is important. He settles a moment, lulled in by it, tempted to draw on it to calm himself after the scare moments earlier before remembering Riley's not supposed to be the one comforting anyone.

"Stop doing this backwards!"

Affronted, Xander suddenly squirms free to sit up, trying to reverse their positions as he brings his arms around Riley.

"We don't need to talk about this right now," he says. "But we should head back to land we're familiar with. And you should... try to take it easy. Okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Riley is manually repositioned into the role of the comfortee by a bristling Xander, and ends up smiling in spite of himself. ... He also wants to protect this. But what needs to be done to protect it feels very different to Riley. Xander's idea of protection... well, he didn't have to live with himself while he was empty for weeks, not knowing if it would be forever.

Riley writes a new message while settled sideways in Xander's arms.

Okay. Vacation over. But don't do anything crazy yet. Maybe we can just get in a normal kill and things will feel different. He frowns at the words 'normal kill' and how absurd and horrifying they look written down, but doesn't cross them out, because he can't think of another way to say that. He settles on putting scare quotes around them. He gives the words a last regretful look before holding the message up for Xander.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

It was all a blur to Xander. A horrible, miserable blur. But it's different now. He wants to come back now. Before, he thought there was nothing to come back to. If he can get Riley his voice back, it doesn't matter if he ends up falling away. Riley will call out to him, and Xander will answer. ...But, Xander thinks, it won't even come to that. Even Riley, who had to see Xander through that, doesn't seem to know how deeply the cracks run. How do you break what's already been broken?

Xander slowly runs his fingers across Riley's scalp, carefully tracing away from the thorns so as not to agitate them.

"Fine," he says, as if the conviction hasn't already taken root in his heart. Xander's not going to turn down opportunity if they find one.

In the silence surrounding his brief answer, Xander begins to realize that his terse responses might not be sustainable in their new situation...

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Fine.

Riley relaxes, but he also feels the awkwardness of the silence that follows. And he cannot even make a noise of complaint in response to Xander's monosyllabic answer. ... ... or... can he? Riley eyes one of the spheres, a small spark of something reigniting in him. He pulls away from Xander and retrieves the sphere, then scrawls a new message. He holds both the notebook and the sphere out to Xander.

The message instructs: Please make a sound that is disappointed yet loving.

Yes, that's right, Xander. ... he wants to steal your voice.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander feels the smallest pinch of home returning to him when Riley begins to go for the sound spheres again. Maybe Riley's feeling better enough to continue some silly, sound related antics for the evening. Even if Riley can't sing, there's still animal sounds, or --

Or...

Annoying Xander... for sounds...

Xander takes hold of the sphere, then looks to Riley and gives, without a shred of self-awareness, a noise of disapproving protest before shutting it off again.

"You can't just -- I'm not going to --" He's not going to say no to Riley finding ways to communicate, is he? What kind of monster would that make him? Xander's face flashes bright red. "G-God damn it give me a second!"

He fails to realize he has already given Riley exactly the sound in question.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

While Xander is trying to work up his nerve for the impromptu performance Riley requested, Riley replays the sound for him with a gentle smile of victory. The fact that Xander seems unaware that he already made the noise makes it doubly beautiful.

Riley fetches another sphere and writes Xander a new request.

For this one, please say your own name affectionately.

Riley you're gonna kill the poor guy.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander's mouth opens in horror as he beholds the sphere that has somehow? Magically?? Stolen his voice??!? (Xander do you not remember making the sound.) (Of course he fucking doesn't.)

His eye flits from it to Riley, then to the new sphere. He is already backing away. "No. No more of this."

He reads the request anyway, then growls. "Riley."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Riley.

...Ah yes, Riley was right in anticipating he would need this. Riley immediately replays the Disappointed sound, while miming along with it to express his exaggerated dismay. He points at Xander and mouths 'your name.'

It's too bad the Fangs never give any fucking warnings, he could have recorded himself a little sound board in advance. Torturing Xander with this is helping him feel a little better, though.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander's jaw goes slack again with the audacity of Riley using his own voice against him. He brings his hand to his chest as if he's been struck.

And he knows exactly what Riley is mouthing from the periphery of his vision, too busy being angry at the thief of a rock. Xander buries his face in his hands, shaking his head with a frustrated, strangled sound from his throat.

"Absolutely not. Ask for literally anything else!"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander's absolute gobstruck dismay at hearing his own voice used against him is almost delightful enough to cancel out the day's double terrors of Riley nearly choking to death on his own blood and Xander threatening to traumatize himself with another massacre. Riley grins and stifles a laugh because it... seems like laughing might kill him.

But it seems that asking Xander to call out lovingly to himself is a bridge too far. Riley plays the Disappointed sound again and scribbles. The note says, Xander! Xanderrr.

See?? It's weak and sad written down.

He needs the power to say your name, Xander. Riley makes tragic eyes at him to underscore this point.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander whines every time the Disappointed Noise plays. He buries further into himself, shaking his head.

He dares glance up, splitting his fingers over his eye to peek between them at the written word. Ugh, he can read that in Riley's voice...!

"I can't say it the way you say it!"

Xander turns bright red all over again, still trying to hide behind his own hands.

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander hides from the recording of his own voice. ...this is still fun but Riley is starting to feel a little mean. It is a shame poor Xander is so cute when he is suffering. It tempts Riley down a path of evil...

He considers avenues of mercy, and scrawls an addendum. Do you think you could handle a pet name?

...Maybe if he could pretend he was calling to Riley, it would be less embarassing for him... Probably still embarrassing when Riley played it back, but he might actually be able to convince himself to try it and then it would be Too Late (Is that really mercy? Riley really is straying down a path of evil, here).

 ...But anyway, then Riley waits around for a while to get his note read since Xander can't read it while he's hiding from him.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

The silence is a reminder of why Xander has to look and this isn't fair at all!

Xander finally pries his own hands off of his face to read the message. He makes a disapointed noise again, then reflexively looks around for Riley's sphere to see if that was why. He's trying desperately to look grumpy, setting his jaw and narrowing his eye, but it cracks and looks... petulant.

"No," he says, simple and matter of fact. "I like it when you say my name."

...

Damn it.

Back into his hands Xander goes, groaning. This silence is getting to him and making him say more than he wants to. Silence is fine! He doesn't have to fill it...!!

... THIS ISN'T EVEN ABOUT RILEY SAYING HIS NAME IT'S ABOUT XANDER SAYING... HIS OWN NAME

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS INDESCRIBABLY ABSURD

He lets out another growl. "L... Let me borrow your guitar!"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Despite the 'merciful' suggestion, Xander is still refusing to cooperate, but he gives a strange and unexpected gift instead...I like it when you say my name.

The fact that Xander immediately hides again after the words are out might mean that he misses Riley getting his heart getting warmed so much by this confession that his eyes mist a little.

L... Let me borrow your guitar!

Riley's head tilts at this unexpected turn. Is Xander going to refuse to say his own name but he's willing to sing it? Or... well, one way to find out. He removes the guitar from his back and offers it to Xander, a curious expression on his face.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Maybe that's for the best. Could Xander handle Riley's tears right now, whatever emotion it was that brought them on? Probably not.

He's... shaken as it is. But not the fear and dread sort of shaken from before. High octane, anxious-embarrassed sort of shaken. Shaken and mortified like in exchange for his voice, Riley's gained the power to see straight through him.

Xander takes the guitar, handling it with exceeding care, like it were some sacred object. It's mostly by memory and observation that he gives a few experimental plucks of the strings, hissing in frustration until he finds the couple of notes he's looking for. It's only two notes, but they're the notes closest to how it feels when Riley says his name.

Satisfied, Xander looks to Riley more pointedly and plays it again.

"There. Use that."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander does not sing. What he does is... frankly a little mysterious. Two notes. Riley supposes he could make out those two notes as standing in for Xan-der...

He obediently captures the sound with the sphere, and then plays it back to consider it further. His head tilts and he squints his eyes a bit, contemplating it. Is this Xander's way of wriggling out of the assignment, or does this small musical sting have great meaning to him? He could honestly see it going either way...

He holds the sphere close to Xander's face and plays it again a few times in an attempt to evoke the Xander, Xander he sometimes does, and gauge how embarrassing Xander finds it. That will be a good clue.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Satisfied, Xander sets the guitar down and sighs out his anxious tension. Surely, this has solved everything.

... Then Riley employs it.

He made it... a little too easy for himself to imagine it.

The repetition makes Xander's jaw start to tighten again as he folds his arms and look away. "Wh-what?! I hear you!"

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

Xander is trying not to look at him. Hmm, so it does work.

He settles in closer and leans on him, playing it again with a soft smile.

These two spheres are, after a fashion, 'I love you,' and 'ugh.' ... That vocabulary should get him reasonably far, actually.

Now if he can just get Xander off of this massacre ledge he's talked himself into, Riley can probably hold out until he gets his voice back. ...From a... 'normal' kill, that carries only a 'regular' amount of trauma.

...What are their lives.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

If they don't kill someone soon, who knows what else Riley is going to try and get him to say!

Xander dares glance back, and this was a mistake, because Riley's gone all soft now, and this is worse than the diabolical streak he had going earlier. Xander sighs and brings an arm around Riley.

...

"I'm going to steal those while you sleep."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

I'm going to steal those while you sleep.

Riley looks up at Xander with (still somewhat diobolical) sadness and plays the Disappointed noise.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander still has one hand free to cover his face.

"STOP."

<Pose Tracker> Riley Arwell has posed.

A small nuzzle, followed by the Xander noise.

... ... These two sounds really will get him far.

<Pose Tracker> Xander Lovell has posed.

Xander sighs -- again! he's going to be doing a lot of that -- and sets his hand on Riley's head as the nuzzle forces the smallest of smiles from him.

"Riley."

...He can continue to regret this later.