im yearning about you and there is nothing you can do about it (threat)
Interview with the Vampire 1.04
he could feel himself starting to clam up again. julius hadn't been finished, he'd just paused to try and figure out how to word the rest of it. if he could. it'd been hard enough to even get out those small bits and portions. & where stone might think his words were comforting, they were the exact opposite.
⸻ all that did was reaffirm to julius that he was supposed to be the one to be in that position. to be the one leading. to be the one that was meant to be sadistic. or to be the one that was meant to ⸻ what had he said? 'enslave humanity'? not unlike that time julius'd been told he was to lead his squadron despite not wanting to at all and feeling as though james had been better for the job.
if he had the energy in him, he might've gotten angered. but that odd numbness that settled into his heart and mind, sort of felt like a fog. like what little bit of hope he had for that ever happening cracked and slipped away. & julius just, let it.
"....." he isn't certain what to say, to stone telling him that he was happy that he trusted him enough. he exhales, and lets go of his hand before standing up, forcing himself to, even though he doesn't truly want to.
a big part of stone wasn't surprised with the reply julius gave, as he figured they had to be something someone wouldn't want to actually voice. the thing stone was surprised about was the man's willingness to humor him and actually give an explanation. stone knew it was likely very difficult if julius' body language were any give away.
however when the topic changes to him, or rather the stone that belonged to julius' timeline, he felt his heart start to race. how odd it was to hear those words come from his mouth, as if julius were some sort of mindreader and was voicing the thoughts stone had a long, long time ago.
it was the same explanation he would have given to ivo if he were able, but that didn't matter. not anymore, not since...
he meets julius' gaze with a soft one if his own, trying to figure out how to reply.
"I know how you feel. those thoughts that you have. they were the same words I wished I had told to ivo, before he..." he quiets, clearing his throat as he wills the tears away, "before he sacrificed himself. I'm not sure what happened to your stone, but I have a feeling we are in the same situation where we are missing our respective companions."
again silence on stone's part, but it is only a moment before he speaks again. "I am happy you trust me enough to share such a personal and vulnerable part of yourself with me."
u ever talk w/ someone again & just feel happy?
me rn.
night fucking made.
his gaze narrows, slightly, before it lids at what stone mentions about being fascinated by their last encounter. & then mentioning doing horrible things together, if julius would give him a chance. his tongue moves behind closed lips, gliding the tip of his tongue along his upper teeth in some thought. his boot shifts against the ground again, exhaling through his nostrils.
"⸻what did you have in mind?" what stone had mentioned was terribly vague, but julius was, briefly intrigued by the notion. however fleetingly. it really depended on what stone himself defined as 'horrible'.
stone wasn't too surprised when the quill was snatched from his fingers, and it reminded him a little of when he had found one of sonic's quills to which the doctor had promptly taken and immediately examined. out of all the other robotniks he had met this one was the most like his doctor, though he knew better than to bring him up currently. this encounter was actually going pretty well, all things considered.
when the quill is tossed back he quickly catches it, tucking it away back into his breast pocket before clearing his throat. "believe me, I would have, but the chaos emeralds are guarded by sonic and his little friends. I'd have no luck obtaining them, and as it stands the only means of chaos energy I currently possess is that which is stored in the quill."
he tilts his head then as he sees the little pose the man had hit, and he had to stifle a laugh at how utterly silly it looked. he pauses a moment then continues, planning on answering his next question.
"like I said... I came here for you. I was fascinated by our last encounter, and feel we could do something wonderfully horrible together... if you'll give me a chance."
time was an odd concept to julius: never aging, he hadn't really needed to think about how long it'd been in years. he rarely thought of days. barely kept track. just sort of existing, especially now that⸻ no. don't think of that.
his eyes closed, and he exhaled: he was flying today, trying to hone his chaos energy manipulation and control. if he trained that, he'd get better at it. able to fly farther, faster, more precisely without floundering like a fish out of water. hadn't thought to before. maybe it was because he had nothing to do now but just fly about⸻
sensation then, floods him, like a shiver: or more like being dunked with cold ice water. his eyes widened, and he stopped on a dime, only to see stone materlise in thin air and then start to plummet because stone wouldn't know how to fly.
instinctively, julius moves and soars down, catching stone via his arm and using his chaos energy in order to halt stone's fall without accidentally ripping stone's arm off just from the sheer momentum of the stop coupled with julius' innate strength.
it's the jarring of the motion that causes julius' sunglasses to fall off, passing stone by and falling down towards the earth. julius barely registers this, bright crimson eyes staring down at stone, exhaling, then chastising, equal parts anger and annoyance, "what the hell do you think you're doing."
three years had passed since his encounter with that robotnik, and during that time stone had managed to visit many alternate universes that varied in different ways. some were universes where the doctor had died from the numerous encounters with sonic the hedgehog. one where he was slain by the hedgehog himself, for instance. another where he had died after falling from his giant egg-machine due to super sonic destroying it.
on top of that there were other timelines where stone had never even met robotnik, and everything was... better? as if not having the doctor there was far better for the earth and everyone who inhabited it. those stones looked so content and happy without him, and it made stone sick to his stomach.
he could never imagine his life without the doctor in it, and despite all the timelines stone had briefly visited the only one where robotnik was still there and very obviously himself, as much as he could be, was the one where he had had one of the oddest encounters. he'd been blown off, somehow having offended the man in a way he wasn't entirely sure of.
so why now was he wanting to return, and give it another go? he was lonely and that certainly was a factor, he mused. he also was mildly interested in just how that robotnik managed to send him back via the chaos control he'd seen shadow use once or twice. he then thinks on why shadow couldn't save his doctor, and it made his blood boil in thought.
no, stone, not now.
taking a deep breath he thinks about that timeline, and using one last try with the chaos energy he had produced from one of shadow's salvaged quills he wills himself to make that 'jump', hoping he'd arrive at his destination and not ultimately end his life due to potential miscalculation.
Big fan of Lee's "Stone might also be an orphan", but I always thought how insane it would be if Stone did have a family, a big one, he just chose Robotnik.
Can you imagine? The one abandoned by his own family being CHOSEN above somebody else's family? That'd be...the poetic cinema, truly.
at how the lankier man mentioned blood being appealing, julius hummed in agreement. "does it turn you on," he holds eye contact as he says it, voice dipping in that thinly veiled lust. "shall i spill more?" chaos energy kisses at his finger tips, sparks of red electricity arcing and dancing deftly across his left hand.
"i did, once." hadn't in years, but julius still remembers how much he had loved putting makeup on, only to have it defiled and smeared during his nights in the clubs. "been debating on whether i should again or not. a darker shade, you say? what colour do you suppose suits me?"
" that's a lot of blood. "
"indeed it is," his face and neck are covered in it. front of his shirt and bits of his jacket are drenched in that blood. "adore your makeup." particularly the lipstick, to say nothing of the accentuation around his eyes. "what brand do you use?"
Came because my interest was piqued seeing you on my dash. Stayed because of your unique portrayal and amazing in depth characterization of the character you've brought to the table. Letting the villain be a villain. The amazing lore behind the character really has me coming back to read it over and over again. Also the mun , ive had nothing but amazing interactions with too.
thank you once again kris, your words never fail to leave me pleasantly stunned and smiling like a doofus.
i'm glad you find julius' lore amazing, that really touches my heart. at times i wonder if maybe i'm doing 'too much' with his backstory & his powers. but then i remember this is my blog & i make the rules dammit. it really reaffirms my thoughts to know that other people also enjoy his lore and his abilities. >w<
as always, i enjoy our convos. looking forward to chatting more via discord with ya. ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗