dragonsorcsandwolves: (Default)
Rob Edwards ([personal profile] dragonsorcsandwolves) wrote in [community profile] thebastion2014-11-24 01:07 pm

Day 253 | OPEN | Bunnygeddon: Rise of the Leporidae

Who: Bunnies, Rob, everyone - feel free to thread amongst yourselves and ignore Rob in favor of the much cuter mammals
Open: Open
When: Day 253
Where: EVERYWHERE
What: BUNNIES
Format: Any
Warnings: Animal death

This morning in the Bastion is like any other at first. Early risers won't notice anything unusual, and it seems like today will be just another day at the end of the worlds.

Then the Monument is activated, and the invasion begins. An invasion of bunnies.

The rabbits are each around the size of a large housecat, come in either brown (female) or a very light gray (male), and seem to have shown up everywhere, especially where they aren't wanted. Rabbits munching away in the garden, rabbits hopping into buildings through open windows and doors, rabbits making more rabbits in places one would really rather not see such things... the list goes on.

(Okay there are probably only like ten of them at any one time, but they're getting into everything and compared to the Bastion's previous rabbit population levels this is a pretty big increase.)

The first rabbit that Rob sees confuses him for a moment, and the second makes him realize what just happened; the Monument had no way to tell whether he'd bought rabbits as livestock or as ambiance and had assumed the latter. In fact, when he goes to check the animal pen, he discovers that absolutely no rabbits have ended up there. Cue facepalm.

[1]

Rob will be spending the majority of the day attempting to catch all the rabbits and put them in the animal pen. "Attempting" is the key word here, because it turns out that it's a lot harder to catch rabbits with your bare hands than it looks. If he didn't know better he'd say that they're trolling him, acting like they're unaware of his presence as he sneaks up on them, only to leap out of the way at the exact moment he's about to grab them.

[2]

It's starting to get dark by the time Rob finally manages to get his hands around one. It thrashes and bites, but Rob manages to hold it by the scruff in his left hand and draws his knife with his right. Screw putting it in the animal pen; he's spent almost the entire day chasing rabbits around and he's dirty, sweaty, and pissed at these rabbits. He's cooking himself some meat for dinner.

He readies his knife... and stops. He's always thought of rabbits as silent, but this one's squealing loudly. Its heart is pounding in its tiny chest, and he swears he can feel it trembling as it struggles. He looks into its eyes and is surprised to see terror there. He has such a hard time reading humans, but the rabbit's response is so primal that he can recognize it as a prey animal's knowledge that it's about to die but desperately trying to keep living. His knife hand begins to lower.

I've brought creatures into this world for the sole purpose of being killed. This one hasn't even been alive a day and already I'm trying to kill it. ...Were they even necessary? I told myself they'd be a good backup to the fake meat, but there are already other animals we could use in an emergency. I was just disgusted by the idea of eating meat that hadn't come from an animal.

His knife hand hits the ground.

I'm a terrible person, and I've just wasted 200 shards. Now what?

The hand holding the still-squealing rabbit begins to lower.

I can't bear to kill this rabbit. But...

His hand stops its descent.

But what if I had to? Part of why I bought these was in case of an emergency. If I can't do this now, how can I expect to be able to do it in an even more stressful situation? I could leave it for someone else to do, but... But how can I dump something like this on someone else? That'd make me even more of a terrible person.

His knife hand begins to rise from the ground.

I wanted to be a man. I wanted to be able to hunt and feed myself. If I can't kill the prey I've already caught then I might as well just give up right now.

He lifts the rabbit back to a better height and brings the knife towards it.

I have to do this.

He places the blade of the knife against the rabbit's throat. The rabbit's struggles cease, whether from exhaustion, not wanting to hasten its demise, or the realization of the futility of going on, he doesn't know. He swallows.

I have to do this.

He tenses, preparing to draw the knife across the rabbit's throat, and closes his eyes. A moment later he forces himself to open them and look into the rabbit's eyes, feeling its frantic heartbeat through his fingers. He clenches his teeth.

"I'm sorry."

For a moment, his world is reduced to nothing but the drawing of a thin red line.

He stays there for a while in silence, holding his knife in one hand and cooling meat in the other, breathing heavily as he feels a few drops of warm blood make their way down his cheek, eventually mixing with tears as their paths converge. His mind begins waking up again, annoying him by making frivolous associations and remembering inappropriate jokes relating to the current situation.

Dammit.

Then a single sentence emerges from the chaos of his thought processes, and context appears around it. Perhaps other people would consider the idea tacky and inappropriate, especially given its source, but to Rob it was slightly calming and felt right. He stood and wiped at his eyes with one of the cleaner parts of the hem of his tanktop, then began walking with purpose in his step.

[3]

As dusk begins to fall, Rob can be seen walking, dirty and sweaty, with red-rimmed eyes, splatters of drying blood on his tanktop and face, and a dead rabbit in one hand. He looks serious about whatever he's doing, which seems to amount to brief visits to the kitchen and workshop before he returns to his cottage for the night.
superdrowningskills: (I am confused.)

[personal profile] superdrowningskills 2014-11-30 10:38 am (UTC)(link)
...Well, Ibuki's slow-mo running does successfully confuse him, although not enough to keep him from sort of casually sidestepping out of her way. He gives Kaoru a look, silently asking for an explanation for the girl's strange behavior. Sure, it's obvious that she doesn't want him to make a meal of the small, fluffy creature, but why try to stop him in this manner?
scary_music: (Deep thoughts by Ibuki Mioda)

[personal profile] scary_music 2014-11-30 10:45 am (UTC)(link)
The problem with sidestepping somebody going in slow-motion... is that they're not moving fast enough to just zoom by...

Still, it was clear she wasn't going to free the rabbit that way, so she didn't really pursue any further course of action.

"... ... I see, I see... but then, if Ibuki had thought that plan through at the start, she should have known it wouldn't have worked."

Really, most of it was just Ibuki playing around more than anything.

"Very well, you've bested Ibuki this time, Alucard-chan! But beware of vengeful Bunbun-chan spirits haunting you!"
Edited 2014-11-30 10:45 (UTC)
individuates: (*twitch*)

[personal profile] individuates 2014-11-30 10:55 am (UTC)(link)
And… quietly face palming from behind her, steadying his bun with one hand. He can't explain it either… but wasn't that the strangest confrontation ever?

"Miss… Ibuki, is it? I'm sure Alucard will be able to take an occasional haunting every now and then… but he has rather specific dietary needs, you see…"
superdrowningskills: (Momento mori)

[personal profile] superdrowningskills 2014-11-30 11:29 am (UTC)(link)
...Alucard's beginning to get the feeling that this kind of thing is going to happen every time he encounters Ibuki. He's so glad you're somewhat normal and not confusing, Kaoru. Keep that up.

"I may not fully be a vampire, but I do still require blood to keep myself in good health."

And obviously eating people is out of the question.
scary_music: (RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICOLAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!)

[personal profile] scary_music 2014-11-30 11:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Oooh, okay. That's too bad... sorry, Bunbun-chan, Ibuki couldn't save you! Please forgive Alu-chan for needing to eat you! Be sure to eat Bunbun-chan where nobody is watching, okay, Alu-chan?"

She then turned towards Kaoru. Finally.

"Hi! Hello! Sorry for not reacting to you earlier, personwhoIbuki'sjustmet-chan! Ibuki was occupied! I'm Ibuki Mioda! Pleased to meet mew!"
individuates: (D:)

[personal profile] individuates 2014-11-30 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
If he could free his other hand it would be rapidly joining the first. And you're okay with that, Ibuki? Seriously?. Not that her acceptance wasn't nice, it was just the sudden U-turn that made Kaoru want to plunge his head into his hands. Good for Alucard, though, that Ibuki happens to be pretty damn accepting. He himself found it rather more than a little weird in the beginning.

"Hitachiin Kaoru." Hitching up his best Host Club smile in an effort to cover his previously mildly-freaked-out expression. "I'm roommates with Alu-cha- - I mean Alucard." God. Ibuki, your cutesy-ness is infectious. Forgive him the slip, Alu-chan.
superdrowningskills: (Hmm.)

[personal profile] superdrowningskills 2014-12-03 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Well. That certainly was a fast switch. It's strange and confusing. Good, but still strange and confusing.

...Alucard might care a bit more about the cutesy addition to his name if he weren't hungry. He is though, so he just nods to confirm that yes, he does indeed live with Kaoru.

Unnoticed, the rabbit resigns itself to its fate as its hopes for rescue were dashed.
Edited 2014-12-03 06:42 (UTC)
scary_music: (Pick me pick me!)

[personal profile] scary_music 2014-12-03 08:57 am (UTC)(link)
"Ooh! Are you friends with Alu-chan, then, Kaoru-chan? Ibuki's friends with Alu-chan, too!" she turned to Alucard, smiling, "Right, Alu-chan? Right? We're friends!"
individuates: (shifty/awkward)

[personal profile] individuates 2014-12-03 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Sure am~!" The story's a lot more convoluted to be sure, but it's probably better sticking to the simpler version - they live together, they get on with each other, ergo friends.

He cleared his throat quietly.

"So… about that rabbit…" …the one in his arms seems relatively unperturbed but the one on the ground sure has gone still. He's not going to tell Alucard not to eat but...
Edited (English. I speak it. Honest.) 2014-12-03 10:48 (UTC)