text; un: megarone

[bluediligence]

Hi everyone!

1. Do you know first aid?
2. Do you know healing magic?
3. If yes to either or both of the above, are you free sometime in the next hour?
4. If no to both:

If you could have an unlimited supply of ONE thing for the rest of your life, no strings attached, what would you choose?

Thank you~ (*￣▽￣)b

Comments

[at_heart]

Punching someone in the face works.

So, yeah.

[bluediligence]

[ Okay, that gets a laugh out of her ]

As much as I like punching — I don't think I wanna punch you after you went out of your way to help me. So …

[ She holds out a gently-closed fist ]

Fistbump it is?

well THIS notif got lost :c

[at_heart]

[ A very gentle fistbump for her. Which, since she just arrived, won't even feel super weird or tingly! Just kind of a mild relief. ]

Done and done.

[bluediligence]

[ There's …

A pause at the contact. A flicker of surprise, followed by confusion. ]

Okay, this might be a weird question ... but would you mind if I hold you hand for a second? Just for a second. There's something I want to test.

[at_heart]

[ His smile is apologetic. ]

...Sorry. I forgot that part. It's, uh. The longer you go without, the more — intense touching someone feels.

[ How did he forget? Well,,, ]

I've got a lot of friends here, so I've never actually... waited all that long myself.

I swear I wasn't trying to surprise you.

[ So, while he will hold his hand out for her, he very much does not expect her to actually take it right away. Or maybe at all. ]

[bluediligence]

It's —

[ Fine, she almost says. Not that, she … also almost says. ]

… Maybe not just that, for me? [ Maybe. She pauses again, biting the inside of her lip, but then she just goes ahead and very, very gently — almost gingerly — takes his hand. ]

[ A sharp breath ]

… Okay. Okay, yeah. My objectives carried over.

1/2

[at_heart]

[ Very much allowing that, and also not trying to squeeze her hand, because it seems like more contact would not necessarily be reassuring the way he'd like it to be right now. ]

—Your what?

[at_heart]

I mean. It's definitely okay if you don't want to tell me.

This is just the first I've heard of anything like that.

[bluediligence]

Eh? Oh — [ Right. Right, of course he wouldn't know. ] … It's fine; it's no big secret.

[ ... And she should probably pull her hand away. She should, right? ... and she will, in a minute. ]

It's a holdover from the last place I was kidnapped to. Everyone has "objectives" and "taboos" tied to their souls, individualised to them. Completing objectives gives a boost to in mental and-or-physical well-being, and helps the soul recover from — well, being snacked on by a stupid snake god, essentially. [ The alliteration was absolutely on purpose. ] Taboos do the opposite.

One of my objectives was … is touch.

[at_heart]

[ You are clear to keep holding his hand for at least a while before he gets squirmy about it. The contact helps him recharge, too, after all. ]

Yeah, that's gonna be a 'yikes' from me.

[ Half-smile. ]

If I've gotta choose, I'll take turning to stone over soul-sucking.

[bluediligence]

It's a little bit of a yikes ... [ She finally, gently, pulls her hand away, pinching her fingers rrrrrreaaaaal close together. ] A little.

[ A lot. It's a lot yikes. ]

The objectives and taboos on their own shouldn't be too much of a pain to deal with, at least. And physical touch is -

... Easy enough, I guess.

[ If she's honest, she loves touch. She's a massive cuddlebug. But getting to a place where she's comfortable enough to seek it out? Oof. ]

[at_heart]

Kind of convenient, given the way it works here. More and more consistent touch gives us better access to our powers.

[ Beeeeeeaaaaaat. ]

But I'm also sorry. I'm glad Tokyo-F didn't leave the same kind of mark on me.

[bluediligence]

- eh?

[ The doubpe-take is both immediate and big ]

You were in Tokyo-F?

[at_heart]

[ And — sitting up a little straighter himself in response. ]

Yeah. For about half a year. You...

[ There's the smallest pause, then his expression turns more sympathetic. He figured it was possible, he's joked about it in a dark laugh-or-cry sort of way, but congrats on being the first person he's met where it actually happened. ]

This isn't just your second kidnapping, is it.

[bluediligence]

[ She … stares at him … ]

[ her lips twitch ]

[ and she starts to laugh, quiet and breathy. It only lasts a couple of seconds before she successfully wrestles it back. ]

... More like fifth or sixth ...

Or seventh. I think this might be the seventh.

[at_heart]

[ So much yikes. ]

...I'm sorry. That's — really awful.

[bluediligence]

It's not ideal, but ... hey. [ a small shrug, her wings shifting and resettling along with the movement. ] I'm still here, and I'm still moving forward.

[ Even if "forward" leads her straight into yet more of these stupid, fucked up situations. ]

... Ahh, but I do have to admit - I don't really remember a lot about Tokyo-F just yet. A little of my unit, some games. AlcheMe potions.

[at_heart]

—The other places messed with your memories, too?

[ Call it an educated guess. ]

...For me, it feels — kind of faraway. Not like a dream, exactly? But fuzzier.