onlyvibes | Saltburnt inbox

( hao doesn't dream too often — or, if he does, he doesn't remember them. this one, though? it's vivid.

every day in the mansion feels even more tedious than the last, boring in a way that even an eight hour day of college classes can barely compare to. at least at school he had extracurriculars to look forward to. baseball games. basement parties. killing monsters and collecting their bounties with a smile on his face.

that's probably why he clings so hard to this dream, determined to stay asleep. the slight squish of the polymer grip at the handle of his baseball bat as he tightens his grip on it feels as real as anything — the splatter of blood as black as tar across his face as he swings the metal spike-laden barrel down against the face of the pathetic demon laying on the ground in front of him, its screams ear-piercing and absolutely fucking delicious. hao can't help but laugh as he continues raining blows down on the creature, again and again, drenching himself in its blood. kind of loving it.

— except for the fact that it doesn't seem to want to give up and kick the bucket. hao's wide, toothy grin starts to fade, anger flashing across his face. ) Fucking die, you piece of shit.

I am sending a friend of House Targaryen to your charge. Would you accept and give them sanctuary, until this is over?

[ left at gideon's door is parisa's purse, after its contents have been reviewed for evidence. folded under it is a note from aemond; my sympathies for your loss. ]

Hey, congratulations on puncturing the veil between the living and the dead, by the way.

[ At some point in the afternoon, just as Matt's last breath leaves his body, a small golden light appears in his room. It's about the size of a marble, and instantly, it flutters through the air as if on an errand it knows well. Walls and locked doors are no impediment to it, as it isn't strictly solid, and it leaves no trace behind it.

Eventually, the little bauble finds Gideon. It winds and dances around him, gentle as a summer breeze but insistent all the same. If he follows it through the halls, the light will direct him to a folded slip of paper with his name on it. ]

I wish I had kissed you.

Matt

[ slipped under the door is a plain envelope with a simple invitation card, with a likewise direct message. on the back, written in legible print that is not aemond's handwriting, is a message: gifts not required! your presence is gift enough.

ooc | this is just for ic reference purposes! regarding the age: the hotd age timeline is a pain in the ass so he's just celebrating it twice. feel free to handwave or thread out as desired! 🔥 ]

[ aemond drops gideon's slice of cake personally, because it's been a while since they've interacted in private, but his friend is not in his room when he comes by. this is all right; he leaves gideon a note, writing with a green pen: ]

I just missed you. May this be to your liking.

[ the double meaning escapes him, even long after he's left gideon's room. ]

[ A knock at Gideon’s door alerts him to the presence of one Jonty Balfour, who looks a little misplaced and awkward, when he answers. After a beat, he sets a hand on his shoulder. ]

Dear Gideon … you served such a role in those terrible games earlier, in helping us reach those we lost. We cannot thank you enough, but I hope this will ease any, um … parting tensions, as it were.

[ He hands him a box containing one overly expensive, lushly soft pillow. Surprise — it’s actually a plot coin! Enjoy! ]

You don't happen to know of anybody randomly growing angel wings after that angel/devil party, do you?

do u think there's going to be an nye party this place is like rich rich fancy fancy surely there'll be at least fireworks right?

[ Inside the little cardboard box, there's a bracelet. It seems to be made from a hodgepodge of materials--smooth gemstones, irregularly shaped ones, painted wood beads, a small metal locket--but they're all in warm shades of orange, gold, and pink.

Rather than a note, there's a full page folded small enough to fit in the box. ]

Gideon,

I'm sorry for the delay, but all good things are worth waiting for, right? Here's a charm to help you stay awake.

1. This bracelet has carnelian and citrine as its main stones. They're both great for boosting energy/alertness and for connection with others. The rose quartz is also a connector; it's the stone of unconditional, endless love.

2. The different textures are sort of designed to keep your skin alert, if that makes any sense. I like rolling beads on my bracelets, so that might be a sort of check-in moment with the physical world.

3. The locket contains a lock of Parisa's hair. And I put the memory of kissing you into one of the beads. Not to say that kissing me was so great it's worth staying awake for--if you have other people you'd want to add, let me know and I'll swap something in.

4. In terms of powering the charm, it's designed to draw on dreams and churn them towards wakefulness, like a metaphysical version of "don't let your dreams be dreams." That's intended to both imbue the spell with energy, and to work with the other components to keep you extra awake. PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you end up asleep MORE, and I will adjust the spell.

I've really liked working on this project with you. I love running into you in my dreams, but I hope we make some more memories while you're awake.

Matt

[ With absolutely no warning, thanks to Eunhyuk: ]

ATTENTION!

This Is The Curse Of Bloody Mary! You Must Forward This Message To Ten People, Or She Will Come And Find You And Kill You! She Knows Where You Live. She Will Hang Your Corpse For Everyone To See And Laugh At You. She Will Find You!

THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!

dream — cw: violence, blood, n gore

text — un: aemond_

delivery. (backdated to round 1)

text; un: persephone

delivery.

delivery, night of 11,14.

delivery. ( seventh of december. )

delivery 🧂

text; dated 12/20ish

text — un: nicknack

delivery; mid-january

text