un: Eve 🔪; video

[wroughtandtempered]

[ the video opens to a large, serpentine beast with a wolf's pointed ears pulling back from the camera, having apparently started the recording via booping the phone's screen with her snoot. she flicks out a forked black tongue once, then lays her head down on her paws and says slowly: ]

What do you do when you feel like garbage, and you can't do anything to fix why? When you've just got to wait it out.

...I don't know how long I'm going to be waiting, so. The more ideas the better.

[ a beat, and then she adds: ]

Thanks.

[ —before reaching out to tap the phone again, this time with a paw. animal lovers, enjoy that brief full-screen shot of pink snakewolf toebeans before the feed cuts. ]

Comments

[daturameloxia]

I don't care what you think, Wash. I'm doing what's needed to become stronger.

[And then looks away. It's the best he can do to turn his back while ziptied up.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Except none of this is making you stronger. Its hurting yourself because anytime you hate yourself, you decide the right thing to do is self destruct as hard as possible because that's what your father told you to do.

[daturameloxia]

I don't hate myself anymore. I only hate him. And you.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Luckily for Wylan, Wash has been told by people he cares about that they hate him when they're having a time. He's kind of used to it. Thanks Tucker and your emotional immaturity.]

Then why are you hurting yourself?

Because you are. I can already tell you haven't been eating and not sleeping near enough. You haven't cleaned yourself. You've been hyperfocusing on work to an unhealthy degree.

How is any of this liking yourself?

[daturameloxia]

I've told you I don't need to. I have the strength now to keep working through those obstacles. I have a deadline to meet. Stop interfering.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Its not strength to work through your body starving and hitting exhaustion, its insanity and desperation.

You know what happens when you finally stop? You fall flat on your face and are fucked up for a long while after.

[daturameloxia]

[For some reason, that's the last straw.]

Get out.

[schrodingerscockroach]

No! Because you are not taking care of yourself and I am not going to let you hurt yourself. Even if I have to tie you down to do it.

You really think I don't know what's going on? Wylan, this is the shit I've pulled for years, and I know the consequences of it. I got my body specifically rebuilt to be able to take it better, and its still fucked me up.

You don't have that. You don't have it physically, and you don't have it mentally, and the more you go down this path, the more you're going to destroy yourself. And guess what? Destroying yourself just makes you weaker.

[daturameloxia]

But it's not the same, is it? You have no idea. I'm not you, nor will I ever be. Calling me weak won't stop me either.

[schrodingerscockroach]

And why don't I have an idea?

And I'm not calling you weak. I'm telling you the objective fact of your actions. No one got strong by starving themselves.

[daturameloxia]

Because the alchem-- [This boy cannot keep his mouth shut when he wants his freedom. He doesn't bother answering the second question as he tries to climb up onto his feet.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Wash puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes him back down.]

The alchemy?

[daturameloxia]

[Wylan presses his lips into a thin line, resigned to saying nothing further about the soul alchemy keeping his body going.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....I can see what Magic Drain does.

[daturameloxia]

I don't have any magic to drain from. [With a hostile, snippy tone.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

... [Did he not know about the seasonal powers?]

You sure that alchemy isn't magic?

[daturameloxia]

[Nope, Wylan doesn't know anything about seasonal powers or how to develop them!

More importantly, Wylan doesn't want the soul alchemy undone, so he'll lie and fight his way into preventing it.]

I'm sure. Leave me alone.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I got eight casts to experiment with.

If there's no magic, Magic Drain won't do anything so I guess I can just do it, no harm, right?

[daturameloxia]

I hate you. [Wylan spits out the words at Wash.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Doesn't matter. I made a promise to take care of you, so I will, even if you hate me for it.

So Magic Drain or are you going to tell me what happened?

[daturameloxia]

I'm telling you nothing. [Firm shake of his head.] You'll abandon that promise like every other father I have ever had.

[schrodingerscockroach]

If you really believe that, you don't know me well at all. Hell, people I've met here know how I am about shit dads.

[Well, time to see what MP drain does. It takes a minute to do the drain fully, but it can half the magic in a person.]

[daturameloxia]

[The alchemy definitely responds to the drain, but has such a firm hold on Wylan's soul that all it results in is immeasurable pain. It's far worse than when Wylan acts out of hatred, Wylan skips right past the panting and the attempts to tear at his chest to screaming as he squirms, unable to do anything to ease the sudden onslaught of pain. Just as the alchemy pulls away, its roots pull on Wylan's soul, threatening to tear it into pieces as well.

It's a sensation Wylan's never felt before in his life. He feels as if he's in two different places, then four, but before his soul rips into pieces, it holds tight at the last moment.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[That is the nice thing about Pendant spells. They can be cut short and the moment Wylan screams is the moment the spell ends and not a Singular Fucking Second Longer.]

Fuck, Wylan, breathe!

[daturameloxia]

[Wylan is left panting as his entire body buzzes with the aftershocks of the pain. He sucks in air as if it is a new, precious gift denied him for years as he curls up on himself.

And the hate for Wash only grows stronger.]