Open log; there's a ton of the twist but we're fresh out of shout

[ratjesus]

Who: Kugrash and you
When: September, arrival before the event
Where: ADI headquarters, the city
Summary: Kugrash gets lay of the ADI land, explores using his human disguise around town, and terrorizes a jogger in order to use his powers.
Warnings: Swarms of gross rats, general gross olfactory descriptions


i. Around ADI headquarters;
Kugrash is very well aware of the fact that not very many people might be used to him. He's a two foot tall rat man and, sans the cleansing water from the Bethesda fountain, it's been a bit since he took a bath. The life of a dumpster druid living in subways tunnels differs wildly from someone who's used to a normal job and, unfortunately, that includes hygiene.

But he's here and he has to help save the world, or something like that. That's fine. The fact that whatever this is pulled him out of some serious shit is definitely on Kugrash's mind, but he compartmentalizes that: at the moment, there's pretty much jack shit he can do about Robert Moses or the American Dream. He's not even in New York, for one, and for two, this whole eldrich entity problem seems legit. So hey, there's no harm in checking things out and lending a hand to this ADI place, at least for now.

Kugrash decides to get a lay of the land in the headquarters, including exploring the air vents. He can fit pretty easily, although the skittering and noises he makes as he does so are most likely fairly disconcerting. He'll occasionally open a vent to pop his head out and get a proper look around, greeting people with a laid back hello. Occasionally he'll straight up fall through an opening he thought was closed, hitting a desk with a large crash, a loud thud, and a very loud proclamation of 'fuck me!' before he dusts himself off. There's a distinct lack of apology, either way. It's not like he's breaking anything.

Hunger takes him eventually and he makes his way to the canteen where a furry, disgusting little paw will happily reach for any donuts or snacks. Some he can reach without a sweat and when he can't he has no problem looking at the nearest person and waving them over.

"You mind gettin' that for me, pal?" There's no tray in his hand. Kugrash is shoving all of the food he's gathering either into his mouth or into a dirty green fanny pack he has around his waist.


ii. Exploring the city;
He supposes there's a bit of irony that his human form looks exactly like how he did before he became a rat. It's probably ADI's glamour mixing with the curse he has on him, though it stings plenty. Good news, Kug: you're human again, sort of! Bad news, it's going to remind you of all the times you were a giant piece of shit! The initial tears of happiness have passed, self-loathing has wound its way into his head, and after finally balancing his dissonant emotions Kugrash is ready to cruise the town.

Old habits die hard. He's always been a slightly twitchy-looking person, but it's taking a little while for him to move properly or feel natural about it. He slouches too much as he wanders down a street, only to stay a little too straight and stiff a moment after. It gives him an unnatural, uncanny valley sort of look despite desperately trying to fit in.

"This is awesome," he says to himself, voice gruff and low, akin to an old man who's smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. "This is really awesome." He's at a crosswalk, flapping his arms in a circular motion, wiggling his fingers.

Oh, shit, so okay, maybe the tears haven't stopped--there they are, eyes glassy with happiness as he sniffs loudly, the crosswalk's red hand preventing him from moving forward until the little stick man signals it's time to move again. Big fat ghibli tears incoming in 3, 2....

"This is the greatest thing in the fucking world, dude."

At one point after his cry he straight up forgets he's a human and goes back into old habits. passing a Mexican restaurant, he'll casually swipe a half-empty margarita from an empty patio table, ducking deftly into an alley to lick the salt rim and enjoy his free (and stolen) drink.


iii. Feeding that Fear; (cw rats, swarms)
Kugrash is no stranger to scaring people, though it's always been unintentional. This is a bit of a different vibe, though. This is something he's doing on purpose, and it doesn't sit well with him.

Ah, well. He's going to have to use his powers eventually for the greater good, right? It's not like he's going to kill or hurt anyone, he's just going to spook them a little. Give 'em a little jump, that's all. He doesn't view anything he does as terrifying but he's long since come to terms with his version of 'normal' and 'weird' not quite lining up with everyone else's over the years.

He tries to target someone who looks generally well off, following them for a few moments, and winds up picking a jogger in full athleisure attire who (thankfully) isn't actually running at the moment. Aware he sticks out like a sore thumb given his suit, Kugrash follows behind anyway, easy to spot and clearly planning something. The moment they're somewhere vaguely isolated he strikes.

"Come on, my babies," he whispers, cornering the poor jogger and raising his arms. His eyes narrow in concentration behind the thick frame of his glasses as smirk on Kugrash's lips. The chittering and scurrying squeaks start softly and, after a few seconds, begin to grow.

To arms, to arms! the rats cry. The clarion trumpets call! We live to serve the glory of the Rat King!

Though they are small, the high, squeaky voices shouting in unison are surprisingly loud: 40 or so rats begin to descend on the poor jogger, and while Kugrash has ordered them not to harm, they begin to crawl over him, grimy paws gripping every surface, muffling the man's screams. Kugrash doesn't pull back. It's not pretty or subtle, but it's what he does.


iv. Wildcard;
[ Feel free to DM me if you want a closed starter! Otherwise, Kugrash will be wandering around the city and ADI headquarters trying to get a handle on literally everything. Will match prose or action brackets! ]

Comments

iii. excuse you sir

[inlieuofadad]

Hopefully unheard under the squealing of the rats and screaming, Gil steps into the isolated little space. Gun out. Leveled at Kugrash's head. He started following these two when he saw Kugrash tracking the jogger, and... well.

"They make it look dramatic on TV," Gil says evenly. "But most service weapons don't need to be cocked. It slows things down too much to make the theatrics worth it. We find ways to make up for it. Let him go."

mind ya business!

[ratjesus]

Well well well, if it isn't the consequences for Kugrash's actions. He doesn't think he's ever had a gun pulled on him--not while he was a rat, and he'd been to a few dodgy poker games when he was still a dude, but never like this. In spite of the fact that he knows he can handle himself, he still finds himself sweating.

"Hey pal, you don't wanna do that. Shoot me and my babies aren't going to be too happy about it." He opts to edit what he was originally going to say for once in his life, burying the urge to call the other guy an asshole. His hands move slowly up, unarmed, the swarms of rats currently enveloping the poor man, muffling his cries. They've been instructed not to bite, just to scare, but he knows it looks bad. He knows this looks bad for him. Good thing he doesn't much care about reputation. He's already trying to gauge distance: there's a closed dumpster nearby, a short ways away down the alley where he'd be visible but out of the other's physical reach. He thinks he has enough power he can make it, but he doesn't want to chance it, so he remains for a little longer.

(it's weird, feeding this Entity, it's different, it's not as nearly as comforting as drawing magic from the Waking World like he usually does. He doesn't like what he's doing. He honestly can't blame the other guy.)

"You put the gun down and I'll think about calling 'em off, huh? Count of 3?"

u became his business SIR

[inlieuofadad]

"How about you call them off and I'll think about putting the gun down," Gil counters dryly. His focus flicks to the victim a moment, noting the lack of blood, at least. Which is weird, if he's being honest. Except--

"You're trying to feed one of those things?" Yeah the gun has gone up a fraction rather than down.

[ratjesus]

We live and die at the hand of the Rat King! He must feast to bring a brighter future for all of rat kind!

It's the worst possible moment for the rats to speak, all in unison, all with high pitched, squeaky voices that echo across the alley. Kugrash's whole face turns up into what can only be described as a grimace.

"You guys aren't helping!"

He grinds his teeth and in a fraction of a second and in a poof of smoke that resembles car exhaust and smells twice as bad, Kugrash disappears and immediately reappears on the dumpster he's eyed before. It's a strange, weird little crouch his human form is doing, incredibly unnatural as he waves a hand at an odd angle. The rats begin to disperse, cheering unanimously at accomplishing their goal for the good of the rodents, and Kugrash looks at the gun pointedly.

"Come on."

[inlieuofadad]

Gil lowers it, slowly, but doesn't holster it yet. Keeps it in one hand, keeping Kugrash in his peripheral as he checks on the victim.

Who seems unharmed, if horrified by what just happened. A few little scratches here and there, but nothing unexpected when you're covered in rodents. Gil purses his lips, glancing at Kugrash again before he sends the jogger on his way, instructing him to clean up those scratches sooner than later.

Once they're alone, he turns toward Kugrash. Gun still in hand, but at least not pointed his way. "You were deliberately... feeding one of those entities they warned us about."

i. vents

[twistedbones]

Since his arrival in the vents, Thackery has spent a fair amount of time up there or even above the drop ceiling itself. Sometimes it's in the line of duty as a "pest control specialist," sometimes when he's been asked to help run a cable, sometimes simply because he's a bit of a snoop and enjoys his feline privileges re: sneaking here and there unseen.

ADI's headquarters have, so far, been mostly rat-free, so he's surprised when he smells one. He's a hell of a lot more surprised when he stalks all but silently around the corner of a T-junction only to see a rat bigger than himself. Eyes going wide and back arched, he startles back, hissing loudly.

[ratjesus]

Kugrash is flying high. Not literally, of course, but figuratively: He feels like he's got his own separate way of travelling now, and if he's being perfectly honest, it almost feels like he's back home with the tiniest bit of purpose sprinkled on him. 'Hey, Kug,' the universe is saying. 'You're here for a reason. Look what you can do.'

He's here to allegedly stop the world from ending, and even Kugrash was in pretty dire straits beforehand, and he's not as attached to this place as he is New York, he may as well try a little, right?

The point is, it's nice to just explore and it's nice to have a tunnel system back in his life. Just him, no one else, and--

--shit. That's definitely hissing. Kugrash picks up the sound before he picks up the black cat in the shadows of the vent, and the moment the cat's eyes grow wide, Kugrash's do as well.

"Fuck me," he swears at himself, taking a few steps back, one grubby paw outstretched as if motioning for the (most likely feral) feline to stop will actually do anything. "Absolutely fuck my life--hey, kitty, nice, uuuuh, nice cat. I'm a peice of shit, you don't wanna eat me, I promise you, I'm an asshole." He's backing up as he does, beady eyes full of panic.

sorry for the long delay! no hard feelings if you'd rather handwave at this point

[twistedbones]

It only gets worse as his wide eyes take in the creature in the dim light. Small compared to a human, but huge compared to a rat. Thackery is already steeling himself for a fight in those split seconds; this will be ugly but it's not as though he can be killed--

"You can talk?!" gasps Thackery, for once the one to spout that line rather than have it spouted at him. He doesn't move any closer or relax the arch in his back, fur puffed up all down his spine and tail.

nw! I got back from an unofficial hiatus, so ditto

[ratjesus]

"You can talk?!" Beautiful, incredible symmetry in both tone and phrasing. It would be poetic if it weren't two animal men in a ventilation shaft.

Well, shit. Kugrash doesn't bother to hide his surprise, eyes wide, half-standing half-crawling. "Woah, I thought my powers didn't work here without having to fuck someone up--you're--you're a cat though, right pal?" Maybe he's hallucinating. That's definitely an option.

iii :v

[lesbeau]

If asked Beau wouldn't necessarily describe herself as some kind of 'do gooder', but also she's probably obligated to actually be that considering she's saved the world a number of times. What's really happening is she's too nosy for her own good, and any time she sees someone acting like a weirdo she wants to know why. On top of that, she hasn't quite figured out yet this is another entity problem, so when she hears the call of the fucking rat king she doesn't question why she absolutely needs to see what the hell is going on right now.

What all this means that Kugrash can enjoy his fear victory for a bit before he can get that very distinct feeling of being watched and also heavily judged from somewhere or other. It's nebulous for a moment, but not much past that, because Beau isn't subtle when she's in close range.

"Dude!" She's dressed a little more normally than she would have been in Exandria, a crop top and some drop-crotch pants, but she's also holding a big ol' metal staff. "You can't just do that!"

c:

[ratjesus]

For a brief moment, he thinks he feels Kingston Brown's gaze from somewhere. Watching him, judging him in all his Vox Populi, cleric-like glory. It's a brief moment, a flicker of a feeling that causes one of his ears to twitch, but it's gone the moment it happens. Homesickness, maybe. His mind had flickered towards the blissful moment of summoning pigeons in order to get dates to a wedding earlier today, it's probably a cast-off from that.

Ah, wait, no, fuck--there it is, someone yelling at him. Kugrash's shoulders stiffen as the other scares him, having been so intent on giving the guy a bit of a fright, and while the swarms of rats carry on, crying glory to the crownless rat king, Kugrash turns his head to focus on the rather sporty looking individual by him.

Weird. He didn't see a jogging partner, that's the whole reason he isolated him.

"Fuck you, man, I'm--wait--what?" Kugrash's snout wrinkles in confusion as he eyes the staff, and he takes one step back. Just in case. No one's ever told him to stop quite like this before. It's perplexing. She also doesn't seem the least bit scared by a horde of rats, just... annoyed? Angry? Carrying a big ol' fuck off stick?

:3c!!!!

[lesbeau]

To be totally fair, this probably isn't the right way to tell someone to stop. Most people would probably say 'you can't cover a guy with rats' or 'that's rat assault' or something. Instead, this woman just seems offended she has to be privy to the experience. Thankfully for both of them, she's going to talk about it so this moment of terror will only last a few seconds.

"I said you can't do that!" Nope, that's not descriptive, and she might know it. "Look, there's mugging and then there's whatever the fuck this is. If you're gonna corner a guy for his gold this is just fucked up." Oh, she thinks this is about money, that's clarifying, but she's still looking like she might wallop him for the wrong answer. "Seriously, call 'em off and let the guy go, this sucks."

[ratjesus]

"Yeah it sucks!" Kugrash's volume and tone raises exorbitantly despite being in agreement with the stranger. She hit a raw nerve--he knows it's bad and just a little bit on the fucked up side. Kugrash tries his best to meet the girl's eyes, too, but he can't help it if they dip to the staff as he talks.

"This whole thing is a fucking mess, let me--" he cuts himself off, waving a tiny little rat paw (it probably looks cooler in his human form) to disperse his crowd. "That's enough, that's enough, my babies, go back into--uh--wherever the fuck you come from here I guess--"

Our duty has been fulfilled! We have triumphed on this day for the glory and honour of the Rat King!

They disperse, a sea of grey tails and beady eyes, and Kugrash takes just the tiniest step away from the other. The jogger, panicked, terrified, almost immediately picks himself up and runs as fast as he can away, screaming.

"Fuck me. Alright--promise not to hit me with that thing?"

i. canteen

[septieme]

Some mornings, you get up later than you meant to and barely make it in time for school/work. Some mornings, you wake up in a different world entirely, and it is no dream. Some mornings, you walk into the office's canteen to make yourself a cup of tea, and come to face with... what appears to be a giant rat, energetically pawing at the box of donuts someone else left on the counter that the creature is unfortunately not tall enough to reach.

...

The bespectacled girl blinks with a start as she's addressed, caught staring quite openly but also not looking particularly apologetic (for the rudeness) or put off (by the weirdness) by the sight. She does wrinkle her nose a little, however, as she tilts her head lower to meet her company's gaze.

"--Ah, me? That box, right?"

Hygiene may not have been much of a priority for some, especially depending on their background and previous lifestyles, but regardless of what ADI had assigned them, there's still a public component to their "work" that involves mingling in the office, now. Whatever story this sentient and larger-than-average rodent carries, is it... notable enough, to be picked up by a sensitive nose? Appearances are confined to the individual, after all, while a strong smell can more than carry across a whole room. It may or may not be part of the reason why she's still lingering by the entrance, after having only taken one step in.

...Just surprised! Really. Really, how often does one step into a room just to come face with a talking two feet tall rat, anyway? It's a valid excuse, right?

[ratjesus]

Kugrash is certainly pungent up close, and a sensitive nose can pick him up rather easily. It's enough to blend in to the less glamourous life of New York City, and thematically fitting. He's a piece of shit, might as well look and smell like one, in his mind.

Also, you know. Two-foot tall rat man. That's a thing. Luckily the stranger is saved from the brunt of the smell courtesy of the fact that he bathed about a week before arriving here, but it's still not exactly like sniffing flowers over here.

"Yeah, didn't wanna try to find a step stool." Kugrash says, voice rough and gravelly. He could get up on the counter but he really is trying to play by the rules. Somewhat. Kugrash looks back at the blue haired girl, snout moving up into a wrinkle that looks like a snarl despite the fact that it's just curiousity.

"Uh, if you, uh, don't mind, kiddo. Hey. I'm Kugrash."

[septieme]

It could be worse, and that's a silver lining she'll happily latch onto. ADI could curb a great deal, but for better or worse, there's no helping certain keen senses, it would seem...

She chuckles sheepishly and wrings her hand on the spot a tad helplessly, straightening herself with an internal self-admonishment as she regathers her wits about her to address her company properly. Staring isn't polite, and she can definitely deal with him not exactly smelling like roses, so!--

"--N-not at all! I'm sorry, you just caught me off-guard. I'll be happy to help!~"

There's no further ado as she crosses over to the counter within the next moment, picking up the still half-full box before leaning over and presenting it to the rat-man with an apologetic but bright smile.

"Here you are, mister Kugrash. Mornings can be difficult without some sugar to get you going, can't they?"

'Kiddo', though? Does she look that young...?

[ratjesus]

"Exactly."

Oh no, she's about as sweet as the donuts he wants. Kugrash watches her grab the box with delight, nose twitching as the smell comes closer. It's an instinctual reaction: he's on tip toes until the box is at his proper height. He stands normally once it's within full reach, hunched back and slight slouch once Ciel moves it, a grin on his face.

"Thanks, you're the best," he assures, and grabs one. He hesitates for a moment before immediately reaching in to grab another, and another until he has about four or five, balancing them in his arms. "What's your name? And, uh--just Kugrash. Mister's a little too much for me."

Might as well get to know people. Kugrash lifts his arms up awkwardly to eat one of the donuts, gorging himself on half of a strawberry sprinkle in one bite, and starts shuffling the donut bundle he's holding to reach for his beaten up fanny pack around his waist.

I.

[worthallthis]

Winter is, unfortunately, more familiar with the sound of someone in the vents than he probably should be. But that sounds like a very... small person. If whatever force is yanking them all here has started stealing small children, he is going to be very displeased.

Not that he can do much about it, but still.

He frowns up at the ducting, then slings his rifle off his shoulder and gives the duct in front of where the noise came from a clanging prod with the muzzle of it.

[ratjesus]

The clang echoes, metal on metal, and Kugrash jumps a little in surprise. There's something to be said for shit like this--mainly that he's not as stealthy as he thought.

Ah, well. Exploring doesn't mean he has to be quiet. Not right now, at least.

He settles for thumping right back in greeting, one little paw tapping near the entrance in greeting.

[worthallthis]

That's a very small sound for a return tap, but it's not a scurrying like a startled animal, or a banging like someone who just appeared in there.... He frowns and moves to the nearest grating, giving it a push up and in with the rifle barrel, with a creak of metal and a little might light shed up into the ventilation shaft.

An invitation. If there's a person in there, come introduce yourself at the "doorway"?

[ratjesus]

"Hey guy," comes a voice from the vents, rough and gravelly and oozing New York from two syllables alone. That's definitely a barrel of a gun, and the game is decidedly over.

Kugrash doesn't like getting shot at, goddammit.

"You put the gun away and I can just come down say hi, but I'm not really keen on being exterminated, pal."

i. canteen. ok shiro wants to meet this smelly rat man

[earthshine]

[ why does it reek in here? shiro’s popped into the canteen a number of times before; each time, it's been as uneventful as one would imagine it to be. this time however, he pauses just inside the entrance, catching a whiff of something that does not encourage an appetite. smells like rotten eggs? rotten cabbage? the odor has his nose wrinkling and his throat hurting when he, unfortunately, takes another breath.

well, so much for his plan of grabbing a snack. probably for the best that he gets out of here anyway, there is, afterall, a two foot rat pawing at said snacks.

an oversized rat -- huh, interesting. shiro’s seen stranger things than a rat man giving patronage, but still strange. especially when the rat spots him and calls him over.

uh. ] Sure. [ okay. guess he’s doing this. this is what he gets for fostering a desire to always be helpful. he smiles though, because of course he does, although, the closer his steps bring him to the rat man and his dirty paw reaching for a bear claw, the stronger the smell becomes. it’s thick and pungent and shiro just about chokes on his breath. a handful of feet left between them and it slowly dawns on shiro, the realization having him speaking before he can edit it into something more tactful. ]

… It’s you. [ stops and pinches his nose, voice pitching higher. ] That awful smell is coming from you.

And what a beautiful meeting it is : ' )

[ratjesus]

Yeah. [ Kugrash seems to absolutely not be bothered be it, still looking up expectantly. The bear claws are practically mocking him, and he can just imagine the beautiful almond paste when he bites into it. His mouth is watering at the mere thought. ]

Can you grab two of those beautiful babies? I could get on the counter but that's, uh, a little frowned upon here.

[ He clenches and unclenches a little rat paw, just out of reach of the beautiful pastry, and looks at the stranger again expectantly. It occurs to him he should probably explain himself, eh realizes, taking note of the pinched nose: ]

Don't worry, you'll get used to me. [ 'and his smell' is left unsaid. ] Most people do.

my gosh i completely failed at getting back to this fkerg sorry for the delay!

[earthshine]

[ okay. decisions. turn around, leave and od by sniffing air freshener until he feels better. or suffer the smell, get the bear claws and save some other poor soul from doing the dirty deed. sighs. shiro steels his resolve and walks the rest of the distance.

by the way, he’s yet to let go of his nose, so he has to grab the bear claws one at a time, passing them off to the rat man. ]

You mean… [ still talking with that clogged-nose quality, confused frown firmly in place. ] The smell is a permanent thing and it’s not just, uh -- a bad day?

i live off of back tags, nw!

[ratjesus]

What? [ Kugrash is either completely oblivious to the bad time Shiro is having or he's just ignoring it, which is equally possible. It's a 50/50 chance, but it's pretty hard to get a read someone when they're cramming a bear claw into their face.

Delicious. ]

Buddy, I live in the sewers and the subway tunnels, what do you think? [ Despite the harshness of the sentence and the harshness of his words, Kugrash isn't offended in the least, he just always sounds perpetually annoyed or angry. It's a New York thing made worse by the fact that he's a weird little rat man. The next bear claw gets jammed into his beaten up, faded fanny pack, squishing it right in there with no regard to shape or hygene. ]

Every day's a bad day. We're in Massachusetts, pal. It's truly the End Times. I think I'm gonna just take the whole box. [ Which defeats the purpose of Shiro handing them to him, but hey, he can only think so far ahead. ]