Baa-trayal

[wooliefrand]

WHO: Sheep
WHERE: The Pasture
WHEN: 109 afternoon thru evening

[It happened so suddenly--no matter where you were, even if you didn't get caught up in, you suddenly saw the massive, ghostly body of Death standing over the pasture. Whether you were in your barn, the cafeteria, exploring the meadow or forest, it didn't matter. You suddenly found yourself sucked into seemingly another realm, experiencing memories and feelings and urges that certainly did not belong to you. A ritual is being performed, but it was not caused by Weed or Sheep or Blossom. Not, Death herself called this one, in an effort to call attention to. . .something, who knows.

As you eventually wake up from the ritual--possibly with injuries or horrific memories, you will find yourself at the fountain.

Blossom, Stormy, and Lady are also there, soundly asleep. And also tied up. Death is tired of their shit okay.]

[ooc:
SESSIONS | WINNERS/RESULTS | SPIRITS | ROOM NOTES | POST BAA-TRAYAL MINGLE

Note: I'm setting this as 109 since the last game was 107, so there's two full days to back thread stuff yall might need if need be!!]

Comments

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[the notification pops up in front of his eyes almost simultaneously with the memories flooding into his mind:

Perfect Caretaker title is in effect. Final Thanks activated! Effects will last 7 days. Skills and Stats of the deceased will be transferred at double effectiveness.

Charon doesn't see any of this. not the memories, not the notification. all he sees is Lethe suddenly going very, very still, eyes looking at something not there, wide and uncomprehending. pale feathers start to sprout at his wrists as his expression shifts to one of active distress.]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

[bro hey???






turns him intangible on reflex to seeing that familiar explosion of feathers, in the logic that if this means something is going to go nova an intangible nova will harm nothing]

Lethe. Lethe!

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[startles and reflexively tries to go invisible, to not be seen or heard or sensed as he tries to get his thoughts in order. his stealth skill is only A-class, though, so Charon can still see him. his presence is just slightly muted, made extra blurry around the edges as he looks down at his hands and tries to figure out what's going on]

What's—no, wait, this is...

[the feathers just keep growing out of his skin, more and more as he fights back alarm]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

[how the fuck is this happening]

Listen to me. It’s safe. You’re safe. Breathe.

[he cannot physically gather him in but he can fold his wings around him to extra block him from view]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[thankfully Fear Resistance kicks in past a certain threshold, so the blort of feathers doesn't increase. just awkwardly hangs out as he gets his breathing under control, a bit at a time, focusing all of his energy on making it go away.

unfortunately the panic doesn't just magically vanish because he wants it to, so he just keeps shedding little feathers]

I—don't look, I'll get it under control, just, don't—

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

Shhh. No one is looking. Even if you don’t have it under control it’s all right. Nothing will happen.

[the inner lids on his eyes slide shut in deference to Lethe’s ask, though. he can still see him hazily through them but his eyes do look more or less closed now

man Minuet’s corpse is still just like, in this scene. this day is rapidly more tragicomedy surreal]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[featherduster]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[the corpse isn't doing anything so it's the least of any problem currently in the room]

I can control it just fine.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

Lethe.

[just audibly fuckin upset, enough that it cracks through the trained calm of his voice a little]

I know you can, but let me help.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

Help how, exactly?

[his voice is tight, clearly stressed and trying really hard not to be]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

…

May I touch you?

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[just nods his head, focusing entirely on keeping his breathing even]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

[they are inside the barn by now so he’ll just, remove the ghost spell as he finally finds the focus to shrink down out of his dragon form

(amazing how much someone else’s distress can be a motivator to get your shit together and throw your own problems straight down into the basement)

and slip his emotionshare bracelet off his wrist and onto Lethe’s, before carefully wrapping his arms around him]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[flinches at the bracelet being slipped on, startled by the initial contact; but he leans into Charon's arms, mentally scrambling for a foothold to keep himself grounded]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

[there is this, if nothing else: the emotion share is one-sided, so Lethe is revealing nothing, and Charon has experienced what it’s like to be a Plant before and not know how to control it, and controlled it all the same by the skin of his teeth.

so he feeds him his feelings thinking of that time: yes, he’s stressed and alarmed for Lethe, and there’s a lingering hollow shock over what he’s just done, but there’s a reservoir and bedrock of calm and trained control in him that Lethe can still lean on under it all, strained by the many vagaries of the pasture but not broken.

there is also a hand on his back rubbing slow soothing circles; familiarity with the feeling of feathers; a gentle slide of fingers onto the nape of his neck, half-petting, half-preening his hair and any that might have emerged there. love, and support, and worry.]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[he leans heavily on that emotional bulwark, letting it hold him up while he puts down his own level of control under him. there's no way to completely get rid of the panic, the inescapable knowledge that Charon is smart, he knows, he can put enough pieces together to guess what's happening--but he can't do anything about that at the moment. so he tries to let it go, to just breathe, and lets Charon's emotions wash over him like a blanket to hide under.

the feathers retract, bit by bit, until there are not but the few scattered on the floor around them.]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

[he’s going to come back and collect those later ( ‘-‘)

for now he just holds him though, even once the feathers have vanished under Lethe’s skin, and asks no questions. there is curiosity but not horror, and certainly not condemnation.]

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[there's a faint tremble in his body as he breathes in and out]

...See? It's fine.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

You’re all right.

[soft, steady]

You have become a Plant?

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[very quickly]

I'm still human. I've just picked up some characteristics.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

Ah.

[a careful feeling of consideration; that awareness that Lethe has a hard time answering questions for very pertinent reasons sometimes]

How is your arm?

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[he is very, very grateful that Charon cannot feel his emotions in case he needs to blatantly lie about something. tips his head to look down at his hand, inspecting it]

My hand...? It's fine. It won't explode or anything.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

Are you sure? I remember what it was like.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[mykidisthebest]

[keeps his hands tucked close, careful not to touch Charon more than needed]

I'm sure. It's probably not the same as being in his body, you know...and I'm sure it'll go away with time.

Re: POST RITUAL MINGLE

[endsjustified]

…

[he is still holding him close]

May I ask why this is happening?